A lab-grown oesophagus has been developed and implanted in pigs
A team in the UK has developed the first laboratory-grown oesophagus in pigs that has been shown to safely replace an entire section of the organ and restore normal function, including swallowing, in a growing animal without the need for immunosuppression. The procedure, successfully carried out on eight pigs, involves removing cells from a donor organ, repopulating it with the recipient’s own cells and then implanting it. If this technology is adapted for use in humans, it could help in the treatment of newborns or children born with oesophageal atresia, a serious congenital malformation in which the oesophagus does not develop properly. The results are published in Nature Biotechnology.
Dusko Ilic - esófago cerdo EN
Dusko Ilic
Professor of Stem Cell Science, King's College London (KCL)
The study represents a significant advance in engineering functional replacements for complex hollow organs, moving the field beyond structural reconstruction toward functional integration.
However, the suggestion that this approach offers a solution for children born without an esophagus is premature. There is no evidence that the construct can accommodate somatic growth. Although the graft shows remodeling and functional integration over 6 months, it is implanted at a fixed length, and no longitudinal assessment of elongation or scaling with growth is provided. Normal weight gain should not be interpreted as graft growth. Moreover, persistent fibrosis, stricture formation, and the need for repeated interventions indicate that the construct behaves as a remodeling scaffold rather than a dynamically growing tissue. Demonstrating true growth would require long-term studies with direct measurements of graft expansion and evidence of a self-renewing progenitor niche supporting coordinated tissue development. Until then, claims of suitability for growing pediatric patients remain unsubstantiated.
Natalie Durkin et al.
- Research article
- Peer reviewed
- Animals
