<\/p>\nScientists\u00a0reconstructed\u00a0human liver lobules\u00a0in 3D.\u00a0The central vein\u00a0is\u00a0shown\u00a0in\u00a0gray, and\u00a0the colors show\u00a0different\u00a0levels\u00a0of a key liver enzyme.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wes Fabyan and Chelsea Fortin <\/p>\n
<\/a> <\/p>\n
The human liver helps people stay healthy in many ways. It helps filter blood and waste, process and store nutrients, produce blood-clotting proteins, resist infections, and fulfills many other important roles in maintaining the body\u2019s functions.<\/p>\n
Healthy liver tissue is made up of many basic components, called lobules, that each contain a central vein, blood vessels, bile ducts, and cells. The arrangement of these components within each lobule is critical for the liver to function properly. Advanced liver disease can cause extensive scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis affects the liver\u2019s internal structure and prevents the liver from functioning properly.<\/p>\n
Researchers don\u2019t fully understand how the liver changes internally during cirrhosis. Current models for studying the liver\u2019s structure are mostly flat, 2D cultures. These don\u2019t show the organ\u2019s complex internal 3D structure or how it changes during liver diseases.<\/p>\n
An NIH-funded research team led by Dr. Kelly Stevens of the University of Washington developed a new 3D reconstruction of the human liver that shows its structure down to a cellular level. Created using a method called the LiverMap pipeline, the reconstruction can help researchers learn how the liver changes internally in liver disease and identify new treatments. The results were published in Science Advances on February 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
The researchers obtained samples of healthy liver tissue from six patients who had tumors removed from their livers. Cirrhotic liver tissue was obtained from three patients who received liver transplants. The researchers treated sections of tissue with fluorescent antibodies to identify different cell types. They also applied a chemical treatment to turn the tissue sections transparent.<\/p>\n
The sections were then imaged under a microscope. Computer software created 3D reconstructions based on the images. The 3D reconstructions showed how the lobules are structured and the arrangement of veins and arteries at a cellular level.<\/p>\n
The approach revealed architectural changes that occur during cirrhosis. Cells and blood vessels were rearranged across several lobules. Cirrhotic tissue had fewer cells making a key liver enzyme. It also had fewer central veins than healthy liver tissue. The network of ducts that transport bile, a substance that aids digestion, became more fragmented as well.<\/p>\n
The LiverMap pipeline represents a significant advance over prior imaging studies. But it doesn\u2019t capture the full depth of a human liver lobule. Future research will be needed to create a complete lobule reconstruction. Additional research also could show how structural changes in the liver evolve as cirrhosis progresses.<\/p>\n
The researchers hope that 3D organ maps will eventually allow them to use 3D printers to build living tissues for transplantation. \u201cWe don\u2019t yet have the \u2018blueprints\u2019 of human organs to feed into bioprinters,\u201d Stevens explains. \u201cIf the maps aren\u2019t right, the organs produced will not be functional.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014by Sarah Mann<\/p>\n
Related Links<\/p>\n
References<\/p>\n
3D reconstruction of human liver tissue at cellular resolution<\/a>. Fabyan WB, Fortin CL, Goune DL, Kenerson HL, Simmonds Bohorquez SP, Liu JTC, Yeh MM, Carr RM, Yeung RSW, Stevens KR. Sci Adv. 2026 Feb 20;12(8):eadz2299. doi: 10.1126\/sciadv.adz2299. PMID: 41706846.<\/p>\n Funding<\/p>\n
NIH\u2019s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS); Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); National Science Foundation (NSF); Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March 10, 2026 At a Glance A new 3D reconstruction of human liver tissue shows the organ\u2019s complex…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[78],"tags":[164646,18,135,112161,19,17,174028,12209,101914,15597,174027,44687,57774],"class_list":["post-378223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-3d-imaging","tag-eire","tag-health","tag-hepatocytes","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kelly-stevens","tag-liver","tag-liver-cirrhosis","tag-liver-disease","tag-livermap-pipeline","tag-science-advances","tag-tissue-engineering"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116206692260263146","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}