Reproducing higher-order embryonic kidney structures using pluripotent stem cells

In the embryonic kidney, three types of precursor cells interact with each other to form a three-dimensional structure. Previous studies successfully induced nephron structures via nephron progenitors from mouse and human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) but have not yet reproduced the well-organized structures of the kidney. Now, a research group has developed a method to induce another important progenitor from PSCs and assembled them together thereby succeeding in reproducing higher-order kidney...