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02
Oct
Kidney organoids have become one of the most useful tools in renal research, bridging the gap between 2D cell lines and animal models. They are used to study kidney development, injury, polycystic kidney disease and drug-induced nephrotoxicity.
This guide explains the main types of kidney organoids, where mouse kidney organoids fit, and the practical steps and reagents for growing them.
Article Table of Contents
What are kidney organoids?
Kidney organoids are self-organizing 3D cultures that reproduce parts of kidney structure and function in a dish. Two main routes are used. Pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived kidney organoids are differentiated from iPSCs or ESCs through intermediate mesoderm and can contain nephron-like segments, including podocyte, proximal tubule and distal tubule cells. Adult tissue-derived kidney organoids, sometimes called tubuloids, are grown from epithelial cells isolated from adult kidney tissue and mainly reflect tubular epithelium.
The two systems answer different questions. PSC-derived organoids are suited to studying kidney development and congenital disease, while tissue-derived organoids keep adult tubular identity and can be expanded and passaged, which makes them practical for injury, toxicity and disease studies.
Why use mouse kidney organoids?
- Direct link to in vivo models: organoids can be derived from the same mouse strains, knockouts and disease models already used in the lab, so in vitro and in vivo findings can be compared directly.
- Genetic tools: reporter and conditional knockout mice make lineage tracing and gene function studies straightforward.
- Reduced animal use: one kidney can seed many organoid cultures for repeated experiments.
- Reproducibility: inbred strains reduce donor-to-donor variability compared with human samples.
Applications in renal research
| Application | What organoids add |
|---|---|
| Nephrotoxicity | Test drug-induced tubular injury in a 3D epithelium rather than a monolayer |
| Acute kidney injury | Model injury and regeneration responses of tubular epithelial cells |
| Polycystic kidney disease | Study cyst formation in organoids from Pkd1/Pkd2 mutant mice |
| Kidney development | Compare tissue-derived organoids with embryonic kidney models |
| Transporter and metabolism studies | Assess epithelial transport and metabolic responses in renal cells |
A typical mouse kidney organoid workflow
- Tissue dissociation: mince fresh kidney tissue and digest it into small fragments or single cells with a gentle organoid tissue digestion solution.
- Matrix embedding: resuspend cells in a basement membrane matrix and plate as domes; let the domes solidify at 37 °C.
- Culture: overlay a serum-free, defined kidney organoid medium and culture at 37 °C, 5% CO2, refreshing the medium every 2–3 days.
- Passaging and banking: break organoids mechanically or enzymatically to expand, and cryopreserve stocks in a protein-free organoid freezing medium.
- Characterization: confirm epithelial and renal identity by immunofluorescence for epithelial and tubular lineage markers.
Choosing a culture medium
Medium is the main variable in organoid formation efficiency. Serum-containing media introduce lot-to-lot variability and can push epithelial cells toward fibroblast-like states. A serum-free, defined medium designed for the target tissue gives more consistent organoid formation and expansion.
The Biofargo Mouse Kidney Organoid Medium Kit is a serum-free, defined system (96 mL basal medium + 4 mL supplement) developed for establishing, maintaining and expanding organoids from primary mouse kidney tissue. Ready-made media for mouse kidney organoids are uncommon, so many labs still prepare their own; a validated kit removes that step. Pair it with Organoid Tissue Digestion Solution, a growth factor-reduced basement membrane matrix and OrgCryo protein-free organoid cryopreservation solution for a complete workflow.
Shop the Products in This Article
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Mouse Kidney Organoid Medium Kit Cat. No. BFMKIDO100 · 100 mL kit |
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Organoid Tissue Digestion Solution Cat. No. BFOTDIGST100 / BFOTDIGST500 · 100 mL / 500 mL |
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Basement Membrane Matrix, Growth Factor Reduced, Phenol Red-Free Cat. No. BFMAT10 · 10 mL |
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OrgCryo – Protein-Free Organoid Cryopreservation Solution Cat. No. BFORGCRYO100 · 100 mL |
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Explore the Mouse Kidney Organoid Medium Kit →
Questions about organoid or differentiation workflows? Email contact@biofargo.com.
