SMALL LIVER CELL-RICH COLONY, METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME, METHOD OF MATURING THE SAME INTO LIVER TISSUE AND METHOD OF ESTIMATING DRUG FUNCTION USING THE MATURED SMALL LIVER CELL-RICH COLONY

摘要

The present invention provides a process for preparing a transplantable liver tissue, cell colonies suitable for the process and a process for preparing them. At least about 70 % of the cells in the cell small hepatocyte-rich colonies of the present invention are small hepatocytes. In particular, each colony comprises about 10 to 30 cells and the number of the small hepatocytes is at least about 70 % based on the total number of the cells in the colony. A process for preparing such small hepatocyte-rich colonies is also disclosed. The present invention also discloses a process for inducing the maturation of the cell small hepatocyte-rich colonies into a liver tissue and a method of estimating the effect of a drug, particularly the effect thereof connected with normal liver function, in vitro using the cell colonies enriched with the small hepatocytes which has been induced to be matured.