In a path-breaking discovery for kidney patients, a new research revealed that certain cells contribute to kidney function decline - making them attractive targets for treatments against kidney failure.
The blood-filtering cells in the kidneys - called podocytes - are critical to kidney function, and kidney failure can occur when as little as about 20 percent to 30 percent of them are lost, said a new study that appeared in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Scientists tried if they could manoeuvre podocytes to be generated from other key kidney cells - termed parietal epithelial cells (PEC) - as a potential treatment strategy for kidney failure.
By:IANS