Tiny human oesophagus grown in laboratory

Washington, Sept. 23: In a first, scientists have successfully grown oesophageal organoids — miniature, functional versions of the human food pipe — using stem cells, paving the way for new ways to study and test drugs against gut disorders.

The research, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, shows how human oesophageal tissue was grown entirely from pluripotent stem cells ( PSCs), which can form any tissue type in the body.

The work by researchers at the Cincinnati Children's Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine ( CuSTOM) in the US may lead to personalised diagnostic methods and focused in part on developing regenerative tissue therapies to treat or cure GI disorders.

“Disorders of the esophagus and trachea are prevalent enough in people that organoid models of human esophagus could be greatly beneficial,” said Jim Wells, a chief scientific officer.

“In addition to being a new model to study birth defects like esophageal atresia, the organoids can be used to study diseases like eo sin op hi lic esophagitis and Barrett's metaplasia, or to bioengineer genetically matched esophageal tissue,” Wells said.

The oesophagus is a muscular tube that passes food from the mouth to the stomach. The organ can be affected by congenital diseases.

The research shows how human oesophageal tissue was grown entirely from pluripotent stem cells ( PSCs), which can form any tissue type in the body