We previously showed that human kidney organoids represent an amenable model for investigating the direct interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and human kidney tissue. Despite the important of those findings, established kidney organoid models could not recapitulate critical kidney pathophysiology observed in patients with diabetes. To address this issue and to investigate the role of direct kidneyinfection by SARS-CoV-2 in the increased disease severity in patients with diabetes, we developed a novel human kidney organoid culture that mimics human kidney tissue exposed to diabetic conditions. Our approach allowed us to explore the potential mechanisms underlying the increased disease severity in patients with COVID-19 and diabetes.
Núria Montserrat Pulido
Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC)
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Reference:
– Garreta E, +24 authors & Montserrat N 2022, ‘A diabetic milieu increases ACE2 expression and cellular susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infections in human kidney organoids and patient cells’, Cell Metabolism, 34, 6, 857.
