Kidney organogenesis and regeneration: a new era in the treatment of chronic renal failure?

The recent development of a strategy to establish human inducible pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has created a second surge in the field of regenerative research, which had been slowed by restrictions on the use of pluripotent embryonic stem cells. Research on regenerative nephrology offers hope for patients on dialysis. However, due to its anatomic complexity, the kidney is the most difficult organ for the application of regenerative medicine. Very recently, the establishment of a functional whole kidney has been attempted using various stem cells, which may lead to clinical applications. We review recent progress in the field of regenerative nephrology, focusing on the de novo establishment of a whole kidney.