Kidney transplants are the best option for longevity and quality of life for many patients with kidney failure. Unfortunately, many will wait years for a transplant due to a shortage of available healthy organs. A potential solution is to replace non-functioning kidneys with kidney organoids, also known as artificial kidneys. Learn about kidney organoids and what one scientist is doing to help make them a clinical reality. 

How do kidney organoids work?

Developed in science labs, organoids start as stem cells, which are considered the body’s raw materials. They are like blank slates on which almost any instruction can be written. In other words, they are neutral cells that can be turned into brain cells, liver cells, etc. Scientists can safely acquire stem cells from a person’s blood or bone marrow. When many stem cells are given the instruction to perform the same function, they assemble to form an organoid.

What has been missing with kidney organoids?

While scientists have learned how to nurture stem cells in a lab to form a kidney organoid, their organoids have lacked a key component: the glomerulus. In a kidney, the glomerulus is responsible for filtering out waste and extra water in the blood, which is key to being a well-functioning kidney. 

What research did Sprang do to improve kidney organoids?

As part of his Ph.D. research, Johnick van Sprang aimed to grow kidney organoids that would have functioning glomeruli. Sprang believed that the organoids were not forming glomeruli because they were not being nurtured inside an environment similar enough to a kidney’s natural environment. To test his theory, van Sprang nurtured several kidney organoids in a fiber-like substance called ureidopyrimidinone. Ureidopyrimidinone is an experimental synthetic biomaterial intended to simulate human tissue. 

After testing the material on several organoids, the results were successful. The organoids grew three times as many functional glomeruli as previous kidney organoids did. These findings are a significant step forward in the effort to make artificial kidney transplantation a viable treatment for patients with kidney failure. 

*Haseltine, W. A. (2022, July 26). New-Wave Materials Help Create Mini Functional Kidneys. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2022/07/26/new-wave-materials-help-create-mini-functional-kidneys/?sh=3f45268d149b