By DPA
Singapore : Researchers are aiming to reconstruct the human food tube that connects the mouth and stomach to grant relief to oesophagus cancer patients, said a report published Thursday.
Associate Professor Sandy Chian of the Nanyang Technological University and his team are working on growing new tissue for the oesophagus.
They have successfully grown the tissue in the lab, The Straits Times reported. The next phase involves fine-tuning techniques to transfer the tissue into animal test subjects and eventually humans.
Cancer of the oesophagus affects about 550 patients annually in the city-state.
The cancerous portion of the throat is surgically removed, and the stomach is stretched to replace the food tube, usually resulting in uncomfortable side effects such as frequent regurgitation of stomach acids.
Chian said that he hopes to eliminate such problems by replacing the missing oesophageal issue.