Miniature human intestine grown in mice for first time

Researchers have grown a miniature human intestine in laboratory mice for the first time as part of a research project, which claims to one day be able to cure intestinal diseases by using a patient's own tissue cells.

In a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre in the US state of Ohio said that this method "provides a new way to study the many diseases and conditions that can cause intestinal failure, from genetic disorders appearing at birth to conditions that strike later in life, such as cancer and Crohn's disease."

In the first step, stem cells were bioengineered to grow "organoids" of functioning human intestinal tissues from pluripotent stem cells. These were transplanted into the mouse's kidney capsule, which was given a blood supply.

The mice in question were also genetically engineered in order to prevent the risk of their immune systems rejecting the implanted human tissue.

Six to eight weeks after the transplantation, the ball of cells had already grown larger than a regular mouse kidney. The researchers noted that they had replicated almost all of the tissue variations normally found within a human intestine, and that these were capable of digesting and absorbing food.

According to the researchers, this procedure has created a new model for studying intestinal disorders and diseases. As, while this latest research grows human organs from scratch, it also supports the idea that whole organs, built from complex arrangements of tissues, can be generated within the patient's body.

Researchers noted in the paper that studies carried out on animals often do not produce the same results in people. Yet they suggest that this research may offer alternatives to animal testing in the future, as well as produce better laboratory models of diseased tissues for drugs testing, and speed up the development of new medicines and treatments.

"These studies support the concept that patient-specific cells can be used to grow intestines," said Michael Helmrath, who led the study, adding that the research "advanced the longer-term aim of growing tissues that can replace damaged human intestine."

An advantage of using the patient's own tissues in the treatment process is that it eliminates both the risk of transplant rejection, and the expense of needing to take life-long drugs to prevent this rejection.

While this latest research represents a step forward in terms of stem cell and organoid research at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, researchers added that it could still take several years before lab grown tissue replacements are incorporated into medical practices.

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Miniature human intestine grown in mice for first time