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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Author Spotlight: Robust Culture of Human Enteric Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: May 17, 2024
Endoscopic delivery of enteric neural stem cells to treat Hirschsprung disease
L S Cheng1,2, R Hotta1, H K Graham1
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Background:
Transplantation of enteric neural stem cells (ENSC) holds promise as a potential therapy for enteric neuropathies, including Hirschsprung disease. Delivery of transplantable cells via laparotomy has been described, but we propose a novel, minimally invasive endoscopic method of cell delivery.
Methods:
Enteric neural stem cells for transplantation were cultured from dissociated gut of postnatal donor mice. Twelve recipient mice, including Ednrb(-/-) mice with distal colonic aganglionosis, underwent colonoscopic injection of ENSC under direct vision using a 30-gauge Hamilton needle passed through a rigid cystoureteroscope. Cell engraftment, survival, and neuroglial differentiation were studied 1-4 weeks after the procedure.
Key Results:
All recipient mice tolerated the procedure without complications and survived to sacrifice. Transplanted cells were found within the colonic wall in 9 of 12 recipient mice with differentiation into enteric neurons and glia.
Conclusions & Inferences:
Endoscopic injection of ENSC is a safe and reliable method for cell delivery, and can be used to deliver a large number of cells to a specific area of disease. This minimally invasive endoscopic approach may prove beneficial to future human applications of cell therapy for neurointestinal disease.
