Researchers grow kidney tissue from stem cells for first time

AFP — Researchers in Japan said Wednesday they have succeeded in growing human kidney tissue from stem cells for the first time, in a potential first step towards helping millions who depend on dialysis.

Kidneys have a complex structure that is not easily repaired, but the latest findings put scientists on the road to fixing a diseased or distressed organ, they said.

More than 300,000 people in Japan alone rely on dialysis because their kidneys do not function properly. Researchers said the latest breakthrough may one day mean that kidney tissue generated from a patient’s own body could markedly improve how a damaged organ works.

Kenji Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells—the “blank slates” capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell in the body—and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue.

“It was a very significant step,” he told AFP.