Unraveling the Secrets of the (Renal) Interstitium

Event Details

Meeting Resources

Executive Summary (PDF, 322.58 KB)

Background

Although the renal interstitium (interstitial cells and the matter around them) has gained some attention in the context of the pathophysiological process of fibrosis, much less is known about the role of the renal interstitium under normal physiological conditions, in development or in directly initiating disease pathology beyond the activation of fibrotic pathways secondary to epithelial cell changes. We have certainly moved away from thinking of the renal interstitium as a mere passive compartment of the kidney, but much of its function remains “dark matter.” In fact, even the structure of the renal interstitium is not completely understood, most likely due to the lack of technologies to visualize and study it. Simply stated, much is unknown about the interstitium, yet it may contain important keys to understanding renal function.

Meeting Objectives

• Define the current state of the field.
• Define the physiological significance of the renal interstitium and its role in modulating renal function.
• Leverage knowledge from other organs to identify knowledge gaps and research opportunities.
• Identify the need for developing novel tools and technologies for imaging and interrogating the interstitium.
• Define a framework for moving the field forward.

Registration Deadline

March 7, 2023

Agenda

Day 1—Wednesday, March 8, 2023

10:00 – 10:05 a.m.

Welcome
Introduction (1 min): Christine Maric-Bilkan, Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases (KUH), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Welcome (4 min): Rob Star, Director, KUH, NIDDK

Session 1: A Fresh Look at the Interstitium

Moderators:

Ben Afzali, NIDDK Helene Langevin, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

10:05 – 10:20 a.m.

Continuity of Interstitial Spaces across Tissues and Organs
Neil Theise, New York University

10:20 – 10:35 a.m.

The Structure and Development of the Large Interstitial Spaces
Rebecca Wells, University of Pennsylvania

10:35 – 10:50 a.m.

Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation in Tissue Biology
Felipe Quiroz, Emory University

10:50 – 11:05 a.m.

Interstitium as an Extrarenal Sodium Storage Compartment
Jens Titze, Duke–National University of Singapore (NUS) Medical School

11:05 – 11:25 a.m.

Panel Discussion
All Speakers

11:25 – 11:35 a.m.

Break

Session 2: Elements of the Renal Interstitium and Their Function

Moderators:

Joo-Seop Park, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Ondine Cleaver, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

11:35 – 11:40 a.m.

What We Don’t Know: How Do We Move away from the Nephron-centric View of the Kidney? How Do Other Elements Fit in Our Understanding of Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology?
Joo-Seop Park, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

11:40 – 11:55 a.m.

Immune–Stromal Cell Interplay in Tissue Inflammation
Ben Afzali, NIDDK

11:55 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.

What Mediates Antibactericidal Immune Responses in the Kidney?
Menna Clatworthy, University of Cambridge, U.K.

12:10 – 12:25 p.m.

Lymphatics, beyond a Passive Conduit
David Long, University College London, U.K.

12:25 – 12:40 p.m.

Renal Nerves in Kidney Physiology
John Osborn, University of Minnesota

12:40 – 1:00 p.m.

Panel Discussion
All Speakers

1:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

Session 3: Renal Interstitium in Urine Concentration

Moderators:

Jens Titze, Duke-NUS Medical School Janos Peti-Peterdi, University of Southern California

1:30 – 1:35 p.m.

What We Don’t Know: How Does the Kidney Generate and Maintain the Osmotic Gradient?
Mark Knepper, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

1:35 – 1:50 p.m.

Role of Renal Urea Transport in Urine Concentration
Jeff Sands, Emory University

1:50 – 2:05 p.m.

Role of Interstitial Medullary Cells and Hyaluronan in Urine Concentration
Peter Hansell, Uppsala University, Sweden

2:05 – 2:20 p.m.

Connecting the Dots: Mathematical Modeling of the Renal Concentration Mechanism
Anita Layton, University of Waterloo

2:20 – 2:35 p.m.

Kidney Epithelial Cells Are Active Mechano-biological Fluid Pumps
Sean Sun, Johns Hopkins University

2:35 – 2:55 p.m.

Panel Discussion
All Speakers

2:55 – 3:05 p.m.

Break

Session 4: Tools and Approaches for Studying the Interstitium

Moderators:

Neil Theise, New York University Rebecca Wells, University of Pennsylvania

3:05 – 3:20 p.m.

Techniques to Visualize Extracellular Matrix Architecture
Sarah Calve, University of Colorado, Boulder

3:20 – 3:35 p.m.

Intravital Microscopy Imaging of the Interstitium
Peter Friedl, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

3:35 – 3:50 p.m.

Metabolic Labeling of the Extracellular Matrix
Claudia Loebel, University of Michigan

3:50 – 4:05 p.m.

Mapping the Human Stroma: Approaches from the KPMP
Tarek Ashkar, Indiana University

4:05 – 4:25 p.m.

Panel Discussion
All Speakers

4:25 – 4:30 p.m.

Brief Summary of Day 1
Christine Maric-Bilkan, KUH, NIDDK

Day 2—Thursday, March 9, 2023

Session 5: Mechanical Properties of the Interstitium

Moderators:

Sarah Calve, University of Colorado, Boulder Taher Saif, University of Illinois

10:00 – 10:05 a.m.

What We Don’t Know: How do Physical Forces Around Cells Affect Their Growth and Function in Health and Disease?
Kevin Lemley, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

10:05 – 10:20 a.m.

Tissue Mechanics as a Regulator of Cellular Metabolism
Kevin Tharp, University of California, San Francisco

10:20 – 10:35 a.m.

Mechanical Properties of the Kidney Extracellular Matrix
Nicholas Ferrell, Ohio State University Medical Center

10:35 – 10:50 a.m.

Dynamic Regulation of Interstitial Fluid Pressure by Fibroblasts
Rolf Reed, University of Bergen, Norway

10:50 – 11:05 a.m.

Fibroblast Cytoskeletal Remodeling in Connective Tissue Tension
Helene Langevin, NCCIH

11:05 – 11:20 a.m.

Panel Discussion
All Speakers

11:20 – 11:30 a.m.

Break

Session 6: Renal Interstitium in Development and Aging

Moderators:

Leif Oxburgh, Rogosin Institute Gal Finer, Children’s Hospital of Chicago

11:30 – 11:35 a.m.

What We Don’t Know: Remaining Challenges for Kidney Organoids: Could the Stroma Fill in the Gaps?
Iain Drummond, MDI Biological Laboratory

11:35 – 11:50 a.m.

Identification and Characterization of Cellular Heterogeneity within the Developing Renal Interstitium
Tom Carroll, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

The Origin and Role of the Renal Stroma
Sean Wilson, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

12:05 – 12:20 p.m.

3-D Mapping of the Interstitial Matrix during Murine Kidney Development
Sarah Lipp, Indiana University School of Medicine

12:20 – 12:35 p.m.

The Kidney Matrisome—Dynamics in Time and Space
Rachel Lennon, University of Manchester, U.K.

12:35 – 12:55 p.m.

Panel Discussion
All Speakers

12:55 – 1:00 p.m.

Summary and Concluding Remarks
Christine Maric-Bilkan, KUH, NIDDK

1:00 p.m.

Adjournment