Kidney

EXPLORE research in the MCRI Kidney Regeneration Lab, led by Prof Melissa Little, uses stem cell derived kidney tissue in a dish, to better understand development and disease.

The human kidney is a vital, but complex organ, comprising more than 20 different types of cells each with specific roles. Recreating models of the human kidney from human pluripotent stem cells is hoped to better model human genetic kidney disease and also guide the engineering of transplantable human kidney tissue for the treatment of kidney failure. Within the team, researchers model genetically inherited forms of kidney disease with the hope of finding new treatments. They are also working towards the possibility of one day being able to make a transplantable stem cell derived kidney to treat kidney failure.

This research underpins our targeted projects investigating:

• Developing a stem-cell derived kidney for end-stage renal disease
• Screening new treatments for rare childhood kidney disease

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