Mini kidney offers hope for personalised kidney disease treatment
A breakthrough by researchers at the Kolling Institute is bringing personalised medicine a step closer for people living with kidney disease, potentially transforming how the condition is treated. Led by internationally-recognised clinician researcher Professor Carol Pollock, the Renal Research Laboratory team has developed a kidney organoid or mini kidney that can be grown from a patient’s blood cells or urine, marking a significant milestone in kidney research. The innovation could pave the way for personalised treatment, allowing doctors to test how an individual’s kidneys would respond to specific medications before prescribing them. Professor Pollock said the organoids will be used to determine if a particular drug is effective. “We hope the technology will help identify which therapies are working for individual patients while avoiding medications that may cause harm,” she said. “The mini kidneys could also be used to evaluate new treatments and assess whether they can slow or even reverse kidney damage. “Importantly, they may help clinicians better understand the impact of combining multiple medications, a common challenge for patients with chronic kidney disease. “With this approach, we hope to be able to see what works and what doesn’t, reducing the trial-and- error approach in kidney disease management and replacing it with personalised treatment.”
The Renal Research Laboratory Team
The development comes as kidney disease continues to affect a growing number of people. More than 11 per cent of Australians live with kidney disease, a condition that claims more lives each year than breast and prostate cancer combined. This pioneering work offers renewed hope that personalised medicine could improve outcomes and quality of life for thousands of people living with the disease. The project is led by Professor Pollock in collaboration with Associate Professors Xin-Ming Chen and Sonia Saad, and Dr Long Nguyen.
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