Placenta-Derived Factors, Specifically IL1α, Significantly Boost Human Liver Organoid Growth, Study Finds

Researchers at The University of Tokyo have discovered that placenta-derived factors significantly enhance the growth and functionality of liver organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). The study, published in *Nature Communications*, was led by Dr. Yoshiki Kuse and Prof. Hideki Taniguchi. The team found that the placental protein IL1α, when introduced to hiPSC-derived liver organoids under simulated early liver development conditions, resulted in organoids growing up to five times larger than control groups. The enhanced organoids also exhibited increased production of liver-specific proteins. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified the SAA1-TLR2-CCL20-CCR6 signaling cascade as a key pathway through which IL1α facilitates hepatoblast expansion. The findings suggest that integrating placental factors can advance liver organoid culture techniques, potentially leading to improved models for disease study, drug testing, and regenerative medicine. The researchers advocate for perfusion-based culture systems to continuously deliver placenta-derived factors, further enhancing organoid viability and complexity.