Can lab-grown nerve cell patches fix Hirschsprung’s disease?

Researcher: William Dalleywater

Guts UK grant recipient: Early Career Research Development Grant

Location: University of Nottingham

Start date: 1st March 2026

Why is this research needed?

Hirschsprung’s disease is a rare digestive condition that affects babies and children. It happens when part of the bowel is missing important nerve cells. These nerve cells help poo move through the bowel. When they are missing, poo can get stuck. This can cause severe constipation, swelling, infection and sometimes serious illness. 

The current treatment is an operation to remove the part of the bowel that does not work. This operation can save lives, but it does not always solve all the problems. Some children still have constipation, infections, tummy pain or problems controlling when they poo. This can make everyday life harder, including school and family life. For example, children may worry about having an accident, needing the toilet suddenly, missing lessons or sleepovers, or feeling different from their friends. 

Rather than simply removing the damaged bowel, this project explores whether it could one day be repaired using healthy bowel tissue grown in a lab. 

What is the science behind this project?

The project uses stem cells. Stem cells are special cells that can be turned into different types of cells in the body. The team will use a type called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. These are adult cells that have been altered in the lab so they can grow into other cell types. 

The aim is to grow a small patch of bowel tissue. This patch would include the main cells found in the bowel, including muscle and lining cells, and the nerve cells that are missing in Hirschsprung’s disease. The researchers will first work out the best way to grow these cells together. Then they will test the patch in mice to study how the tissue behaves in a living body rather than just in a lab dish. This will show whether the cells survive, stay organised and begin to act like bowel tissue. 

What difference could this project make to patients in the future? 

This is early research, so it is not a treatment yet. But it could be an important step towards a new way to help children with Hirschsprung’s disease. In the future, doctors may be able to repair the part of the bowel that does not work, rather than remove it. 

About Guts UK

Guts UK is the national charity for the digestive system. We are the only UK charity funding research into the whole digestive system.

People are suffering. People are dying. All because of a lack of knowledge about our guts. Guts UK exists to change that. 

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