Scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine hope that a decade from now, there will be new treatments for failed kidneys. There is a critical shortage of organs for transplantation, with more than 60,000 people on the nationwide waiting list.

WFIRM scientists foresee a time when cell therapy will replace damaged kidney tissue, or a device will be implanted in the body to take over kidney function. The idea would be to boost the limited amount of function left in diseased kidneys.

“Our ultimate goal is to improve renal function – no matter what it takes,” says James Yoo, MD, who oversees the project. “We’re not necessarily trying to build an organ similar to what we have. We’re trying to develop a therapy that can improve function. Our goal is all about function.”

Yoo hopes that stem cell science will advance to the point that scientists can inject renal cells into the body to replace damaged kidney cells.

Already, Yoo and colleagues have cultured cells that have characteristics of kidney cells. The cells were placed on an artificial renal device that has a tubular component, collecting system, and a reservoir, similar to a bladder. When the device is implanted in animals, the cells are able to form kidney structures and produce a urine-like fluid.

Next, Yoo’s team plan to develop a model of renal insufficiency to test whether the tissue can actually improve kidney function. At the same time, they are working on a project to inject cells into kidney tissue without use of an artificial renal device. They have tested injections in experimental models, and preliminary studies show that the injected cells are able to form tubular structures and have some evidence that they are integrated into native tissue.