Extracellular Vesicles and Cell Therapies in Regenerative Nephrology and Urology

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Microenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 584

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, Kamakura, Japan
Interests: precision medicine; extracellular vesicles (EVs); vasculogenesis; cell transplantation therapy; stem cell transplantation

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Guest Editor
Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
Interests: extracellular vesicles; nano-extracellular vesicles; renal diseases; nephrology; regenerative medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and cellular therapies are converging to redefine regenerative nephrology and urology. EVs released by renal, immune, and vascular cells carry bioactive cargo proteins, lipids, and microRNAs that orchestrate inflammation, fibrosis, tubular injury, immune modulation, and repair. Their disease-specific signatures in urine and blood enable minimally invasive diagnostics and dynamic monitoring across acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetic kidney disease, glomerulopathies, polycystic kidney disease, obstructive uropathy, and transplant rejection. In parallel, cell-based interventions (e.g., mesenchymal stromal cells, endothelial/epithelial progenitors, iPSC-derived products, immune-modulatory cells) are advancing toward clinical use; mounting evidence suggests EVs mediate a substantial fraction of their therapeutic effects, inspiring cell-free and EV-engineered strategies with improved safety, stability, and targeting. This Special Issue invites original research, reviews, and methods papers spanning EV biology and cargo function; urinary EV biomarkers; engineered and targeted EVs; synergy between EVs, cell therapies, and biomaterials; manufacturing, characterization, and quality control (GMP readiness, potency assays); and regulatory and ethical considerations. We also particularly welcome multi-omics, single-cell/spatial approaches, imaging, and AI/ML pipelines for biomarker discovery, patient stratification, and treatment-response prediction. Our goal is to bridge mechanisms with translation and accelerate precise, scalable EV- and cell-based therapeutics for kidney health.

Dr. Amankeldi Salybekov
Dr. Ciro Tetta
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • extracellular vesicles (EVs)
  • microRNA (miRNA)
  • acute kidney injury (AKI)
  • chronic kidney disease (CKD)
  • glomerulonephritis
  • kidney transplantation
  • fibrosis
  • mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs)
  • engineered EVs
  • single-cell and spatial omics
  • machine learning and artificial intelligence;
  • precision nephrology
  • GMP manufacturing
  • regenerative medicine
  • biomarkers
  • artificial intelligence (AI)

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 7542 KB  
Article
Efficacy of Repeated Administration of Cultured Human CD34+ Cells Against Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Nephropathy in Rats
by Takayasu Ohtake, Amankeldi A. Salybekov, Tsutomu Sato, Shigeaki Okamura, Masaki Yazawa, Yuki Yano, Mehdi Hassanpour, Mitsuru Yanai, Makoto Imagawa, Takayuki Asahara and Shuzo Kobayashi
Cells 2025, 14(22), 1766; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14221766 - 11 Nov 2025
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Abstract
To date, no clinical trial has investigated the potential of CD34+ cells to treat diabetic nephropathy. This study examined the efficacy of human CD34+ cells against diabetic nephropathy in rats. Rats were administered streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneally and divided into three groups: [...] Read more.
To date, no clinical trial has investigated the potential of CD34+ cells to treat diabetic nephropathy. This study examined the efficacy of human CD34+ cells against diabetic nephropathy in rats. Rats were administered streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneally and divided into three groups: normal control, STZ control, and STZ plus cell therapy. The STZ-plus-cell-therapy group was administered human umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ cells weekly for three weeks. At eight weeks, the rats’ renal function, pathology, and transcriptome profiles were assessed. Although blood glucose levels did not differ between the STZ-administered groups, urinary albumin excretion was significantly lower at 6 weeks in the STZ-plus-cell-therapy group than in the STZ control group (p < 0.001). Serum creatinine levels tended to be higher in the STZ control group and lower in the STZ-plus-cell-therapy group. Cell therapy significantly improved mesangial expansion, interstitial fibrosis, peritubular capillary rarefaction, and glomerular macrophage infiltration compared with the STZ control (p < 0.0001). Kidney transcriptomics revealed significant upregulation of genes related to M2 macrophage markers, cell homing, and angiogenesis in the STZ-plus-cell-therapy group. In rats with STZ-induced diabetic nephropathy, human CD34+ cells ameliorated renal injury through their anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic effects. Full article
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