From Lab-Grown Kidneys To Self-Healing Tissues: Redefining Regenerative Medicine

Ronnie Rosenman

PBenjamin Dekel wears many hats. “Being a physician-scientist means navigating different worlds,” he notes. “You treat patients, listen to their struggles, then return to the lab to find solutions.”
As head of Pediatric Nephrology at Sheba Medical Center and director of the Sagol Center for Regenerative Medicine at Tel Aviv University, Dekel exemplifies the unique blend of a world-renowned nephrologist and researcher.
“My work with children with kidney disease drives everything I do,” he says. “Meanwhile, I’ve spent years studying stem-cell biology, understanding organ regeneration and its failures.” This perspective has led to groundbreaking discoveries.
The Sagol Center is focused on one of science’s most ambitious frontiers: helping the body repair itself. Researchers there explore two main paths — growing cells and tissues in the laboratory for future transplantation; and identifying the molecular “switches” that can activate the body’s natural healing abilities.
In his lab, Dekel and his team have grown kidney tissue for several months in a Petri dish, something once thought impossible. “We kept them alive and developing,” he states. “This has significant translational potential — it’s more than science; it’s medicine.”
Although regenerative medicine may seem like science fiction, Dekel reminds us of its part in everyday medicine. “Bone marrow transplants are regenerative medicine,” creating new immune systems, he explains.
The Sagol Center’s approach involves two strategies: growing tissues outside the body for later transplants; and activating the body’s natural healing systems. “People once thought the kidney couldn’t regenerate,” Dekel recalls. “But we showed it can heal itself if given the right molecules to activate that process.”

Prof. Benjamin Dekel on growing hope and the future of regenerative medicine at Tel Aviv University’s Sagol Center

These approaches — implanting lab-grown tissue or triggering repair systems — are central to the center’s work. “Both are regenerative medicine,” Dekel confirms. “Both aim to create something new.”
While these developments hold great promise, Dekel urges caution about timelines. “There’s a gap between science and clinical practice, and we must be careful,” he stresses.
What sets the Sagol Center apart is its collaborative approach. Instead of concentrating on a single organ or disease, it brings together experts from various fields. “We bring together researchers studying the heart, brain, liver, and kidneys,” Dekel explains. “It creates synergy. We meet, discuss, and share data. That kind of visibility speeds up discovery.”
It also trains the next generation of doctors and scientists, ensuring that regenerative medicine advances steadily from the lab to the clinic.
For Dekel, the real breakthrough isn’t just in the laboratory but in fostering a culture of cooperation.
“Scientists can be very individualistic. But here, if someone discovers a principle in growing blood vessels in the lab, I can immediately think about how it applies to the kidney, and how we can integrate a network of vessels to make more sophisticated tissues. That’s powerful.”
The importance of this approach is clear to Tel Aviv University’s leadership. “Prof. Benjamin Dekel of Sheba Medical Center is vice dean of the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University and heads the Sagol Center,” says TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat.
“His achievement is truly exceptional, in a field many see as nearly science fiction. The person who pushed forward the development of this important field at Tel Aviv University is Sami Sagol and the Sagol family — the same philanthropic family credited with advancing brain sciences in Israel overall, and at Tel Aviv University in particular.” But for Dekel, the story also revolves around the next generation. “I see myself as a mentor for physician-scientists in Israel,” he says. “We need doctors within clinical departments who conduct research and can translate discoveries into patient care.” At Tel Aviv University, he helped launch a course in regenerative medicine aimed at medical students.
“It’s not only about mechanisms. It’s about relevance,” he emphasizes. “What does this mean for your patient 20 years from now? How do you bring science to the bedside?” He believes students are more than prepared: “The human resource in Israel is not the problem. They are smart, curious, and passionate about it.”
Like many scientists, Dekel has experienced his share of eureka moments. One notable instance involved a young MD-PhD student in his lab, Michael Namestnikov, who captured an image of a kidney stem cell replicating and differentiating into mature tissue after months in culture. “It might sound trivial, but demonstrating that is incredibly challenging,” Dekel says. “If a stem cell sustains itself while creating new tissue, it indicates a self-renewing source for regeneration.”
He also realized that stem cells do more than generate tissues; they secrete biomolecules that promote healing. “They’re like tiny fountains of life,” Dekel says. “Those molecules could become drugs themselves for tissue repair. That was a true eureka.”
When asked about his hopes for the Sagol Center, Dekel envisions a future where, after understanding the mechanisms and completing translational studies, they will be able to turn their research into practical applications, and therapeutics will be developed.
“Drugs that stimulate cells to proliferate, regenerate, and even rejuvenate,” he says. The goal goes beyond curing disease to slowing the aging process itself.
“Regeneration is linked to rejuvenation,” he adds. “Imagine a therapy that not only repairs damage but also makes tissues healthier and younger.”
Achieving this will require patience, resources, and philanthropy. “These experiments are costly, and donors need to understand that their contributions might only lead to results within years,” he admits. “But that’s the nature of science; it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Despite the cautious outlook, his optimism persists. “I hope that in 10 years, we’ll have at least one drug or therapeutic intervention on the market that truly transforms patients’ lives,” Dekel says. “That’s the vision. That’s what we’re working toward.”
What was once confined to science fiction is gradually becoming scientific fact. In the labs of Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center, tissues are growing, molecules are awakening dormant healing powers, and a new generation of scientists is preparing to advance the field.
If Dekel is correct, the future of regenerative medicine will involve not only creating new cells and organs but also fostering new hope.