Cell sources for regenerative medicine of the liver and endoderm organs: strategies and perspectives

In a recent paper, Wang and colleagues showed that a set of defined small molecules plus mesenchymal feeder cells can covert human gastric epithelial cells into induced endodermal progenitors with the capability to differentiate into liver and pancreatic adult parenchymal cells (1). This manuscript could open new perspective in the field of cell therapies for endodermal organs suggesting the stomach as a possible new cell source for the support of liver and pancreatic functions.