Modelling of human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with hepatocyte like cells derived from pluripotent stem cells

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly common diagnosis in the Western Hemisphere. It is defined by an accumulation of lipid droplets in more than 5% of hepatocytes. In the beginning the disease is rather benign, but later on patients develop steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and up to 27% of these patients end up with hepatocellular carcinoma. The molecular reasons of this disease are still questioned, but it is well-recognised that NAFLD is strongly associated with obesity and insulin resistance. In this metabolism-based field of research, results obtained from rodent model systems cannot be easi…