Regenerative Nephrology

Regenerative medicine is an interdisciplinary, expansive field with research incorporating therapies associated with any disease that results from malfunctioning, damaged, or failing tissues. Regenerative medicine is changing the face of medicine and expanding the possibilities for the translation of lab work. Significant attention is currently directed to the biological and therapeutic capabilities of stem cells for developing novel treatments for acute and chronic kidney diseases. The kidney itself is also now being studied as a "model organ" due to its capacity to regenerate. Investigations into the mechanisms underlying kidney organogenesis may provide clues to solving the puzzle of complex organ regeneration. This book focuses on regenerative mechanisms of renal repair and on the ways these regenerative processes can become subverted by intrinsic disease progression. This is the first book summarizing existing knowledge on the subject of regenerative nephrology, from the impact of stem-cell engraftment and differentiation on renal function to the identification process of renal diseases treatable with stem-cell therapies.