University of Pennsylvania · Biomedical EngineeringKidney Regeneration Research Unit
Alex Hughes · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Alex Hughes' lab at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on developing engineered kidney tissues by manipulating stem cells to produce nephrons in a controlled, rhythmic manner. The research aims to understand the natural processes that facilitate kidney development and replicate those mechanisms in lab-grown tissues. By improving the scale and efficiency of nephron production, this work has the potential to revolutionize treatments for kidney failure and related diseases.
kidney organoidsstem cell engineeringnephron inductionregenerative medicineoptogeneticstissue engineeringnephrogenesispublic healthchronic kidney diseasebiomedical engineering
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate pace-making coordination among various cell types in the kidney niche.
AIM 02Map the cell-cell interactions that influence nephrogenesis timing.
AIM 03Engineered rhythmic nephron production in iPSC-derived organoids.
AIM 04Apply findings to enhance kidney tissue engineering for transplantation.
AIM 05Innovate approaches to improve nephron endowment in developing neonates.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureoptogeneticsspatial RNA sequencingstem cell manipulationtissue engineering3D organoid developmentbiomechanical assessmentimage analysismolecular clock dynamicsbiological assay
Output against the department
Publications1,655top 1% of dept.7th of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations39ktop 5% of dept.32nd of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.