In a breakthrough that could reshape the future of organ regeneration and treatment for birth defects, Israeli scientists have accomplished a world first — successfully growing human fetal kidney tissue in a lab.
Researchers from Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University have developed functional kidney structures from tissue stem cells, replicating the natural stages of growth just as they occur in the womb.
This not only opens new doors for studying how kidneys form — but could also revolutionize how we treat congenital disorders, test medications during pregnancy, and eventually grow fully functioning organs for transplant.
Leading the charge is Prof. Benjamin Dekel, a global authority in nephrology and regenerative medicine. As director of Sheba’s Pediatric Nephrology Unit and the Sagol Center at Tel Aviv University, Dekel and his team — including Dr. Michael Namestnikov and Dr. Osnat Cohen-Zontag — have sidestepped common pitfalls by using tissue stem cells rather than pluripotent ones, which often go rogue and form unrelated tissue like brain cells.
This pioneering research, now published in The EMBO Journal, provides a front-row seat to human kidney development — from stem cell to organoid — and could transform how medicine tackles kidney disease at its root.
