14 DAY TRIAL // University of Cambridge expert Dr. Ludovic Vallier is the creator of a method for producing artificial liver cells from human stem cells. His innovation is bound to help further research on hepatic illnesses, while at the same time reducing the number of animals scientists use as test subjects.
For the far-reaching implications and applications that his work has in the field of medicine, the researcher was recently awarded a national prize provided by the National Center for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).
His work mostly dealt with a type of cells called human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). These do not occur naturally. Rather, they are the result of a process being applied to fully developed and matured cells, which makes them revert to an original state.
Once this step is completed, the cell populations can be guided to differentiate again. By changing the parameters of this process, researchers can control what type of cells the iPSC turn into. Vallier found a way to make them turn into liver cells.
This is very important, since conditions affecting the liver are extremely widespread around the world. Studies aimed at developing methods to fight them are usually conducted on unsuspecting lab mice and rats, but there is a large degree of error associated with them.
By having the ability to grow human liver tissue, researchers basically gain access to the real deal, allowing them to conduct much more precise and successful investigations. This is why the GlaxoSmithKline-sponsored award went to the Cambridge investigator.
Vallier received a £2,000 personal award, as well as a £18,000 research grant. The latter will be used for developing new ways of using the artificial liver cells for screening potential drug treatments.
“Ludovic Vallier’s innovative study describes the development and validation of a method to produce cells similar to those in a human liver. Such cells could replace animals for some types of early drug testing and could also help us to predict adverse clinical reactions,” Paul Matthews said.
“Using these cells for drug testing could be transformative. Ludovic and his colleagues have well illustrated how addressing the 3Rs converges with improving the quality of science!” he added.
Professor Paul Matthews is the GlaxoSmithKline vice-president for imaging, and was the company representative that handed the award to Vallier.