A clinical research project entitled “Stem Cell Therapy for Pre-Liver Failure”, led by Professor He Yingli from the Department of Infectious Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital (FAH) of Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), passed the final review and was registered with the National Stem Cell Committee on December 17, 2025. On January 4, 2026, the project received an official confirmation letter from the National Medical Research Registration and Filing Information System, providing a new treatment option for patients at this stage.
Liver failure is a life-threatening condition with a high mortality rate, and traditional treatments such as artificial liver and liver transplantation need innovative upgrades. Professor He Yingli’s team has been dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and research of severe liver diseases for over 20 years. In 1997, they pioneered artificial liver technology, becoming one of the first teams in the Northwest to implement this technique. In 2016, the FAH established the Artificial Liver Center, developing a mature system that combines “optimized medical strategies + multi-modal artificial liver”. The team also leverages the advantages of magnetic-assisted large vascular anastomosis in liver transplantation to provide one-stop treatment for patients.
The pre-liver failure stage represents a golden window for disease diagnosis and early intervention, where timely treatment can effectively prevent disease progression. The stem cell therapy project registered this time focuses on this critical stage, using the immune regulation and tissue repair potential of stem cells to explore new pathways for treating severe liver failure. This also marks an important breakthrough for the team in the integration and development of “traditional treatment + innovative technology”.
In the future, the team will strictly follow national guidelines to advance clinical research in an orderly manner, continuously optimize treatment plans, and accumulate high-quality data. At the same time, they will strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration and domestic and international exchanges through the FAH’s platform, promoting the deep translation of stem cell technology in the field of severe liver diseases. This is expected to improve the treatment system for severe liver diseases in China and provide valuable experience for the application of this technology in other refractory diseases.
To safeguard the critical health of patients, the Department of Infectious Diseases at the FAH of XJTU has established a leading three-dimensional treatment system. In terms of hardware, an intensive ward for severe liver diseases and a standardized artificial liver treatment room have been set up, and a 365×7×24-hour green channel is available. The team, composed of specialized medical staff and technicians, ensures closed-loop services featuring “rapid response, precise diagnosis and treatment, and full-process management”. In terms of treatment protocols, the integration of multi-modal artificial liver technology with stem cell innovation provides broader treatment options for patients with severe liver diseases.
