Intestine grown in laboratory

Researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, have successfully created a tissue-engineered small intestine in mice that replicates the intestinal structures of natural intestine-a necessary first step towards applying this regenerative medicine technique to humans some day.

'A Multicellular Approach Forms a Significant Amount of Tissue-Engineered Small Intestine in the Mouse', the study led by Tracy C Grikscheit, was published in the July issue of Tissue Engineering Part A.

Working in the laboratory, the research team took samples of intestinal tissue from mice. This tissue was comprised of the layers of the various cells that make up the intestine, including muscle cells and the cells that line the inside, known as epithelial cells. What the team wanted to happen did-new, engineered small intestines grew and they had all the cell types found in native intestines.