Mitigating Liver and Gut Injury Associated with Short Gut Syndrome

SLU ID 22-030 | Re-circulating distal intestinal contents

Background

Bowel resection leads to Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS), a condition in which a person cannot maintain nutrition through regular enteral nutrition (EN) due to insufficient intestines. In the absence of EN, such patients require intravenous nutrition via a process called Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) for survival. Worldwide, tens of thousands of patients require TPN and must endure the side effects including potentially fatal liver and gut injury.

Overview

Researchers at Saint Louis University have hypothesized that the state of luminal content deprivation in SBS disrupts the normal gut-derived signals and drives injury in SBS, which should be prevented if EN is given to SBS patients. They have developed a novel untethered ambulatory SBS piglet model using miniature pumps; jugular, stomach and duodenal catheters; and surgical bowel resection to closely recapitulate human SBS. The model uniquely allows gastric EN and the re-circulation of distal intestinal contents (RDIC) into proximal small bowel thus enabling delivery of EN to SBS patients. SLU researchers have successfully performed the RDIC procedure in vivo and the results indicate amelioration of SBS side effects.

Benefits

The potential benefits of this technology include:

• Increasing the ability to maintain nutrition through enteral nutrition (EN)

• Minimizing the need for intravenous nutrition

• Minimizing the risk of potentially fatal liver and gut injury

• Minimizing SBS side effects

Applications

The potential applications of this technology include treating patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS).

Opportunity

Saint Louis University is seeking a partner to further develop and commercialize this technology.