Refurbished Kidney

As the number of kidney transplant recipients continues to outpace the number of donors, medical researchers are seeking out new alternatives for patients suffering from end-stage renal failure. One option is to grow kidneys in a laboratory – and bioengineers at Harvard University have come one step closer to doing just that.

Using a kidney from a rat cadaver, they stripped the cells from the organ, leaving the extracellular protein matrix intact. This matrix contains collagen and other compounds that hold the cells together and provide the chemical cues that tell them what to do. When the kidney was seeded with healthy cells from neonatal rat kidneys and human blood vessels, the cells not only grew into a structure that resembled a kidney. They also started producing the chemical compounds needed to produce small amounts of urine. The regenerated kidney was then transplanted into a live rat where it continued to function.

According to recent estimates, there are 18,000 kidney transplants performed in the U.S. each year, while 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for a donor organ.