After 25 years of intensive research, there is still no effective treatment for liver failure. The liver is one of the most complex organs in the body—and one of the hardest to replace. It performs a variety of functions, and many of them are still poorly understood. It removes toxins from the blood and manufactures up to 1,000 proteins, metabolites and other vital substances. Now scientists trying to develop an artificial liver have found a way around these complexities: they let rabbit-liver cells do the work. The Bio-Artificial Liver developed by Dr. Kenneth Matsumura has a two-part chamber—patient's blood on one side, live rabbit cells suspended in a solution on the other—with a semipermeable membrane in between. As toxins from the blood pass through the membrane, the rabbit cells metabolize them and send the resulting proteins and other good things back to the other side, permitting the cells to detoxify the user’s blood just like a natural liver. Because the rabbit cells never come into direct contact with human blood, the chances of infection or rejection are minimized. The device is meant primarily as a bridge to an eventual liver transplant for patients with acute liver failure or for those who have rejected a previous transplant. In some cases, it may also give a damaged liver time to heal on its own, eliminating the need for a transplant altogether. Disposable units can be used for a series of brief treatments, as with kidney dialysis, creating a liver “dialysis” machine.

Dr. William L. Hamilton was an essential part of the laboratory team in the pioneering work of the artificial liver.

The bio-artificial liver exemplifies the dream of ALIN Foundation's founders — innovative technology bringing hope where none existed before. The bio-artificial liver was recognized as an Invention of the Year by TIME Magazine.