{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T06:00:49Z","timestamp":1782280849067,"version":"3.54.5"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"group-title":"Bioengineering","reference-count":0,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769990400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/about\/FAQ#license"}],"funder":[{"name":"NIH","award":["EB033821"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EB033821"]}]},{"name":"Howard Hughes Medical Institute"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Liver transplantation remains the standard of care for end-stage liver failure, yet it is constrained by donor scarcity, surgical complexity, and restricted access for many patients. Cell-based therapies offer a potential alternative, yet their translation has been hindered by low engraftment, poor localization, and a lack of delivery strategies that are both effective and minimally invasive. To address these challenges, we developed a new approach termed INSITE (Injected Self-assembled Image-guided Tissue Ensembles), an injectable platform composed of primary human hepatocytes and hydrogel microspheres that can be delivered by image-guided injection and assembled in situ into supportive, vascularizable scaffolds. In vivo, ultrasound-guided delivery into an ectopic site enabled precise graft localization, persistent visibility under noninvasive imaging, and vascular integration. Hepatocytes within these niches remained confined to the scaffold and maintained long-term functional activity. Furthermore, tuning material properties allowed control over scaffold remodeling and vascular recruitment, providing a means to enhance graft function. By integrating image-guided delivery with a modular and supportive scaffold, INSITE establishes a clinically compatible strategy for advancing minimally invasive cell therapies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.01.30.702821","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T01:05:38Z","timestamp":1770080738000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Image-Guided Injectable Niche for Hepatocyte Transplantation"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1280-2161","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vardhman","family":"Kumar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joa","family":"Yun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susanna K","family":"Elledge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicole","family":"Henning","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katarzyna A","family":"Grzelak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashley D","family":"Westerfield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amy","family":"Stoddard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Favour A","family":"Oladimeji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Virginia","family":"Spanoudaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kasturi","family":"Chakraborty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Savan K","family":"Patel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heather E","family":"Fleming","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christopher S","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Boston University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sangeeta N","family":"Bhatia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","container-title":[],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.01.30.702821","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T05:08:38Z","timestamp":1782277718000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/biorxiv.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.01.30.702821"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.64898\/2026.01.30.702821","relation":{"is-preprint-of":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1016\/j.celbio.2026.100378","asserted-by":"subject"}]},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"subtype":"preprint"}}