Impact

Chronic kidney disease causes 1.2 million deaths each year. To sustain life, around 4 million patients globally rely on regular blood dialysis, but this cannot fully replace all kidney functions to preserve a healthy quality of life long-term, making kidney transplants often the best treatment option. However, drastic donor organ shortages mean many patients will not receive a transplant, while those lucky enough still face high rejection rates and increased risks of cancer. In our team, we are working towards bioengineering accurate human kidney nephrons from stem cells to reduce this burden. It is our hope that these lab-grown nephrons may help to develop new medications, increase drug safety profiles, and create artificial kidney tissue that could improve dialysis and alleviate transplant shortages in the future.

reNEW research

Using human stem cells and cutting-edge bioengineering technologies, our team has developed some of the most accurate and functional lab-grown nephrons reported to date. We are now further enhancing the maturity, functionality, and structure of these tiny kidney tissues to apply them to therapeutic outcomes aimed at improving chronic kidney disease outcomes.

Image description

Kidney ‘micro-organoids’ formed in a dish. Inside them, marked with various colours, are tubes known as “nephrons”, which are filtration units of the kidney that filters blood to keep us healthy. The colours reveal the different cell types that are produced, allowing researchers to track how well the kidney ‘micro-organoids’ form, improve their quality, and unlock new insights into kidney health and disease.

Credits

Sophia Mah, Research Assistant, Little Lab, reNEW Melbourne.