Lab-grown mini-stomachs offer new hope for rare diseases
As UCL marks 200 years of discovery, we’re reflecting on breakthroughs that advance knowledge and reshape what’s possible for patients with rare conditions.
For children living with rare gastric diseases, answers are often out of reach. These conditions are difficult to diagnose, hard to study, and almost impossible to model without invasive procedures.
That's why researchers from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital have developed the first lab-grown multiregional “mini-stomachs” to help unlock the mechanisms behind rare gastric disorders.
Rare Disease Day on 28 February exists to drive progress towards equitable access to diagnosis, treatment and support for people living with conditions that have often been historically under-researched.
Why this breakthrough matters for children
Rare gastric disorders affect how the stomach forms, functions, and communicates.
By creating a realistic, functioning mini stomach, the team can now watch disease mechanisms unfold, test hypotheses, and explore treatments in the lab long before they’re used in a clinical setting.
For families seeking answers, this represents a shift from uncertainty to possibility.
The first lab-grown mini-stomachs
Researchers have created the first lab-grown multiregional mini-stomach, containing all three key regions of a human stomach:
- the fundus (upper stomach)
- the body (central region where food is mixed with acid and enzymes)
- the antrum (lower region preparing food for the small intestine)
Together, these form the mucosa, the stomach’s crucial inner surface responsible for acid production, digestion and hormone regulation.
To create these mini-stomachs, scientists isolated stem cells from patient stomach samples and grew them under specialised laboratory conditions.
They first developed separate organoids for each stomach region, then successfully assembled them into one structure, known as an assembloid.
This is the first time researchers have produced a model that behaves much like a full-sized human stomach, including the ability to produce stomach acid.
An immunofluorescence video showing the multiregional mini‑stomach model in action. Credit: B. Jones, G. Benedetti et al., Nature Biomedical Engineering.
An immunofluorescence video showing the multiregional mini‑stomach model in action. Credit: B. Jones, G. Benedetti et al., Nature Biomedical Engineering.
"Traditional organoids and animal models fail to replicate the regional architecture and functional diversity of the human stomach.
Our multi-regional gastric assembloids replicate the antrum-body-fundus structure and function, including acid secretion, and are uniquely positioned to unravel disease mechanisms in rare gastric disorders"
Dr Giovanni Giobbe (Senior Author)
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
What this means for rare diseases
Many rare gastric diseases are impossible to study directly without invasive procedures. These mini-stomachs change that.
The research team have demonstrated that:
- each region of the mini-stomach retained the characteristics of its original stomach area
- the different regions communicated with each other, as they do in the human body
- the models were able to produce stomach acid, a key function that is often disrupted in rare gastric diseases.
"With these newly developed miniature stomachs, we have now been able to test treatments for a very rare gastric condition.
This is a major step forward and could have implications for much more common diseases of the stomach lining, which millions of people suffer from"
Professor Paolo De Coppi (Co-senior Author)
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
Transforming science into life-changing treatments
The team also used the model to study PMM2-HIPKD-IBD, a very rare stomach condition affecting children, which can lead to stomach growths linked to inflammation, bleeding and increased cancer risk.
By growing mini-stomachs using stem cells from children with this condition, the researchers were able to test their hypotheses about what causes the disorder, and begin exploring which treatments might help.
Researchers hope that this technique, originally used to model an extremely rare genetic gastric disease, can now be extended to more common stomach disorders that remain poorly understood.
By creating realistic organ models, UCL researchers are building tools that can fast-track discoveries, improve diagnostic pathways, and give hope for patients struggling to get the treatments they need.
Image credit: All immunofluorescence images and video provided by Dr Giovanni Giobbe and Professor Paolo De Coppi.
The mini-stomachs breakthrough is part of a 200-year-long story.
As we mark UCL's bicentenary, we’ll be highlighting research from across the Faculty of Population Health Sciences that demonstrates how our community contributes to discoveries that improve lives.
Be part of the science shaping tomorrow’s treatments
Breakthroughs like the mini‑stomach model happen when laboratory science and clinical insight meet.
On our Cell, Gene and Novel Therapies MSc, you’ll develop the expertise to contribute to innovations that transform how we diagnose and treat rare and hard‑to‑study conditions.
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