Join us in this episode as we host Dr. McCracken, a leading figure in kidney regenerative medicine. Dr. McCracken shares his team's remarkable findings in the directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into functional ureteric and collecting duct (CD) epithelia, which is a pivotal step in the field of kidney regenerative medicine.

We begin our discussion by understanding how hPSCs are induced into pronephric progenitor cells with a 90% efficiency rate. These cells are then aggregated into spheres that closely resemble the molecular signature of the nephric duct. Within a three-dimensional matrix, these spheres develop into ureteric bud (UB) organoids that exhibit similar branching morphogenesis to the fetal UB and correct distal tip localization of RET expression.

Dr. McCracken explains how the cells derived from ...