When a Liver Mutation is a Good Thing

When a Liver Mutation is a Good Thing: Researchers at the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern have found that not all liver mutations are created equal. A liver mutation was previously thought to be an indicator of cancer or another disfunction, but researchers using gene sequencing have found that some adult liver mutations promote regeneration after liver damage. 'Mutations that arise in normal cells are most often viewed through the lens of cancer. While certain mutations can represent steps toward the development of cancer, other mutations may actually promote tissue healing without causing cancer,' said Dr. Hao Zhu, an Associate Professor at CRI and of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UT Southwestern, via release. Zhu is an author of the liver study published in Cell. Researchers developed techniques to identify mutated genes in Parkland patients with chronic liver disease, and then tested mouse livers to see how similar mutations impacted liver function. Researchers found that some