Professor Francois Berthiaume and his collaborator Professor Andre Palmer at Ohio State University have received a 4-year $1.4M R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The goal of the project is to use oxygen carriers to develop a new type of liver cell bioreactor that emulates the functions of the actual liver organ. This device could be used as an extra life-saving therapy for patients who have acute liver failure as well as a bridge for patients awaiting a liver transplant.