A study published in Nature Communications provides new insight into how damaged cells interact within disease-promoting microenvironments following acute kidney injury (AKI). With limited treatment options, AKI frequently progresses to chronic kidney disease (CKD), which affects over 1 in 7 adults — an estimated 37 million people.

The new findings may contribute to future efforts to prevent CKD, which can lead to kidney failure.

The study brought together scientists from the McMahon Lab at USC Stem Cell and Long Cai’s lab at Caltech, with support from a USC Broad Innovation Award that funded the cross-institutional research collaboration.

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