Research progresses on Hirschsprung's disease

Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School have been studying how genetic mutations impair the development of the intestinal nervous system and cause Hirschsprung's disease. Based on new research data from rat studies, the scientists believe that neural crest stem cells, from which the embryonic digestive system develops, never reach the lower part of the developing gut. This prevents nerve cells from developing in those parts of the intestines, leading to Hirschsprung's.