Due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, fungal food poisoning and other factors, there is a relatively high level of liver failure in China leading to a high mortality rate. The group of Hui Lijian at CAS Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology http://www.sibcb.ac.cn/ePI.asp?id=124 has developed an extracorporal bio-artificial liver on the basis of allogenic hepatocytes developed from human fibroblasts (hiHEP”) which have been clinically tested on 5 patients in a Nanjing hospital since 2016. By end of July 2017, the condition of the patients had improved significantly, biochemical indicators, liver function and coagulation index had gradually improved, as had appetite and physical strength, and no adverse reactions were observed. The technology has been licensed to Shanghai Juwuel, http://www.juwuel.com, which has built a production line with an estimated annual output of 300 to 500 test units and expects to market the product within three to five years.”
China Bio news release, August 16, 2017