Modelling the regulation of nephron number by the renal stem cell niche.

慢性肾脏疾病是卫生系统日益沉重的负担。肾脏的长期健康受到功能单位（肾单位）数量的影响，肾单位存在于每个肾脏中，这一特征在出生前就决定了。如果我们能够影响这个数字，我们可能能够降低包括土著社区在内的高危人群在晚年患肾病的风险。这项研究将研究形成肾单位的干细胞，这个过程是如何发生的，以及它是如何受到影响的。

Chronic kidney disease is a growing burden to the health system. The long term health of your kidneys is influenced by the number of functional units, nephrons, present in each kidney, a feature that is determined before birth. If we could influence this number, we may be able to reduce the risk of kidney disease in later life for at risk populations, including the Aboriginal community. This study will investigate the stem cells that form the nephrons, how the process occurs and how it can be influenced.