In a new study, USC Stem Cell scientists compared the activity and regulation of the genes that drive kidney development in lab mice and humans. The goal of their research, published in Developmental Cell, was to measure similarities between kidney development in humans and in the lab mice that form the foundation of basic medical research.

To accomplish this, first author Sunghyun Kim, of the McMahon Lab, worked with his colleagues to build atlases comparing gene activity and regulation in different cell types in developing mouse and human kidneys. The scientists could then pinpoint similarities and differences between the two species and identify cell type- and species-specific genetic and gene regulatory programs relevant to kidney development and disease.

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