Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40846864›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Engineering kidney developmental trajectory using culture boundary conditions.

Aria Zheyuan Huang, Louis S Prahl, Karen Xu, Robert L Mauck, Jason A Burdick, Alex J Hughes

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Aria Zheyuan HuangDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-3042-3171
Louis S PrahlDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Karen XuDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4418-9194
Robert L MauckDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9537-603X
Jason A BurdickDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2006-332X
Alex J HughesDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. ajhughes@seas.upenn.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6801-3455

Funding

Engineering induction and assembly of human kidney tissueR01DK132296 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI HUGHES, ALEX · 2022 to 2025
$1.8M
Acquisition of a Cell Sorter for Systems Biology and Cellular EngineeringS10OD026986 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI BUGAJ, LUKASZ · 2020 to 2020
$439k
Synthetic approaches to study cell polarity related kidney defectsF32DK126385 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI PRAHL, LOUIS SKJEI · 2020 to 2023
$209k
Injectable Fibrous Scaffolds for Meniscal RepairF30AG074508 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI XU, KAREN · 2021 to 2023
$138k
National Science Foundation (NSF) 2047271National Science Foundation (NSF) CMMI: 15-48571NIA NIH HHS F30 AG074508NIDDK NIH HHS F32 DK126385NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK132296NIH HHS S10 OD026986U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases) R01DK132296U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) DK126385U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) F30AG074508
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Kidney explants are traditionally cultured at air-liquid interfaces, which disrupts 3D tissue structure and limits interpretation of developmental data. Here we develop a 3D culture technique using hydrogel embedding to capture kidney morphogenesis in real time. 3D culture better approximates in vivo-like niche spacing and tubule dynamics, as well as branching defects under control conditions and GDNF-RET signaling perturbations. To isolate the effect of material properties on explant development, we apply acrylated hyaluronic acid hydrogels that allow independent tuning of stiffness and adhesion. We find that sufficient stiffness and adhesive ligands are both required to maintain kidney shape. More adhesive hydrogels increase nephrons per ureteric bud (UB) tip while matrix stiffness has a "Goldilocks effect" centered at ~2 kPa. Our technique captures large-scale, in vivo-like tissue morphogenesis in 3D, improving insight into congenital disease phenotypes. Moreover, understanding the impact of boundary condition mechanics on kidney development benefits fundamental research and renal engineering.

Indexed as

KidneyTissue EngineeringAnimalsGlial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic FactorHyaluronic AcidHydrogelsMiceMorphogenesisOrganogenesisGlial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic FactorHyaluronic AcidHydrogels

Identifiers

PMID40846864
PMCPMC12373767

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.