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Researchers in Japan have recreated the basic structural unit of a kidney, which may lead to effective treatments for renal failure, the Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday.
"If we can develop a method with the use of a human cell and combine it with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) technology, it could have the potential to be applied to the field of regenerative medicine," said Okayama University medical school researcher Shinji Kitamura, who led the research with other scientists.
The research team said it developed a nephron by using a single cell extracted from the kidney of a rat.
A nephron is the fundamental functional unit of a kidney that regulates water and filters the blood of sodium and other solubles.
Under the study, researchers separated a kidney stem cell from a rat's kidney and embedded it in a gel-like, 3-D culture medium, enabling it to grow in all directions.
Three weeks later, the cell took the form of a structure virtually similar to that of a nephron.
The researchers also found that part of the recreated structure had a function to generate urine.
Results of the study were published Monday in the online version of U.S. scientific journal Stem Cells.
