Creating transplantable human kidney organoids
Approximately 10% of the world's population suffers from chronic kidney disease, and more than 2 million people are undergoing artificial dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, there is no curative treatment and an overwhelming shortage of kidney transplant donors. Artificial kidneys with complex structures and functions were considered a pipe dream, but the tide turned in 2014 when we succeeded in producing human kidney organoids. While the kidney organoid technology has been proved useful for disease modeling and search for therapeutic drugs, the currently available organoids still lack the complete organotypic structure and their functions are insufficient.
Therefore, this project aims to produce next-generation kidney organoids and functional maturity for clinical transplantation in the future. By bringing together diverse and cutting-edge methods of human embryology, microdevices, novel whole embryo culture systems, and in vivo organ production, we aim to create more mature and functional implantable kidney organoids.To this end, five domestic and five foreign researchers will form a strong international research network in which young researchers can move freely and grow into leaders.
