Researchers report that they have made human stem cells into functional human intestinal tissue in the laboratory.
The study team described this achievement as a "significant step" toward efforts to better understand the function and development of the human intestine. They also hope that this innovation will drive the development of new strategies to combat intestinal diseases, while opening new avenues for the production of tissue transplantation.
"We hope our ability to transform stem cells in intestinal tissue eventually be therapeutically beneficial for people with diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, inflammatory bowel disease and short bowel syndrome," said study lead author James Wells, investigator of the division of developmental biology Medical Center Cincinnati Children's Hospital, in a press release from the hospital.
Wells and his colleagues report their findings in the online edition of Nature on December 12.
The authors used two types of stem cells called "pluripotent" cells that have a chameleon-like ability to differentiate into any of the nearly 200 different types of cells.
Embryonic stem cells are known for their processing capabilities, were a type. Moreover, the researchers found stem cells "induced", ie reprogrammed cells obtained from patients in the laboratory to function as pluripotent stem cells.
Although less studied than embryonic stem cells, induced cells theoretically have the advantage of minimizing the risk of cellular rejection when reimplanted into a recipient patient.
In a Petri dish, both types of stem cells underwent a series of chemical processes and triggering proteins did they became key elements of various components of organs such as the lining of the esophagus, stomach and intestines .
For four weeks, Wells and colleagues used this approach to create similar to fetal intestinal tissue in three dimensions, involving all key actors in the intestinal cell growth.
This incipient tissue continued to grow, for ultimately the functions of a normal intestinal tissue, the researchers said.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA. UU. and Research Foundation Juvenile Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
