Establishment of a human neonatal hepatocyte cell line.

Hepatocytes are routinely used to generate and identify drug metabolites and hepatic toxicity. Primary cultures of human hepatocytes are the model cell of choice for most of these pharmacological and toxicological studies. However, major problems are encountered with primary liver cell cultures: the dwindling availability of viable livers, hepatocytes having a limited life span, the loss of liver-specific functions in culture, and the donor to donor variability.