Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42753732›Full record

ArticleStem cell reports2026

Elevated glucose in kidney organoids induces tissue-intrinsic inflammation driving epithelial detachment.

Giulia Spennati, Nicole Vo, Mary C Regier, Heather H Ward, Vivek Das, Anil Karihaloo, Benjamin S Freedman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Stem cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Giulia SpennatiDivision of Nephrology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Department of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Institute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Kidney Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Nicole VoDivision of Nephrology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Department of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Institute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Kidney Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Mary C RegierInstitute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Heather H WardDiabetes & Complications, Global Research, Novo Nordisk, Lexington, MA, USA; Immunobiology, Global Drug Discovery, Novo Nordisk, Lexington, MA, USA.
Vivek DasTranslational and Clinical Omics, Novo Nordisk A/S, Soborg, Denmark.
Anil KarihalooDiabetes & Complications, Global Research, Novo Nordisk, Lexington, MA, USA.
Benjamin S FreedmanDivision of Nephrology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Department of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Institute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Kidney Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Peggy and Harold Katz Family Drug Discovery Center, Miami, FL 33136, USA; University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA. Electronic address: bfreedman@miami.edu.

Funding

Translational center for kidney microphysiological systems to improve drug safety and efficacyU2CTR004867 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Benjamin Solomon Freedman, Jonathan Himmelfarb · 2024 to 2026
$4.8M
Cell specific delivery of novel therapies to enhance glomerular regeneration and repairUC2DK126006 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI SHANKLAND, STUART JAMES · 2020 to 2024
$4.0M
Safety and Efficacy of Human Clinical Trials Using Kidney-on-a-Chip Microphysiological SystemsUH3TR003288 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI FREEDMAN, BENJAMIN SOLOMON, HIMMELFARB, JONATHAN · 2022 to 2024
$2.3M
SCGE Comparative Studies SupplementU01DK127553 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI FREEDMAN, BENJAMIN SOLOMON · 2020 to 2022
$2.2M
Resource Development CoreU54DK144864 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Benjamin Solomon Freedman · 2025 to 2026
$1.2M
Utility of Human Organoids for Safety and Efficiency Evaluations of Genome Editing TherapeuticsU01AI176460 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI FREEDMAN, BENJAMIN SOLOMON · 2023 to 2025
$1.0M
NCATS NIH HHS U2C TR004867NCATS NIH HHS UH3 TR003288NIAID NIH HHS U01 AI176460NIDDK NIH HHS U01 DK127553NIDDK NIH HHS U54 DK144864NIDDK NIH HHS UC2 DK126006
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Diabetic kidney disease involves hyperglycemia, inflammation, and epithelial cell dysfunction, but the relationship between these factors is not well understood. We demonstrate that human kidney organoids treated with elevated glucose exhibit a phenotype of epithelial detachment driven by tissue-intrinsic upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, which can be targeted therapeutically. High glucose induces morphological deterioration of organoids featuring podocyte and tubular cell detachment without cytotoxicity. Cytokine addition sensitizes organoids to intermediate concentrations of elevated glucose. Transcriptomic analysis reveals that high glucose levels affect cytokine, inflammation, signaling, and cell adhesion pathways, resembling changes in human diabetic kidneys. Inhibitors of cytokines and signaling pathways rescue the high glucose phenotype, which is independent of osmotic effects. Thus, elevated glucose triggers a tissue-intrinsic inflammatory cascade to produce an organ-specific phenotype in epithelial cells. This paradigm is relevant for understanding and potentially treating diabetic complications in the kidneys and possibly other organs.

Indexed as

Epithelial CellsGlucoseInflammationKidneyOrganoidsCell AdhesionCytokinesDiabetic NephropathiesHumansSignal TransductionCytokinesGlucosediabetic nephropathyembryonic stem cellsepithelial to mesenchymal transitionetanerceptMIFnephron organoidssignalingsugarTNF-alpha

Identifiers

PMID42753732
PMCPMC13681411

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.