Lay Teng Ang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, Stanford University

Research Description: End-stage liver failure is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States but have limited treatment options. The ability to create a pure population of stem cell-derived liver cells or hepatocytes would be revolutionary for regenerative medicine, but thus far, it has proven challenging to achieve. The Ang laboratory has been focusing on developing strategies to convert human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into hepatocytes, purify them, and enhance their metabolic capabilities. First, Dr. Ang and her lab rapidly reconstitute endoderm and liver progenitors from hPSCs. After mapping how closely related lineages, including liver, pancreas, and intestines, diversified from a common endodermal origin, they used exogenous signals to promote liver fate but suppress pancreas and intestinal formation. This led them to successfully convert hPSCs into more than 80% liver cells. Second, Dr. Ang developed an innovative approach called “metabolic selection” to enhance hepatocyte purity to over 95%. For example, by withholding key metabolites from the media, non-liver cells perish while liver cells survive with unique metabolic capabilities. This simple technique does not require additional equipment and effectively purifies hPSC-derived hepatocytes. Ultimately, Dr. Ang aims to use these purified hepatocytes to unravel the mechanisms of liver “maturation” and engineer fully functional hepatocytes with adultlike metabolic capabilities. The Ang group actively collaborates with groups led by NORC members Seung Kim and Varvara Kirchner.