Jiji PressKYOTO (Jiji Press) — A group of researchers has succeeded in containing the symptoms of acute renal failure in mice by transplanting renal precursor cells made from human induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells, into the animals.

The achievement by the team of scientists from entities including Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, or CiRA, and Astellas Pharma Inc. was published in the online edition of U.S. science journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine on Tuesday. This method could also be effective in easing acute renal failure in human patients, according to the team.

In acute renal failure, the functions of kidneys deteriorate rapidly, in several hours to several days, due to a lack of blood or side effects of drugs. In Japan, about 5 percent of inpatients develop acute renal failure, and more than half of them die. Even survivors’ kidneys can be seriously damaged, and their disease can become chronic.Speech

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