New findings in the fight against liver failure

The liver is a remarkable organ that has the ability to regenerate and repair itself, however, sometimes it can be damaged beyond the point of repair. This can eventually lead to liver failure. For the 6 million Australians currently living with chronic liver disease, liver failure can be a deeply upsetting topic, which is why these new findings provide a hopeful look into the future of liver failure.

Scientists have announced that they have discovered a process that triggers the liver to regrow. Professor Mark Dawson, Head of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics Program at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, revealed in an interview with ABC that one of his students posed a question that sparked the findings. The question pondered what queues in the liver causate the regeneration process, and at what time. What was revealed was that the liver has waves of gene expression that trigger the state of initial regeneration, and a master regulator called Nrf2. More research is needed to know how to utilise this knowledge and translate it into practice.

Learn more about the findings by listening to the recording below.