The research<\/a> combines a biological discovery with a new engineering approach to improve kidney organoids.\u00a0By mapping the development of the human kidney, the team identified a previously unknown developmental axis that helps organise the kidney\u2019s filtering units, known as\u00a0nephrons.\u00a0They then created engineered \u2019synthetic organiser\u2019 cells that recreate part of the natural developmental environment inside kidney organoids, resulting in structures that more closely resemble those found in the developing human body.<\/p>\n\u201cIt is important that we\u2019re starting to get good reproducibility from organoid models that can lead to robust preclinical models of cell function and disease to benefit patients,\u201d said the paper\u2019s co-corresponding author Dr Nils Lindstr\u00f6m, Assistant Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.<\/p>\n
Mimicking natural development<\/p>\n
For more than a decade, scientists have relied on stem cells\u2019 natural ability to self-organise into tissue-like structures by exposing entire organoids to chemical signals. The USC team instead introduced a small cluster of engineered cells that produces controlled amounts of Wnt proteins, key developmental signals that naturally guide kidney formation.<\/p>\n
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For more than a decade, scientists have relied on stem cells\u2019 natural ability to self-organise into tissue-like structures by exposing entire organoids to chemical signals<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rather than overriding the cells\u2019 natural behaviour, the synthetic organiser provides a localised source of signals that directs development in a way that more closely mirrors how kidneys form in embryos.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith our approach, we are trying to control self-organisation and work with it as opposed to try to completely override it,\u201d said co-corresponding author Dr Leonardo Morsut, Associate Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the Keck School of Medicine and USC Viterbi School of Engineering.<\/p>\n
![\"Low-Res_organizer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/21628_lowres_organizerorganoid_69996.jpg\")
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Discovering a new developmental pathway<\/p>\n
The project began when researchers engineered synthetic organiser cells capable of releasing Wnt proteins before testing their effect on developing kidney tissue.<\/p>\n
The experiments showed that the localised signal not only influenced what the developing cells became but also directed how the structures physically formed. Nephrons elongated towards the Wnt source, closely matching the pattern seen during natural kidney development.<\/p>\n
\u201cA single, localised signal did two things at once. It changed what the cells became and physically pulled the tubules toward the source,\u201d Dr Lindstr\u00f6m said. \u201cYou would not see that with a uniform chemical bath of signals.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The experiments showed that the localised signal not only influenced what the developing cells became but also directed how the structures physically formed<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The researchers also identified what they describe as a previously unrecognised developmental axis in the human kidney. While scientists have long understood the nephron\u2019s traditional proximal-distal axis, the newly discovered axis is determined by each nephron\u2019s proximity to the collecting duct, which releases Wnt signals that influence both structure and orientation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study shows that there\u2019s an undiscovered axis that sets up how a nephron looks and forms,\u201d said Dr Lindstr\u00f6m. \u201cIt\u2019s not every day that you find something new in human development at that level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporting future therapies<\/p>\n
Most existing kidney organoids lack collecting ducts, meaning they also lack this developmental axis. By recreating the signalling environment using synthetic organiser cells, the researchers produced organoids that were both more reproducible and more representative of natural human kidney development.<\/p>\n
Dr Morsut believes the technology could help scientists gain greater control over how complex tissues form in the laboratory.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Most existing kidney organoids lack collecting ducts, meaning they also lack this developmental axis<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe synthetic organiser is just a little cluster of cells that don\u2019t build anything themselves,\u201d said Dr Morsut. \u201cBut they produce a powerful field that aligns the stem cells and gives them a direction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the wider significance of the work, he added: \u201cAt the beginning of my talks, I always show a video of embryonic development. You start from a single cell and you get to a complete organism, and that\u2019s as close to magic as it gets. Now, we open a possibility of controlling this magic technology for building organs. This study shows that we can do that and I\u2019m excited to see what others will do in other contexts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a new technique that could make lab-grown kidney…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541018,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[61,60,82],"class_list":["post-541017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"shutterstock_2254385235\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/21629_shutterstock_2254385235_34547.jpg\")
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