(Re) Building a kidney

(Re)Building a Kidney is aNational InstituteofDiabetes andDigestive andKidney Diseasesled consortium to optimize approaches for the isolation, expansion, and differentiation of appropriate kidney cell types andthe integrationof these cells into complexstructures that replicate human kidney function. The ultimate goals of the consortium are two-fold: To develop and implement strategies for in vitro engineering of replacement kidney tissue, and to devise strategies to stimulate regeneration of nephrons in situ to restore failing kidney function. Projectswithin the consortium will answer fundamental questions regardinghumangeneexpression in thedeveloping kidney, essential signaling crosstalkbetween distinct cell typesof the developing kidney,howtoderive the manycell typesof the kidney through directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells,which bioengineering or scaffolding strategies have the most potential for kidney tissue formation, and basic parameters of the regenerative response to injury. As these projects progress, the consortiumwill incorporate systematic investigations in physiologic function of in vitro and in vivo differentiated kidney tissue, strategies for engraftment in experimental animals, and development of therapeutic approaches to activate innate reparative responses.