Scientists generate human stomach tissue using stem cells

CINCINNATI, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The race to treat and cure the vast range of diseases affecting the human stomach, from cancer to diabetes, has received a boost, thanks to researchers at Cincinnati Children's. In a study published this week in the journal Nature, scientists say they were able to successfully construct miniature human stomachs using stem cells.

Lab-built organs, researchers say, can help medical researchers better observe organ-specific malfunctions and potentially test remedies with more predictive and reliable results. The mini stomachs, created in the Cincinnati lab, are the first examples of three-dimensional human stomach tissue created from pluripotent stem cells -- stem cells that can be programmed to form any type of human cell.

"Until this study, no one had generated gastric cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)," lead researcher Jim Wells said in a press release. "In addition, we discovered how to promote formation of three-dimensional gastric tissue with complex architecture and cellular composition."

The key to building any type of organ tissue from stem cells, is understanding the formation of the organ in the embryonic stage of natural human development. Once properly understood, the process can be replicated by manipulating stem cells in a petri dish. And that's exactly what scientists were recently able to do, coaxing pluripotent stem cells into transforming into stomach tissue.

Researchers have already used the mini stomachs to absorb the behavior of H. pylori bacteria, which causes stomach inflammation and can lead to peptic ulcer disease and stomach cancer.

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Scientists generate human stomach tissue using stem cells