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During the congress, E-Posters will be accessible to all participants on the congress website 24/7, as well as in the E-poster stations in the congress center.
Preparing your E-Poster
Please review the E-Poster format requirements carefully when preparing your E-Poster. Should your E-Poster not meet the mentioned requirements, it may not be displayed as described above.
E-Poster Submission Deadline
Please prepare and upload your E-Poster no later than March 14, 2026 11.59PM CET. After this date, you will no longer be able to prepare and upload your E-poster and it will not be displayed and accessible on the congress website.
Please follow the instructions below to input your abstract title.
Abstract titles should be brief and reflect the content of the abstract.
Bilateral renal agenesis, the underlying cause of Potter sequence, leads to severe oligohydramnios and pulmonary hypoplasia, often resulting in fatal outcomes shortly after birth. Although renal replacement therapy is essential, initiating dialysis immediately after birth is often not feasible due to extreme prematurity and gastrointestinal underdevelopment.
We propose an innovative in utero regenerative strategy—xenogeneic fetal kidney transplantation—to establish a functional urinary excretory system before birth. This approach aims to serve as a bridge until postnatal dialysis becomes feasible. Here, we assess the feasibility, developmental potential, and immunological outcomes of fetal kidney grafts across three species: rodents, pigs (microminipigs), and non-human primates (common marmosets).
Rodent model: GFP-positive fetal kidneys from Sprague–Dawley rats (E14–16) and C57BL/6 mice (E13) were transplanted into fetal rats (E18) via transuterine injection. Tacrolimus was administered in the mouse-to-rat xenogeneic model. Postnatal assessment included histology and repeated bladder aspiration.
Porcine model: To develop a clinically applicable transplantation method, fetal kidneys (E30–34) were transplanted under ultrasound guidance into the retroperitoneal space of recipient fetuses (E83–95). Gold markers were attached to grafts for postnatal localization. Tacrolimus monotherapy was used for immunosuppression.
Primate model: To examine immune compatibility in a system closer to clinical application, fetal pig kidneys (E30–34) were transplanted into fetal common marmosets (E130–132). Under immunosuppression, we assessed term delivery and postnatal growth, and evaluated whether the transplanted pig kidneys could grow and mature within the marmoset recipients.
Rodent experiments resulted in spontaneous delivery and sustained graft function. Transplanted kidneys exhibited glomerular and tubular structures, with urine production confirmed for over 150 days. No rejection was observed in allogeneic grafts without immunosuppression. In xenogeneic grafts under tacrolimus monotherapy, mild rejection was observed at day 18.
In the pig-to-pig model, we achieved safe in utero transplantation and successful term delivery. Urine production continued for 97 days postnatally. Histological analysis confirmed nephron formation and only mild immune rejection.
In the marmoset model, term offspring were delivered two weeks post-transplant. Although the offspring showed favorable postnatal growth, the transplanted pig kidneys were rejected under tacrolimus treatment, and proper graft development could not be confirmed. Future studies will consider using genetically modified fetal pig kidneys to improve graft acceptance and development.
This study presents the first successful in utero fetal kidney transplantation across rodents, pigs, and non-human primates. We demonstrated that fetal kidney grafts can engraft, vascularize, and produce urine before and after birth—without requiring vascular anastomosis. This approach offers a promising prenatal regenerative therapy for congenital renal diseases and may enable survival in cases previously deemed untreatable. Ongoing studies in non-human primates will further inform clinical translation.
