Organ transplants are complex procedures that require quick action to maintain the health of the donated organ, or "graft." Recently, Swiss doctors developed a machine that can extend the life of a graft and improve its quality. In a groundbreaking first, a man received a liver that had been treated with this innovative device. The liver is a crucial organ responsible for over 500 vital functions, including regulating blood clotting, filtering bacteria from the blood, and processing medications. These functions are primarily carried out by specialized liver cells known as hepatocytes. To address the shortage of donor livers compared to the number of patients waiting for a transplant, engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are developing an alternative: injectable "mini-livers." These mini-livers are designed to perform some essential functions of a damaged liver. For over a decade, Sangeeta Bhatia, a professor at MIT and part of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, has worked on restoring liver cell function without surgery. Her team’s injectable mini-liver uses hepatocytes combined with hydrogel microspheres that keep the cells together. These microspheres can be injected like a liquid using a syringe and then solidify inside the body, forming a stable structure. In experiments on mice, the mini-livers were injected into abdominal fat tissue. The cells clustered together, and blood vessels gradually formed around them, supplying nutrients and oxygen. Over eight weeks, the transplanted hepatocytes remained alive and continued to release important proteins and enzymes into the bloodstream, similar to a healthy liver. The study, published in Cell Biomaterials, suggests that this technology could offer long-term treatment for certain liver diseases. Meanwhile, robot-assisted surgery has made a new breakthrough by successfully transplanting an entire liver into a patient for the first time. This technique is less invasive and potentially safer than traditional methods. American surgeons hope to expand this approach, as the transplanted liver does not need to be placed directly near the original liver. As long as the graft has adequate space and blood supply, the hepatocytes can function similarly to those in a natural liver. This development could revolutionize the field of organ transplantation. Hepatitis, a liver disease that can be caused by viruses, leads to the destruction of liver cells and may progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer. Researchers view the injectable mini-liver technology as both an alternative to surgery and a potential temporary solution for patients waiting for a transplant. These grafts can provide essential liver functions while a donor organ becomes available. If further treatments are needed, the injectable approach offers fewer complications than additional surgery.