UTD Researchers Discovers How Kidney Cells Self-Renew

(from left to right) Jie Zheng, PhD, Yingyu Huang, PhD, and Mengxiao Yu, PhD

The University of Texas at Dallas scientists have discovered a previously unknown “housekeeping” process in kidney cells that ejects unwanted content, resulting in cells that rejuvenate themselves and remain functioning and healthy.

“In most scenarios, if kidney cells are severely injured, they will die, and they cannot regenerate,” said Zheng, a Distinguished Chair in Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “Your kidney will just fail sooner or later. That’s a big challenge in health management for kidney disease. All we can do currently is slow down the progression to kidney failure. We cannot easily repair the organ if it’s injured severely or by chronic disease.”

“That’s why discovering this self-renewal mechanism is probably one of the most significant findings we’ve made so far. With excellent core facilities and dedicated staff, UTD is a great place to do such cutting-edge research.”