New Podcast Episode. Repair the Second Brain
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is an intricate network of neurons and glia lining the gastrointestinal tract, regulating digestion and overall health. Loss of ENS neurons, as occurs in Hirschsprung disease, leads to intestinal obstruction, and treatment options remain limited. One therapeutic approach for the disease is stimulating resident stem cells to regenerate the ENS, and another is through cell therapy to replace the missing cells — but significant challenges remain in translating either one into treatments. Our guests today think about ENS repair through these two complementary lenses using zebrafish and stem cell-derived ENS neurons. Together, their work deepens our understanding of how the ENS develops, matures, and regenerates, and lays the groundwork for future therapies.
Guests
Julia Ganz, PhD, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, USA
Mujahid Ali Shah, PhD, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics - Neurobiology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Marlene Hao, PhD, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Australia
Lincon Stamp, PhD, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Australia
Eve Sullivan Rowland, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Australia
Supporting Content:
Optimized chemogenetic ablation and regeneration of enteric nervous system neurons in zebrafish, Stem Cell Reports, 2026
Functional maturation of enteric neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, Stem Cell Reports, 2026