ABSTRACT
To reduce the heavy human and —nancial costs of intestinal failure, tissue-engineered intestine and other stem-cell-based therapies are attractive research targets. The goal is to increase the available surface area of the gastrointestinal tract and to create reservoir capacity and thereby salvage patients with intestinal failure. Current medical and surgical therapies for short bowel syndrome do not adequately treat all patients, and the morbidity and mortality rates for patients with an inadequate amount of intestine or intestinal function are still unacceptably high. These therapies might replace resected or congenitally absent regions of the gastrointestinal tract.
