14 DAY TRIAL // Investigators with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (SIBS) have created miniaturized, working versions of human kidneys, by allowing these structures to grow from human stem cells. The work provides a model upon which future studies can further advance regenerative medicine.
Kidneys are very sensitive to damage, so they tend not to recover their full functionality once they are plagued by diseases. This puts millions of people around the world at risk, so researchers are working hard to develop ways of replacing kidneys that are damaged beyond repair.
This goal is brought a step closer with the development of the miniaturized kidney structures. These tools will from now on be used to analyze various treatment options for a number of conditions, but also for testing a wide variety of chemicals faster than ever before, e! Science News reports.
“We have developed a simple and efficient method that allows for the differentiation of human stem cells into well-organized 3D structures of the ureteric bud (UB), which later develops into the collecting duct system.,” SIBS Gene Expression Laboratory professor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte says.