title: Stem cells for GI motility disorders.
abstract: Currently available therapies for gastrointestinal motility conditions are often inadequate. Recent scientific advances, however, have facilitated the identification of neural stem cells as novel tools for cellular replenishment. Such cells can be generated from a number of tissue sources including the gut itself. Neural stem cells can readily be harvested from postnatal human gut including by conventional endoscopy, and in experimental transplantation studies appear capable of generating a neo-Enteric Nervous System. Current initiatives are addressing pre-clinical proof of concept studies in vivo utilising animal models of disease. Although definitive cell replenishment therapies for gut motility disorders appear to be an exciting and realistic prospect, even in the short-term, a number of challenges remain to be addressed before definitive clinical application.
authors: Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors: Ryo
authors: R
authors: Hotta
authors: Dipa
authors: D
authors: Natarajan
authors: Alan J
authors: AJ
authors: Burns
authors: Nikhil
authors: N
authors: Thapar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D006627:Hirschsprung Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*