A group at Keio University succeeded in an experiment using mice to give the large intestine the function of the small intestine to absorb nutrients by using the technology to artificially create three-dimensional organs, and in the future, absorb nutrients from the small intestine. It is attracting attention as it leads to a cure for diseases that cannot be done.
The research was conducted by a group of Professor Toshiro Sato of Keio University and was published in the British scientific journal "Nature".
The small intestine absorbs nutrients from protrusions called "hair", and when the small intestine is removed, it cannot absorb nutrients for the treatment of Crohn's disease, which can cause inflammation, so transplantation is required.
The research group found that the cells of the small intestine sensed the flow of fluid flowing through the intestine to create "hair", and succeeded in artificially creating three-dimensional hair in experiments using mice. did.
Then, when the cells that are the source of the small intestine were transplanted into the large intestine of a mouse, hair grew on the surface of the large intestine, and blood vessels and lymph vessels that absorbed nutrients were formed.
Mice usually die in about 10 days after removing the small intestine, but some transplanted mice survived for about 30 days.
The group said that it was possible to give the large intestine the function of the small intestine by making use of the mechanism that originally carries the nutrients that the large intestine has, and Professor Sato said, "It is to remake an existing organ into another necessary organ. I hope that in the future we will be able to develop a treatment that can replace small intestine transplantation. "