In a landmark achievement for regenerative medicine, UK scientists have grown fully functioning food pipes in a lab and successfully transplanted them into mini pigs.
This breakthrough, led by Professor Paolo De Coppi at Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London, published in Nature Biotechnology journal, represents a massive leap forward for the OA/TOF community.
By using a “scaffold” seeded with a patient’s own cells, the team has managed to trigger muscle regeneration and natural movement without the need for long-term immunosuppression.
This research is a massive step toward providing children with long-gap Oesophageal Atresia a permanent, living graft that grows alongside them.
This research is supported by TOFS and has been keenly followed by many in the OA/TOF community. Professor De Coppi and the team said they are grateful for the ongoing support and encouragement of the TOFS Charity.
If you are attending the TOFS Seminar in London tomorrow, you are in luck. Professor De Coppi and members of his team will there to give an update on their progress.
For those who cannot make it to London, you can watch a detailed video on the background of the tissue-engineered oesophagus from 2023 below.
Links:
BBC Article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gdvv8j2j1o
Read the full paper:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-026-03043-1
