The research was published in Nature Communications, with the title: Generation of mesenchyme free intestinal organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells.
Researchers at Boston Medical Center developed a new way to generate groups of intestinal cells, to create laboratory disease models and thus test treatments for gastrointestinal diseases.
Scientists generated organoids from a variety of primary tissue samples such as the small intestine, stomach, colon and pancreas. By using human-induced stem cells, they were able to develop three-dimensional groups of intestinal cells known as organoids in vitro, which would function as support for treatment tests for diseases related to the gastrointestinal system.
Thanks to research developed by the CReM (Center for Regenerative Medicine) and Boston Medical Center, in which they reprogrammed adult cells in a primitive state, managed to differentiate them between intestinal cells using growth factors for organoid creation. So, this new protocol allowed cells to develop without mesenchyme, which led to the study of epithelial cells exclusively.
“Generating organoids in our lab allows us to create more accurate disease models, which are used to test treatments and therapies targeted to a specific genetic defect or tissue - and it's all possible without harming the patient,” said Gustavo Mostoslavsky PhD, co-director of CReM and professor in the gastroenterology section of Boston Medical Center. “This approach allows us to determine what treatments could be most effective, and which are ineffective, against a disease.”
“I hope that this study helps move forward our collective understanding about how diseases impact the gastrointestinal tract at the cellular level,” concluded Mostoslavsky.
