Kidney regeneration and repair after transplantation

Purpose of review To briefly show which are the mechanisms and cell types involved in kidney regeneration and describe some of the therapies currently under study in regenerative medicine for kidney transplantation. Recent findings The kidney contains cell progenitors that under specific circumstances have the ability to regenerate specific structures. Apart from the knowledge gained in the self-regenerative properties of the kidney, new concepts in regenerative medicine such as organ engineering and the use of mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies are currently the focus of attention in the field. Summary Overall, kidney regeneration is a reality and the knowledge on how to control it will be one of the main scopes in the present and future.