Expansion of kidney progenitor cells toward regenerative medicine

The kidney is a difficult organ to regenerate. However, in a big step forward for kidney regeneration research, a collaboration between scientists from Japan and the US has successfully demonstrated a method of increasing kidney progenitor cell proliferation in vitro. This finding will allow researchers to improve the artificially generated number of these cells, which normally disappear before or soon after birth. It is expected to help future research in renal pathogenesis and regenerative medicine.