Researchers find promise in new potential treatment for liver failure

A new drug has been shown to increase healing and regeneration of the liver after major surgery, according to a study published in the scientific journal Cell. Researchers hope that this could lead to more surgical options for patients diagnosed with advanced liver tumors and liver failure.

"This research is significant because this is the first drug of its kind to show an increase in healing and regeneration of the liver after major surgery," says Scott Nyberg, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon and co-senior author of the study.

While healthy livers have a nearly unlimited ability to regenerate themselves, that is not the case for livers that are damaged. As a result, surgeons treating a patient with primary liver tumors are limited in how large of a section of the liver can safely be removed to avoid liver failure.

The study found that a drug called HRX215 inhibits the MKK4 protein found in liver cells. That appears to trigger the self-healing function of the liver, allowing it to regenerate. Before the drug was tested in 48 healthy volunteers within the phase 1 study, it was investigated in animal models. The preclinical study was able to show that the use of HRX-215 increased liver regeneration and prevented liver failure, even after the removal of 85% of the organ. The phase 1 study found excellent safety and tolerability of the drug in people. Additional clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy of the drug in humans.

Read the full article on Mayo Clinic News Network