‘Intelligent little stomachs growing in a dish are used by scientists to study Covid’ – Miriam Stoppard

Dr. Miriam Stoppard writes

This is an amazing study. A laboratory-grown human stomach model that can be used to study how the infection affects the digestive system has been developed by an international team of scientists led by the UK. head.

Great Ormond Street Hospital and a veterinary institute in Legnaro, northern Italy, have grown ‘small organs’ in the lab, called organoids.

The reason these organoids – essentially the cells in a dish – are so important is that they give researchers the tools to study how the stomach functions when they are healthy and when they are damaged. disease, instead of having to rely on the patient.

Plus, the organics in these tiny stomachs can mimic how the stomach works at any age – fetuses, children, and adults. So, for example, the effect of Covid-19 stomach and intestines can be studied long term.

Some hospitals have reported gastrointestinal symptoms with Covid, especially in children.

The team, led by Dr Giovanni Giuseppe Giobbe, Professor Nicola Elvassore and Professor Paolo De Coppi from the UK, and Dr Francesco Bonfante from Legnaro, decided their mini stomach model could be used to study how Covid infections affect organs.

The scientists first infected the small stomach with the virus by exposing the surface of cells to the virus and were able to show that the coronavirus can multiply in the stomach.

The team then looked at the effect of the infection on the cells inside the organoids and showed that some of the cells called delta cells that make a hormone, somatostatin, died, explaining some gastric symptoms in the patient.

In fact, the laboratory results were identical to the gastrointestinal symptoms in patients of various ages. Professor De Coppi, consultant pediatric surgeon and senior author of GOSH, said: “This study has highlighted that a SARS-CoV-2 infection can initiate infection in the digestive system. enter the stomach in children and infants.

“We hope this adds another piece to the puzzle as we try to build our understanding of the virus’ impact on the body.

“As a research team, we are proud to have been able to contribute to the global fight against coronavirus in this way, redirecting our research when the need arises.”

Using these new mini stomachs, the team also hopes to look at the impact of other gastrointestinal infections.

Dr Giobbe, co-author of the study, said: “We have been able to develop the first fetal model of the stomach and have demonstrated that organic matter in the human stomach can be used used to study real-world infections… and continue to search for new substances and treatments. ”