title: Human Urine as a Noninvasive Source of Kidney Cells.
abstract: Urine represents an unlimited source of patient-specific kidney cells that can be harvested noninvasively. Urine derived podocytes and proximal tubule cells have been used to study disease mechanisms and to screen for novel drug therapies in a variety of human kidney disorders. The urinary kidney stem/progenitor cells and extracellular vesicles, instead, might be promising for therapeutic treatments of kidney injury. The greatest advantages of urine as a source of viable cells are the easy collection and less complicated ethical issues. However, extensive characterization and in vivo studies still have to be performed before the clinical use of urine-derived kidney progenitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Development and Regeneration, Catholic University Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oliveira Arcolino
authors.affiliation: Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK.
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tort Piella
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Elli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bussolati
authors.affiliation: Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Antonie
authors.affiliation: Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Department of Development and Regeneration, Catholic University Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lamberthus
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van den Heuvel
authors.affiliation: Department of Development and Regeneration, Catholic University Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Levtchenko