The bioengineered kidney: Science or science fiction?

Leif Oxburgh, Thomas J. Carroll

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose of review This article gives an overview of important new advances relating to kidney bioengineering. Recent findings Directed differentiation studies have shown that proximal tubules, distal tubules, podocytes, collecting ducts, interstitium and endothelial cells can be generated from patient-derived stem cells using standardized protocols. One caveat to the interpretation of these studies is that the physiological characteristics of differentiated cells remain to be defined. Another important area of progress is scaffolding. Both decellularized organs and polymeric materials are being used as platforms for three-dimensional growth of kidney tissue, and key distinctions between these approaches are discussed. Summary In the past 3 years, it has become clear that building kidney tissue is feasible. The laboratory-grown kidney is an attainable goal if efforts are focused on refining directed differentiation procedures to optimize cell function and on developing scaffolding strategies that ensure physiological function at the tissue level.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)343-347
Number of pages5
JournalCurrent opinion in nephrology and hypertension
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2016

Keywords

  • directed differentiation
  • laboratory-grown tissue
  • organogenesis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Nephrology

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