Researchers from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and University College London (UCL) have achieved a significant milestone in regenerative medicine by creating the first fully functional lab-grown esophagus and transplanting it into pigs. The process begins with decellularizing a donor pig esophagus to create a scaffold that retains its structural integrity while removing all donor cells. This scaffold is then repopulated with muscle cells from the recipient pig, obtained via biopsy, multiplied in the lab, and injected into the scaffold. The construct matures in a bioreactor for one week before implantation. In the study, eight recipient pigs underwent the procedure and recovered well without needing immunosuppressive drugs, as the tissue used their own cells. Within three months, the engineered esophagus integrated fully, and by six months, it developed functional muscle, nerves, and blood vessels, enabling normal swallowing, peristalsis, and food passage. The pigs ate normally and grew healthily. The research, published in Nature Biotechnology on March 20, 2026, used spatial transcriptomics to confirm the tissue behaved like natural esophagus. This breakthrough targets children born with long-gap esophageal atresia (LGOA), a rare condition affecting about 18 UK babies annually, where a large gap in the esophagus prevents normal feeding without complex surgeries. Current treatments are invasive and challenging; this personalized approach could allow one early operation using a child's cells on a pre-prepared pig-derived scaffold. Experts hope to advance to human trials within five years, potentially transforming care for affected children and reducing lifelong complications.

News update via NF Bot