Kidney disease effects millions of people worldwide, with the only available treatments being ongoing dialysis and eventual organ transplantation. Only a fraction of those who begin dialysis each year will receive a donor organ. Our lab uses human stem cells to grow kidney tissue, called kidney organoids. Our aim is to be able to eventually transplant enough of this healthy, lab-grown tissue into a diseased kidney to help a sick patient.
reNEW research
In the Kidney Regeneration lab at reNEW Melbourne, we have pioneered methods to grow models of the human kidney from stem cells. While much smaller and less complex than a real kidney, we can use these tissues to transplant into a mouse model to see if they integrate into the host kidney. In this image, you can see a mouse kidney tubule reaching out to touch the kidney tubule made from human stem cells.
Image description
This microscopy image shows a transplanted human nephron tubule (blue, circular structure) making close contact with an existing tubule in the host mouse (red).
Credits
Rianna De Poi, Research Assistant, Little Lab, reNEW Melbourne.
