Imagine needing an urgent liver transplant, but instead of waiting for a donor, you can just repair your own organ.

Yes, scientists have discovered a new way of treating liver failure -- the technique involves inserting stem cells into the damaged organ so that it is encouraged to repair itself and create new tissue, The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

"We have identified a non-hepatic source of cells that can easily be expanded to the scale required for clinical application," Dr Martin Yarmush, who led the study published in the Public Library of Science journal, was quoted by the daily as saying.

The liver is known to be one of the few major organs able to regenerate itself when parts have been removed. The scientists came to the conclusion after they found they could encourage this natural tendency by inserting stem cells into the damaged livers of rodents. In fact, they used Mesenchymal stem cells found in the bone marrow.

According to the researchers, the treatment will allow patients to live long enough for a new organ to found and could even enable the liver to completely heal itself so a transplant is no longer needed. The demand for new organs is currently so high that many patients die on the waiting list or are taken off because their condition deteriorates to the extent that they would not survive the operation.