HepaLife is incorporating the PICM-19 cell line in its developmental stage bioartificial liver. HepaLife’s bioartificial liver, designed to operate outside the patient’s body, is envisioned to mimic important functions of the human liver by circulating the patient’s blood inside the device, where it is exposed to HepaLife’s PICM-19 liver stem cells, thus processing the patient’s blood plasma by removing toxins, enhancing metabolic function, and ultimately, imitating the liver’s natural function.
Frank Menzler, president and CEO of HepaLife, said: “The execution of our new CRADA and the announcement of our exclusive worldwide PICM-19 license agreement with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) earlier this month, together mark important objectives for HepaLife and for the development of our bioartificial liver device.”