# Investigating nephron-vascular crosstalk in tissue patterning and maturation

> **NIH NIH F31** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $33,924

## Abstract

Investigating nephron-vascular crosstalk in tissue patterning and maturation
ABSTRACT
Type II diabetes, the number one cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD), is reaching pandemic levels.1 The
need for kidney transplants is thus at an all-time high, with over 100,000 patients on the waiting list.1 This stark
shortage of organs has led scientists to look to culturing kidney tissue in vitro as an alternative source of
replacement tissue. One promising approach has been self-organizing organoids which mimic developmental
processes and yield multicellular organ-specific tissues. However, organoid cell types often fail to acquire full
maturity and function. While often overlooked, blood vessels are essential to kidney function, and proper
integration and patterning of vasculature will be crucial for transplant success. We suggest that developing
methods for building functional blood vessels in engineered tissues will transform the field and advance
our ability to generate functional, transplantable organs. Accordingly, we must first establish a
comprehensive assessment of organoid vasculature. Therefore, we propose to investigate how blood vessels
co-develop with nephrons and to map their transcriptional heterogeneity. Using human kidney organoids as a
model system will help us define the complexities of vascular-nephron interactions during development and
disease.
 We hypothesize that proper EC patterning is essential to nephron differentiation and/or
maintenance. Using RNA-sequencing data from embryonic kidney ECs, we identified candidate signaling
molecules by ECs that are expressed in a position to impact nephron progenitor cells (NPCs).
 In this proposal, we will pursue three aims: Aim 1) We will characterize the kidney organoid vasculature.
And Aim 2) We will develop methods to promote and support organoid vascularization.
Characterizing the vasculature of kidney organoids and defining the role of signaling molecules during their
development will fill a large gap in knowledge about nephron formation and greatly advance the progress we
have made toward building a kidney in vitro as well as treatments for CKD. Ultimately, this research will guide in
vitro nephron engineering to produce functional tissue for therapeutic replacement in patients with CKD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10067274
- **Project number:** 1F31DK124046-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Anne Regina Ryan
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $33,924
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2023-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10067274

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10067274, Investigating nephron-vascular crosstalk in tissue patterning and maturation (1F31DK124046-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10067274. Licensed CC0.

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