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Researchers are a step closer to learning how congenital kidney defects develop in the fetus and how they might be prevented, a new report shows.
For the first time, they can watch miniature human fetal kidneys develop in test tubes over periods that simulate the course of a pregnancy.
So-called kidney organoids have been grown in test tubes before, but only starting with pluripotent stem cells – immature cells found in early embryos that can differentiate into any cell type in the body but without the tissue-specific characteristics that would allow them to perform an organ’s specialized functions.
In contrast, the new organoids are grown in test tubes using the same fetal progenitor stem cells that are destined to develop into human kidneys. These cells are capable of building, maintaining and repairing specific organs – in this case, the kidneys.