Protocol for the development and transcriptomic analysis of multiple human kidney disease models

Podocyte injury is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease and organ failure. Here, we present a protocol to model multiple types of human kidney diseases by inducing early, sublethal podocyte injury using chemical, inflammatory, metabolic, and infectious stressors. We describe steps for cell differentiation, controlled injury induction, phenotypic assessment, transcriptomic analysis, and validation studies using clinical data. This approach enables reproducible modeling of diverse injury states and identification of shared and condition-specific molecular responses. For complete information on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Barreto et al. 1 1. Barreto, A.D. ∙ Jiang, B. ∙ Burt, M.A. ... Discovery of kidney disease targets using multimodal human podocyte injury models Stem Cell Rep. 2026; 21 , 102868 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (2) PubMed Google Scholar