Gisela Slaats, PhD - "Modelling inherited kidney diseases with tubuloids"

Gisela Slaats, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division Internal Medicine and Dermatology
Department of Nephrology and Hypertension
University Medical Center Utrecht|, Utrecht

Short CV

Abstract
Inherited tubulopathies are a diverse group of rare diseases, involving every segment of the tubule, from the proximal tubule up to the collecting duct. For many tubulopathies, disease mechanisms remain (partly) unknown or are complex. There are currently no specific treatments for hereditary tubulopathies (only symptomatic), but there are promising developments that could potentially lead to new treatments. Human in vitro kidney models have advanced significantly in recent years with the development of several types of organoids, including tissue/urine-derived tubuloids. Examples of current studies in which tubuloids are employed are ciliopathies, Dent disease and Cystinosis. Patient-derived tubuloids are biobanked and used to obtain pathomechanistic insights and to identify novel drug targets for tubulopathies.