Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41827866›Full record

ArticleCells2026

From Patient Liver Tissue to Organoids: Establishment of a Translational Platform Using Healthy, Steatotic, and Cirrhotic Tissue Sources.

Robert F Pohlberger, Katharina S Hardt, Mark P Kühnel, Julian Palzer, Johanna Luisa Reinhardt, Oliver Beetz, Felix Oldhafer, Franziska A Meister, Katja S Just, Sarah K Schröder-Lange and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cells, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Robert F PohlbergerDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Katharina S HardtInstitute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0009-0003-3044-4278
Mark P KühnelInstitute for Pathology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Julian PalzerDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5457-7628
Johanna Luisa ReinhardtDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Oliver BeetzDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Felix OldhaferDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Franziska A MeisterDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9624-6042
Katja S JustInstitute for Clinical Pharmacology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6782-8078
Sarah K Schröder-LangeInstitute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2265-3726
Danny JonigkInstitute for Pathology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Florian W R VondranDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Ralf WeiskirchenInstitute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3888-0931
Thomas StiehlInstitute for Computational Biomedicine and Disease Modelling, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Anjali A RoethDepartment of General, Visceral, Pediatric, and Transplant Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1670-7487

Funding

IZKF of the Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen PTD 1-13IZKF of the Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen PTD 1-5IZKF of the Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen PTD 1-8
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its consequences represent a growing global health burden that urgently requires physiologically relevant in vitro models beyond conventional 2D culture systems. In this study, we report the successful establishment of 45 patient-derived liver organoid lines. These organoids were generated from healthy, steatotic and cirrhotic tissues collected from 207 liver surgeries at RWTH University Hospital Aachen, with an initiation success rate of 82%. The organoids were propagated for at least six passages using an optimized protocol. Multiplex immunofluorescence analysis revealed highly proliferative structures with approximately 40% Ki-67-positive cells expressing hepatocyte (Albumin and HNF4α) and cholangiocyte (CK19) markers. Intermittent LGR5 staining suggested the presence of liver progenitor cell features. Quantitative PCR results confirmed variable HNF4α expression, indicating inter-patient heterogeneity in differentiation status. Time-lapse imaging combined with mathematical modeling uncovered a biphasic growth dynamic with an initial linear expansion in the first 15 h, followed by exponential growth (doubling time ≈ 20.6 h) between 30 and 72 h. Overall, our workflow produced genetically and phenotypically stable liver organoids that recapitulate essential features of various hepatic conditions. This provides a solid foundation for disease modeling, potential drug testing, and quantitative systems biology.

Indexed as

LiverLiver CirrhosisOrganoidsTranslational Research, BiomedicalCell DifferentiationCell ProliferationFemaleHepatocytesHumans3D cell culturecirrhosisliver organoidsMASLDmathematical growth modelingmultiplex immunofluorescencepatient-derived organoidssteatotic liver disease

Identifiers

PMID41827866
PMCPMC12984627

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.