Novel Culture Method May Pave the Way for Regeneration of Damaged Kidneys

A three-dimensional (3D) culture method allows long term maintenance of nephron progenitor cells, a type of kidney precursor cell that normally exist only during a brief stage of embryonic development.

Nephron progenitor cells (NPCs) generate all of the nephrons of the mammalian kidney during development. However, their limited numbers, poor in vitro expansion, and difficult accessibility in humans have slowed basic and translational research into renal development and diseases.


Investigators at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (La Jolla, CA, USA) described a novel culture method in the August 25, 2016, issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell that enabled them to maintain functional NPCs in culture for periods as long as 15 months.

The investigators reported that starting with NPCs directly isolated from mouse embryos or with NPCs obtained from induced pluripotent stem cells, they could combine a three-dimensional culture technique with a new mixture of signaling molecules to generate and maintain fully functional NPCs in long-term culture. These cells could be manipulated into developing nephron-like structures both in vitro or when transplanted into animals. These "nephron organoids" were able to couple to the host animal's circulatory system and produce urine-like metabolites via filtration.

"We provide a proof-of-principle for how to make and maintain unlimited numbers of precursor kidney cells," said senior author Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a research professor in the gene expression laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. "Having a supply of these cells could be a starting point to grow functional organs in the laboratory as well as a way to begin applying cell therapy to kidneys with malfunctioning genes."

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Salk Institute for Biological Studies