Description
Generation of human fibroblast-derived hepatocytes capable of extensive proliferation, as evidenced by significant liver repopulation of mice. Unlike current protocols for deriving hepatocytes from human fibroblasts, ours did not generate iPSCs, but shortcut reprogramming to pluripotency to generate an induced multipotent progenitor cell (iMPC) stage from which endoderm progenitor cells (iMPC-EPCs) and subsequently hepatocytes (iMPC-Heps) could be efficiently differentiated. After transplantation into an immune-deficient mouse model of human liver failure, iMPC-Heps were able to engraft and proliferate, and acquired levels of hepatocyte function similar to adult hepatocytes.