Abstract
The liver is the largest internal organ in the body, responsible for over 500 metabolic, regulatory,
and immune functions. Loss of liver function leads to liver failure which causes over 25 000 deaths/year
in the United States. Efforts in the field of hepatic tissue engineering include the design of bioartificial
liver systems to prolong patient's lives during liver failure, for drug toxicity screening and for the study
of liver regeneration, ischemia/reperfusion injury, fibrosis, viral infection, and inflammation. This chapter
will overview the current state-of-the-art in hepatology including isolated perfused liver, culture of liver
slices and tissue explants, hepatocyte culture on collagen “sandwich” and spheroids, coculture
of hepatocytes with non-parenchymal cells, and the integration of these culture techniques with microfluidics
and reactor design. This work will discuss the role of oxygen and medium composition in hepatocyte culture
and present promising new technologies for hepatocyte proliferation and function. We will also discuss
liver development, architecture, and function as they relate to these culture techniques. Finally, we will
review current opportunities and major challenges in integrating cell culture, bioreactor design, and microtechnology
to develop new systems for novel applications.