Israeli Team Grows Kidneys in Mice

Israeli researchers have grown functioning kidneys in mice, a feat that could lead to the production of kidneys in humans, eliminating the need for transplants. The team inserted specific stem cells called “kidney precursor cells” from humans and pigs into mice.

Both types of tissue grew into “perfect” kidneys the size of normal mouse kidneys, the researchers reported in the January issue of Nature Medicine. The kidneys produced urine and were sustained by blood vessels.