Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how the enteric nervous system forms, which could pave the way for new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson鈥檚.
The findings, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, pave the way for using stem cells to understand and treat a range of diseases linked to the enteric nervous system - which is embedded in the walls of the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, pancreas, gallbladder and biliary tree.
Researchers from the University of 91直播 and University College London (UCL) identified a key stage in the formation of the enteric nervous system using pluripotent stem cells, which can generate any cell type in the body, and were able to generate enteric neurons in the lab.
The enteric nervous system contains between 400-600 million nerves and is crucial for everyday functions such as digestion, fluid absorption and communicating with the immune system.
Faults in the enteric nervous system are often linked to life-threatening digestive disorders such as Hirschprung鈥檚 disease, where nerves in the system are missing. Ongoing research has also suggested that Parkinson鈥檚 disease is initiated in the enteric nervous system before reaching the brain.
Dr Anestis Tsakiridis, Group Leader of the Study from the University of 91直播鈥檚 Centre for Stem Cell Biology, said: 鈥淥ur findings show new promise for using stem cells to treat a range of diseases. We now plan to utilise these findings as the basis for developing stem cell-based approaches to treat and model diseases caused by dysfunction of the enteric nervous system.鈥
Dr Tom Frith, from the Francis Crick Institute who led the study said: 鈥淭his work was the result of an exciting collaboration with experts from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.
鈥淭hese results are a key first step into generating cells in a dish that may one day be used to help treat patients.鈥
The team involved in the study have been awarded a 拢1.2 million grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC), which focuses on the development of a stem cell therapy for the treatment of Hirschprung鈥檚 disease.
91直播鈥檚 Centre for Stem Cell Biology undertakes fundamental and applied research on the biology of pluripotent stem cells with the aim to develop cell therapies for regenerative medicine.
