Biomimetic 3D platform induces nephrin upregulation in differentiating podocytes in vitro

This work presents a biomimetic platform engineered to induce differentiation of podocytes. Podocytes serve an important filtration function in the kidney nephron, however when cultured in vitro, podocytes typically suffer from limited differentiation. We devised a biomimetic approach to engineer a 3D culture platform for podocytes, using microfabrication with glass beads that imitate the curvature of glomerular capillaries. We found that microcurvature successfully induces differentiation behavior, indicated by increased differentiation hallmarks such as nephrin gene expression, protein localization, and arborized morphology. This work demonstrates the power of microscale engineering for directing specific behavior in biological entities, with applications in tissue engineering and drug discovery.