Growing Human Kidneys in a Lab – Scientists Have Made a Significant Breakthrough



In the world, one in nine persons has some form of renal disease, and kidney failure is growing more widespread. It may be possible to speed up the treatment of kidney illness and regain renal function by growing functioning kidney tissue in the lab. Metanephric mesenchyme and the ureteric bud act as the building blocks that cause the kidney to develop normally in humans.

Dr. Joseph Bonventre, the founding chief of the Engineering in Medicine Division and head of the Renal Unit. Credit: Brigham and Women's Hospital/Bonventre Lab

The first component of a structure, known as metanephric mesenchyme, was created from human stem cells seven years ago in Dr. Joseph Bonventre's lab. The Brigham and Women's Hospital's Chief of the Renal Unit and Founding Chief of the Engineering in Medicine Division is Dr. Bonventre.

The second component (ureteric bud), which develops into the adult kidney collecting system, is produced by the same team in a highly effective manner. Additionally, they displayed characteristics of cell contact between these two constituents, simulating some of the interactions that naturally take place as the kidney grows.

Additionally, the Bonventre laboratory has produced human versions of the main and intercalated cell lines—the two cell types that make up the kidney's final stage of urine processing—for the first time. This discovery could aid in the testing of novel renal disorders treatments that affect the collecting system. Numerous congenital abnormalities of the kidneys and urinary system are among them, including polycystic kidney disease, one of the most prevalent hereditary illnesses.

"We have discovered a highly effective method to produce a vital kidney tissue component crucial to the growth of the kidney and essential for maintaining several blood chemistries. Additionally, we have developed human kidney cells for the first time, which can be used to advance new medications, assist in the study of hereditary and acquired illnesses, and enhance our knowledge of how the kidney grows and regulates metabolic balance in the body, according to Bonventre.

"Ultimately, our work provides a huge step forward in the effort to replace renal function in patients with kidney disease or potentially, in the future, manufacture a kidney in a dish," says the author. "With the ability to now generate both components essential for generating functional kidney tissue."

The National Institutes of Health, the University of Virginia Pediatric Center of Excellence Pilot and Feasibility Program, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the Benjamin J. Lipps Fellowship from the American Society of Nephrology, the West China School of Medicine/West China Hospital of Sichuan University, and the Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University all provided funding for the study.

By BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL 

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