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Related Experiment Video

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Ultrasound-guided Intracardiac Injection of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Increase Homing to the Intestine for Use in Murine Models of Experimental Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

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Stem cells for GI motility disorders.

Ryo Hotta¹, Dipa Natarajan, Alan J Burns

¹Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Current Opinion in Pharmacology

|November 8, 2011

Summary

Neural stem cells harvested from the human gut show promise for treating gastrointestinal motility disorders. Further research is needed to overcome challenges before clinical application.

Area of Science:

Gastroenterology
Stem Cell Biology
Regenerative Medicine

Background:

Current therapies for gastrointestinal motility disorders are insufficient.
Neural stem cells are identified as potential tools for cellular replenishment.
The gut is a viable source for harvesting neural stem cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the potential of neural stem cells for treating gastrointestinal motility disorders.
To assess the feasibility of generating a neo-Enteric Nervous System using gut-derived neural stem cells.

Main Methods:

Harvesting neural stem cells from postnatal human gut via endoscopy.
Conducting experimental transplantation studies.
Utilizing animal models for in vivo pre-clinical proof of concept studies.

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Video Imaging and Spatiotemporal Maps to Analyze Gastrointestinal Motility in Mice

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Video Imaging and Spatiotemporal Maps to Analyze Gastrointestinal Motility in Mice

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Main Results:

Neural stem cells can be generated from the human gut.
Experimental studies suggest these cells can form a neo-Enteric Nervous System.
Pre-clinical studies are underway in animal models.

Conclusions:

Cellular replenishment therapies using neural stem cells offer a promising prospect for gut motility disorders.
Short-term clinical applications are conceivable but require addressing existing challenges.
Further research and development are necessary for definitive clinical translation.