Researchers from Monash University have developed miniature human kidneys from stem cells that could accelerate the search for treatments for acute kidney injury (AKI), a sudden loss of kidney function that can cause severe illness and long-term kidney damage.
The microscopic, living model, published in Genome Medicine , reproduces key features of human kidney injury, allowing researchers to investigate why some kidney cells recover while others develop persistent damage that can contribute to chronic kidney disease.
Lead researcher Dr Alexander Combes , Head of the Development and Disease Laboratory and Director of the Monash Genome Modification Platform at Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, said the model provides a new way to study kidney injury and test potential treatments.
“Acute kidney injury can occur during major surgery, transplantation, or following exposure to some medicines, including chemotherapy,” Dr Combes said.
“By recreating these responses in miniature human kidneys, we can investigate what drives healthy recovery versus persistent damage, and identify ways to intervene”
“Our goal is to use these models to find treatments that could protect the kidney or improve recovery after injury.”
Dr Combes and his team are now working to use the organoid platform to screen potential therapies, including existing medicines that could be repurposed for kidney injury.
Repurposing already-approved compounds could shorten the path to clinical use by building on established safety and clinical data.
Professor John Kanellis, Director of Nephrology at Monash Health, said AKI affects up to 20 per cent of hospital admissions and there remains a major need for better treatments.
“Human kidney organoids give us an exciting opportunity to study AKI in a controlled, human model and understand how different kidney cells respond to injury, recover, or develop persistent damage,” Professor Kanellis said.
“These models can help identify new therapeutic targets to improve recovery after AKI and reduce progression to chronic kidney disease.”
Read the research paper: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-026-01712-z
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