Advancing Kidney Development from Pluripotent Stem Cells Using State of the Art Imaging Technologies

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In this project the student will create and analyse, at several levels, human pluripotent stem cell derived mini-kidneys made in the laboratory. We have developed protocols to generate these kidney structures which contain the different parts of the kidney including the filtering unit, the glomerulus and the different tubular elements which reclaim nutrients. They develop in a similar way to in the fetus. However so far these mini kidneys lack the normal exit route for urine, the ureter. The student will use the protocol to generate stem cell derived kidney tissue and develop this to generate the ureter. This will be a critical stepping stone towards using stem cells to make properly functioning kidneys which might replace the need for people with kidney failure to receive kidney transplants donated by other people or delay their need to receive such transplants. In order to evaluate the development of stem cell -mini kidneys the student will not only use genomics technologies but also state-of-the-art imaging techniques to see the fine details inside the mini-kidneys, and this will vastly improve the detail we can observe and novelty of the work. It will allow us to develop kidney tissue with the greatest possible similarity to that found in healthy people.