Researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center have recently made, from pluripotent stem cells, human intestinal tissue that functions. The researchers project that this will push the boundaries of research into how the intestines develop and work. It will also help with understanding the diseases that affect this organ and aid in producing intestinal tissue for transplant.
The study’s senior investigator and a transplant surgeon, James Wells, Ph.D., stated that this was the first time cells in a petri dish were programmed to mimic efficiently the three dimensional cell structure and function of human intestinal tissue. Regarding the future applications of this find, he said, “The hope is that our ability to turn stem cells into intestinal tissue will eventually be therapeutically beneficial for people with diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, inflammatory bowel disease and short bowel syndromes.”
Pluripotent cells are stem cells which can be transformed into other types of cells. The two type used in this study were the human embryonic and the induced pluripotent varieties of stem cells. The former can be manipulated into 200 different structures identical to those found in the human body. The latter is taken from the patient and induced to form specific cell types. Growth factors were used to induce embryonic maturation in the stem cell similar to what is undergone by human intestinal tissue cells. After 28 days, tissue similar to those found in human intestines was successfully generated. As these cells matured, they exhibited the ability of human intestine to absorb nutrients and secrete chemicals inherent to normal intestinal tissue function.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is considered one of the “Best Children’s Hospitals” by World Report and named by US News to its Honor Roll. It is considered the top children’s hospital when it comes to digestive disorders.
