Visualizing vascularization and cell interactions in implanted organoids

Key Personnel

Project Description

Blood vessels in kidney tissue are intricately patterned to form an interface with nephrons that is essential for reclamation of water and solutes. Reproduction of these physiological functions using laboratory-grown tissue is an important goal of regenerative medicine. Experiments from several labs have demonstrated that laboratory-grown kidney tissue can be implanted into adult organs, forming filtering units. We have demonstrated that this engrafted tissue is vascularized, and that this vasculature is perfused. However, the patterning of the vessels and their abundance is not comparable to that seen in natural kidney tissue. To understand the origins of the difference in vascular patterning, we will use live cell microscopy with newly developed reporter strains that allow us to follow ingrowth and perfusion of blood vessels in real time. The influence of cells of the renal stroma including resident macrophages on vascularization and formation of the vessel:nephron interface will be evaluated. Long-term, our goal is to establish a model of in vivo vascularization of laboratory-grown kidney tissue that can serve as a foundation for modification of differentiation and grafting procedures to enhance stereotypical nephron vascularization.