Nephron progenitor culture technology for ex vivo nephrogenesis
Diabetes strongly predisposes to chronic kidney disease, which afflicts approximately 10% of the adult population of the US. Because nephrogenesis is limited to the fetal period, severely damaged nephrons cannot be replaced in the adult human. Chronic kidney disease patients who do no retain sufficient functional kidney mass to sustain physiological function therefore require lifelong renal replacement therapy. Dialysis filters excess urea from the blood, but does not provide all of the physiological functions of the kidney, and a kidney transplant is often required as functional renal mass decreases. However, the demand for kidney transplants far exceeds availability. Technology for de novo nephrogenesis would enable therapeutic replacement of damaged kidney tissue, and would also provide human tissue with which we could study kidney development and the origins of kidney disease. We propose to systematic develop a procedure for propagation of pure nephron progenitor cells from mouse and human that can be used for bioengineering and engraftment studies. This project aims to provide a highly accessible method that will accelerate research on regenerative therapies for chronic kidney disease.

Curation Flag Information