Cell culture systems for kidney research

the kidney glomerulus is a highly sophisticated size selective filter, where in glomerular disease, filtration is impaired. This results in protein and even cells leaking across the glomerular barrier from the blood into the urine. Persistent protein leak leads to kidney failure, which has significant associated morbidity and cost. New therapies are needed to restore or preserve the glomerular barrier function. However, to design new therapies we need to build up an understanding of basic disease mechanisms. within the glomerulus, specialised epithelial cells called podocytes are a vital component of the barrier. these cells can be studied in vitro to help build up an understanding of disease processes. In this chapter we present our experience of using electrospun materials in a cell culture system. we show that it is feasible to culture podocytes on electrospun materials and that these materials can be coated with extracellular matrix ligands. We describe imaging by scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser microscopy and finally describe the context of this work and plans for future studies. © 2011 Woodhead Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.