A functional, 3D human stomach made using pluripotent stem cells has been developed in a laboratory setting by researchers from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Scientists built a miniature version of the stomach, which they dubbed "gastric organoids," using human pluripotent stem cells. These are cells that can differentiate into any cell type in the body.

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In collaboration with researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, the team used the lab-grown mini-stomachs to study an infection by H. pylori bacteria that causes stomach cancer and peptic ulcers.

The novel molecular production of 3D human gastric organoids provides new opportunities for modeling early stages of stomach cancer; studying a few of the underpinnings of diabetes that cause obesity and the discovery of new drugs, said principal investigator Jim Wells, PhD, who works with scientists in the divisions of Developmental Biology and Endocrinology at the hospital.

The development of the organ also marks the first time in history scientists have created a 3D human embryonic foregut. This achievement can pave the way for generating other tissues originating from the foregut such as the pancreas and lungs.

"Until this study, no one had generated gastric cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)," Wells said.

"In addition, we discovered how to promote formation of three-dimensional gastric tissue with complex architecture and cellular composition."

It's important as variations in the architecture of the adult stomach among species and embryonic development make mouse models less than ideal for studying diseases and the development of the human stomach, Wells added.

The creation of the organ paves the way for studies that will use it as a tool for researching the progression of diseases of an organ that are central to a number of public health crises ranging from diabetes to cancer. 

Tagsstem cells, Pluripotent stem cells, Stem Cell Therapy, Human stomach, Stem cell human stomach, stem cell research, Stomach cancer, Ulcer