Regenerating the kidney

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have shown that their previously described platform for creating transplantable bioengineered organs from decellularized matrices can be used to create a functional kidney.¹ The researchers are refining the process to improve kidney functionality and hope to begin large-animal testing within five years.

In the U.S., the kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ and the one for which there are the highest numbers of patients on waiting lists, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network website...