Rosetrees has been a long-time supporter of the pioneering research led by Professor Paolo De Coppi and his team at UCL GOSH ICH, including funding some of the early work over a decade ago. This support has contributed to a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine, offering new hope for children born with life-threatening oesophageal conditions.

In a landmark study published in Nature Biotechnology, researchers successfully engineered and implanted a personalised oesophagus in a large-animal model for the first time (Read the paper).

The team used a donor pig oesophagus as a scaffold, removed all donor cells, and repopulated it with the recipient’s own cells. The graft integrated, grew, and restored function—without the need for immunosuppression.

This is particularly significant for children with long-gap oesophageal atresia (LGOA), a rare condition where babies are born with a gap in the oesophagus, preventing normal feeding. Current treatments are complex and invasive, often with long-term complications.

The results were highly encouraging: all animals survived the critical post-operative period, and within months the graft developed working muscle, nerves, and blood vessels. It functioned like natural tissue, allowing normal swallowing and growth.

Looking ahead, this approach could provide truly personalised treatment. Donor scaffolds could be prepared in advance and combined with a child’s own cells to create a bespoke oesophagus that grows with them.

Rosetrees continues to support this ground-breaking work through a major project award granted last year, helping the team progress towards human trials and the development of transformative regenerative therapies.

While more research and safety testing are needed, this study marks a key step toward a new generation of regenerative therapies—not just for oesophageal conditions, but potentially for many other diseases.

This breakthrough highlights the impact of funding innovative, high-risk research and its potential to transform outcomes for patients and families.