Creating a new kidney from scratch: the need for replacement kidney tissue and what we are doing about it
Image credit: Leif Oxburgh (Rogosin Institute, NY, USA)
The world is facing an epidemic of kidney disease due to the increased prevalence of two major risk factors, diabetes and high blood pressure. In the USA alone, approximately 38 million adults – or about 15% of the adult population – suffer from kidney disease. Although the long-term consequences remain to be seen, the burden of kidney disease may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is known to cause damage to these vital organs. This bleak scenario is compounded by the limitations of current treatments for end-stage renal disease. Dialysis, which requires the patient to be tethered to...
