Lab-grown kidney survives 34 weeks, Israeli hospital seeks more funding from China

There has been massive development in medical sciences over the last few years. Latest in this effort is lab-grown kidneys. Yes, you heard that right. A hospital in Israel has achieved a breakthrough in cultivating kidneys in laboratories and is seeking funds to advance into clinical trials.

The hospital, Sheba Medical Centre along with the help of Tel Aviv University, has successfully grown a synthetic 3D organ culture, or organoid, that was the first to survive beyond 34 weeks, reported the South China Morning Post. This development marks a significant milestone in regenerative medicine. Earlier organoids had failed to survive even four weeks, said Benjamin Dekel, director of Sheba's paediatric nephrology unit and Stem Cell Research Institute.

Benefits of kidney organoids

According to Dekel, kidney organoids help researchers to model kidney diseases making it easy to understand their underlying mechanisms and allow timely interventions. This also minimises the dependency of drug tests being conducted on mice.

Dekel further expressed extreme optimism over the research saying, "I'm very, very optimistic about the path forward," and added "It doesn't involve cell transplantation, [but rather] the molecules [the organoid] secretes," can help repair injured kidneys.

What's the possibility of clinical application

of He also underlined that despite making significant progress, how quickly the research will translate into clinical application will take longer as "translating scientific discoveries into clinical applications takes time".

"Once we have a clear understanding of which cells to use, the biomolecules they secrete, and how they aid in kidney repair in adults, we can begin moving towards clinical translation," he added.

Hospital seeks funding for further research

With the success, the hospital is looking for funding, including from China, to move ahead with the clinical trials.

"We have a huge interest in Chinese and Hong Kong biotech companies, and I also think they have an interest in tackling problems such as chronic kidney diseases. We are open to commercialisation," said Dekel on being asked about the funding .

According to a study published in the Clinical Kidney Journal, kidney disease in China stands at a whopping 150.5 million cases.