Understanding interactions between gut epithelial stem cells and neurons

本项目旨在研究肠上皮干细胞与肠神经元之间的相互作用，以及与年龄相关的肠神经元丢失与肠上皮干细胞变化之间的关系。该项目将包括器官类化合物和肠道神经球的新型共培养，这将确定神经影响上皮细胞的机制。该项目的结果将是更好地了解人体内增殖最快、寿命最长的干细胞--肠上皮干细胞--的生物学。这可能会对老龄化人口的生活质量产生重大的长期影响。

This project aims to investigate the interaction between gut neurons and the epithelial stem cell compartment, as well as the relationship between age-related loss of enteric neurons and changes in gut epithelial stem cells. This project will include novel co-culturing of organoids and enteric neurospheres, which will identify mechanisms by which nerves influence the epithelia. The outcome of the project will be a better understanding of the biology of the body’s most highly proliferative, long-lived stem cells, intestinal epithelial stem cells. This could have significant long term impact on the quality of life in an ageing population.