Ethical frontiers in liver transplantation

Table 1 Search strategy

Items	Specification
Date of search	February 28, 2024
Databases searched	PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE and CENTRAL
Search terms used	“Liver transplant”, “transplantation”, “liver donation”, “liver recipient”, “organ donation” and “ethics”
Timeframe	Database inception to February 2024
Inclusion criteria	Studies that were in English that discussed ethical issues in the realm of liver transplantation. Studies that focused on organ donation, organ recipients and allocation, transplant tourism, and new age technologies
Selection process	The search and selection of articles were conducted by primary authors SVS, PYL and JYJL. These were reviewed and approved by senior authors HPNW, MYQL and VGS

SVS: Surya Varma Selvakumar; PYL: Pei Yi Loh; JYJL: Jovan Yi Jun Liau; HPNW: Hoi Pong Nicholas Wong; MYQL: Matthias Yi Quan Liau; VGS: Vishalkumar Girishchandra Shelat.

Table 2 Recent developments for alternatives to traditional liver transplants

Novel technologies	Description	Animal use	Stem cell use	Gene-editing
Xenotransplantation	Transplantation of animal livers into humans	Yes	No	Yes
Stem cell therapy	Usage of stem cells for the treatment of disease, involving the growth, differentiation, and implantation of these stem cells[15]. Includes organoid development, tissue engineering and whole liver bioengineering as relatively newer treatment options	No	Yes	Yes