Scientists grow functional pig oesophagus for potential child treatment

Scientists have successfully grown a functional oesophagus in a lab using pig tissue, offering hope for children with a rare condition. The breakthrough involves creating a scaffold from pig tissue, then seeding it with a patient's own cells. This lab-grown organ was successfully implanted in pigs, allowing them to eat normally without rejection. This regenerative medicine technique, developed over ten years, could potentially provide a life-changing treatment for children with long-gap oesophageal atresia within five years.