Liver Transplantation and Biotechnology

Abstract

This paper will begin by going over the functions of the liver, and the most common problems that cause acute liver failure and other types of liver failures. Liver transplantation is currently the most common method of treating liver failure, but there are many limitations to the field of liver transplantation. This paper will also go over several additions to the field of artificial liver development. So far, there has been no single technology that could develop an artificial liver that could completely replace all the functions of the livers, but it has been deemed the best method for severe liver diseases. Up and coming artificial liver technologies include MARS(the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System), and SPAD(single pass albumin dialysis) which are both bioartificial liver technologies that use dialysis for filter and detoxify blood, one of the main functions of the liver. Liver transplantation and bioartificial livers will be compared, their strengths and weaknesses and limitations, and the paper will go over where the bioartificial field is now, devices that are currently in development and being tested, and the current challenges being faced. The paper wil also go over where the bioartificial liver field could go in the future.