Scientists managed to grow a part of the human kidney in the body of the rodent
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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The use of stem cells leads to new discoveries. Recently, scientists have managed to turn human stem cells into nephrons directly in the body of rodents. The resulting nephrons filtered the blood in the same way as it usually does in a high-grade kidney.
Recently, scientists often share information on the cultivation of organelles - a kind of mini-organs (or parts of organs) that are grown in the laboratory using the latest technology. There have already been attempts to grow pancreas, intestinal epithelium, micro-region of the stomach and even a part of the brain tissue. The mini-organs obtained have a complex structure closely resembling the structure of this organ. They are quite capable of performing the same function.
Specialists from the University of Manchester were able to grow a part of the human kidney in this way. This part was nephron - a unit of renal structure and functionality.
Nephron filters out "excess" substances and moisture from the blood, and then returns back to the bloodstream the components necessary for the body and partly water. As a result, a saturated urinary fluid is formed. Nephron has the form of a glomerulus with branches - this is the so-called glomerulus, which is a capillary cluster in the capsule of the epithelium.
Nephron is quite a complex element, but scientists still managed to recreate it in a laboratory. As a building material, human stem cells were used, namely, pluripotent cells capable of transforming into other cellular structures. Scientists have added to the nutrient media special molecules that tend to develop cells toward nephrons. For a more compact cell growth, the material was retained in a gel-like mass: this should be done so that further transplantation to the rodents was easier.
After a certain period of time, the gel with the cells was injected subcutaneously into the rodents. Within three months, the mice were found full-fledged nephrons, which functioned no worse than these.
Of course, the number of nephrons received was relatively small: only a couple hundred (and in the usual kidney they contain about one million). Moreover, the inclusion of a mini-organ in the vascular network of mice was somewhat different from that of an ordinary kidney, and there was no urinary system in the mini-kidney.
But scientists did not set a goal to recreate a full-blown urinary tract. The main thing is the very fact of creating a structural kidney component fulfilling its function. Such an element can be used to study the work of the kidney in the natural environment.
In addition, it can be assumed that in the future experts will continue the experiments. Probably, in due course there will be an opportunity to artificially grow healthy organs for patients suffering from diseases of the urinary organs.
The study is described in the Stem Cell Reports.
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