Israeli lab grows human kidney that lasts 34 weeks in medical first

An Israeli hospital has created the first lab-grown kidney to survive 34 weeks, a milestone that could change future treatments for kidney diseases

An Israeli hospital has successfully grown a long-lived kidney model in the lab, a breakthrough that could transform regenerative medicine, and is now preparing for clinical trials, according to a recent study.

 

The report titled Human fetal kidney organoids model early human nephrogenesis and Notch-driven cell fate, published in the peer-reviewed journal The EMBO Journal, said the team at Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Israel, along with Tel Aviv University, cultivated a 3D synthetic kidney organoid that survived for more than 34 weeks—a milestone far beyond earlier models, which rarely lasted four weeks. It is not yet a transplantable organ.

 

Why are kidney organoids helpful?

Kidney organoids are not just about replacing damaged organs. They act as models to study kidney disease, helping scientists understand how such illnesses develop and progress. This can enable faster, more accurate interventions and allow drug testing in a controlled, human-relevant system, reducing reliance on animal models.

Can these organoids repair kidneys?

According to Dr Benjamin Dekel, Director of the Pediatric Nephrology Unit and the Stem Cell Research Institute at Sheba’s Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, the breakthrough lies not in transplanting the organoid itself, but in the biomolecules it secretes. These secretions could help repair damaged kidneys, offering a less invasive treatment pathway.

 

However, Dekel cautioned that clinical translation will take time. Scientists still need to identify the exact cell types involved, understand which molecules are secreted, and verify their role in adult kidney repair before moving to human trials.

 

“We have succeeded for the first time in growing a human kidney in the form of an organoid from the specific stem cells of the kidney,” he said, “in parallel with the maturation process in the uterus that occurs until the 34th week of pregnancy.”

Why it matters

Kidney disease affects millions worldwide, and current models to study development or disease are limited in scale and accuracy. These long-lived organoids could:

• Help test drug toxicity during pregnancy
• Model congenital kidney disorders
• Explore new pathways for regenerative therapies

“We are actually seeing live how a developmental problem leads to kidney diseases that are seen in the clinic, which will enable the development of innovative treatments,” Dr Dekel explained.

 

From surviving over 34 weeks in the lab to potentially supporting kidney repair in humans, this breakthrough signals a major leap in regenerative medicine. 

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