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Transferring the cell from one zebrafish to another produces nephrons, which are necessary to prevent kidney failure

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh have found a cell in zebrafish that could potentially improve kidney function in humans.

Dr. Alan Davidson, from the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, along with Dr. Robert Handin, of the Hematology Division in the Department of Medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Dr. Neil Hukriede, of the University of Pittsburgh, have found a cell in zebrafish that could improve human kidney function and help those with a form of renal disease.

Approximately 10 percent of U.S. citizens have a form of renal disease, or kidney failure, where 450,000 patients are experiencing end stage renal disease (ESRD). Thirty-three percent of these patients on dialysis have a five-year survival rate, and the "epidemic" of this disease is expected to increase due to poor nutrition, lack of exercise and obesity leading to diabetes and hypertension. Currently, it costs $32 billion per year to treat ESRD.

Renal failure occurs commonly in humans because humans are unable to produce new nephrons, which are the filtration system of the kidney, after the "36th week of gestation." But non-mammalian vertebrates, on the other hand, generate new nephrons throughout their entire lives, like the zebrafish. Why mammals lose this ability and non-mammalian vertebrates do not is a crucial question that researchers are looking to answer, since this information could lead to technology that could repair human kidneys and improve the lives of those with some form of renal disease.

The cell found in zebrafish is a progenitor cell located in adult zebrafish kidneys. This cell can be transferred from one fish to another in order to create new nephrons, and by researching the cell to understand how to produce more nephrons, scientists might be able to translate this information so that it is useful for humans with renal disease.

"We hope to eventually be able to cross species barriers and understand why similar cells, present in mouse and human kidneys during embryonic life, disappear around the time of birth," said Davidson.

The next step is to study the zebrafish, understand the cell's process and how to improve it, and eventually use mouse models and human models to test its efficiency.