Abstract
Severe kidney failure affects several million people worldwide. Among these are
children born with abnormal renal tracts, and some carry mutations of genes active in
renal tract development. Kidney transplants are in short supply, and long-term dialysis
does not obviate uraemia and its associated harmful effects. It has been evisaged that
a combination of stem cell technology, developmental biology, and genetics will
revolutionise our understanding of kidney disease and provide novel therapies for
kidney failure. Here, we review progress towards making functional kidney tissues from
human pluripotent stem cells. Organoids rich in immature glomeruli and tubules can be
created in culture from pluripotent stem cells. Moreover, differentiation can be
increased by implanting these cells into immunodeficient mice. Challenges remain to
be overcome, however, before these tissues can be used for regenerative medicine
therapies. Current limitations include the small size of an organoid, the lack of large
blood vessels feeding it, and the lack of a urinary tract to plumb the kidney organoid.
Pluripotent stem cell technology is also being used to create 'diseases in a dish' to
understand the pathobiology underlying human renal tract malformations.
children born with abnormal renal tracts, and some carry mutations of genes active in
renal tract development. Kidney transplants are in short supply, and long-term dialysis
does not obviate uraemia and its associated harmful effects. It has been evisaged that
a combination of stem cell technology, developmental biology, and genetics will
revolutionise our understanding of kidney disease and provide novel therapies for
kidney failure. Here, we review progress towards making functional kidney tissues from
human pluripotent stem cells. Organoids rich in immature glomeruli and tubules can be
created in culture from pluripotent stem cells. Moreover, differentiation can be
increased by implanting these cells into immunodeficient mice. Challenges remain to
be overcome, however, before these tissues can be used for regenerative medicine
therapies. Current limitations include the small size of an organoid, the lack of large
blood vessels feeding it, and the lack of a urinary tract to plumb the kidney organoid.
Pluripotent stem cell technology is also being used to create 'diseases in a dish' to
understand the pathobiology underlying human renal tract malformations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Pediatric Surgery |
| Publication status | Published - 2021 |
