Kidney-like cells—specifically proximal tubular cells—can be grown from human stem cells in the lab and used to study how harmful substances affect the kidney, thereby avoiding drug safety testing on animal models. PhD student Vidya Chandrasekaran proved that these lab-grown cells perform many of the same functions as real kidney cells: they absorb nutrients, transport substances across, and respond to toxic chemicals.
Drug safety testing still relies heavily on animal models, which are expensive, time-consuming, and often poor at predicting how the human body—especially the kidney—will respond. Existing lab-grown 0human cell models also have drawbacks: they may lack essential kidney functions or depend on donor tissue that is limited and inconsistent.
Chandrasekaran’s findings could help improve the way new medicines for safety are tested. Currently, many drugs are tested on animals, but animals don’t always react the same way humans do. These tests can also be slow, costly, and raise ethical concerns. This research shows that lab-grown kidney cells, made from human stem cells, can offer a better alternative. These cells can detect early signs of kidney damage—well before a drug reaches patients.
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