title: Current Cell-Based Strategies for Whole Kidney Regeneration.
abstract: Chronic kidney diseases affect thousands of people worldwide. Although hemodialysis alleviates the situation by filtering the patient's blood, it does not replace other kidney functions such as hormone release or homeostasis regulation. Consequently, orthotopic transplantation of donor organs is the ultimate treatment for patients suffering from end-stage renal failure. Unfortunately, the number of patients on the waiting list far exceeds the number of donors. In addition, recipients must remain on immunosuppressive medications for the remainder of their lives, which increases the risk of morbidity due to their weakened immune system. Despite recent advancements in whole organ transplantation, 40% of recipients will face rejection of implanted organs with a life expectancy of only 10 years. Bioengineered patient-specific kidneys could be an inexhaustible source of healthy kidneys without the risk of immune rejection. The purpose of this article is to review the pros and cons of several bioengineering strategies used in recent years and their unresolved issues. These strategies include repopulation of natural scaffolds with a patient's cells, de-novo generation of kidneys using patient-induced pluripotent stem cells combined with stepwise differentiation, and the creation of a patient's kidney in the embryos of other mammalian species.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Nafiseh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Poornejad
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Lara B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Schaumann
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Evan M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Buckmiller
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Biology, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Beverly L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Roeder
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University , Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Alonzo D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Cook
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D012038:Regeneration; D014019:Tissue Donors