An international team of scientists has created the first genetic atlas of the human liver, revealing eight functional zones that could help prevent and treat liver diseases.
The breakthrough research, published in Nature, was led by Professor Shalev Itzkovitz’s group at the Weizmann Institute of Science in collaboration with the Sheba Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic. By analyzing liver samples from eight living donors, the team mapped the expression of thousands of genes at the cellular level, uncovering a far more complex internal organization than the traditional model of three main areas.
The new atlas identifies how more than 500 metabolic tasks are distributed across the liver’s eight distinct zones, each with specialized functions. This detailed mapping helps explain why certain regions are more susceptible to metabolic, inflammatory, and tumor-related conditions such as fatty liver disease.
According to the researchers, the atlas overcomes a long-standing challenge in liver biology: the difficulty of mapping internal function due to the scarcity of healthy tissue samples. The high-resolution genetic map provides new insights into how the liver performs vital processes like detoxification, protein synthesis, and nutrient storage, and how differences between humans and other mammals might support the development of targeted therapies.
The findings redefine the scientific understanding of liver anatomy and open new pathways for diagnosing and treating widespread liver disorders. By pinpointing zone-specific vulnerabilities, the atlas could guide future precision medicine approaches aimed at preventing disease before it progresses.
