Therapy repairs intestines by connecting to nervous system

By Tina Hesman Saey

Web edition: February 1, 2013
Print edition: February 23, 2013; Vol.183 #4 (p. 18)

Transplants of nerve stem cells are usually reserved for repairing the brain or spinal cord, but a new study suggests such therapy may improve some intestinal disorders as well.

People with Hirschsprung disease have no nerves in parts of the large intestine, so muscles don’t contract to produce bowel movements. No effective therapies exist for the condition or for similar disorders known as enteric neuropathies.

To see if such nerve deficiencies can be repaired, Ryo Hotta of the University of Melbourne in Australia and colleagues transplanted nerve stem cells into the colons of mice. The cells wired into the nervous system and made contact with muscles, suggesting they could correct bowel movement problems.