Researchers work to create kidney filtration barrier on a chip
The kidney, made up of about a million tiny units that work to filter blood, constantly rids the body of undesired waste products to form urine. During the process, it also holds back blood cells and valuable proteins and controls the body’s fluid content. Key to each of these units is a structure known as the glomerulus, in which so-called podocyte cells wrap themselves tightly around a tuft of capillaries. Separated by a thin membrane composed of extracellular matrix, slits are left between them to build an actual filtration barrier. The podocytes are also the target of congenital or acquired kidney diseases, however, they are often harmed by drugs. In order to build an in vitro model of the human glomerulus that could allow better understanding of its function, vulnerabilities to disease, and drug toxicities, researchers have been attempting to engineer human stem cells — which in theory can give rise to...