Beyond waste: understanding urine’s potential in precision medicine

Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are a promising source of adult stem cells for cell therapy, drug testing for renal toxicity, and biomarker discovery in kidney disease.USCs can be non-invasively isolated from the donor’s own urine, making them a good candidate for precision medicine.Preclinical studies have shown that USCs and exosomes can be used to repair damaged tissues (particularly urinary tract tissues and organs, including the kidneys), to test the toxicity of new drugs, and to identify biomarkers for kidney disease.Further research is needed to fully understand the potential of USCs and to develop safe and effective ways to explore their full potential in precision medicine. Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are a promising source of stem cells for cell therapy, renal toxicity drug testing, and renal disease biomarker discovery. Patients’ own USCs can be used for precision medicine. In this review we first describe the isolation and characterization of USCs. We then discuss preclinical studies investigating the use of USCs in cell therapy, exploring the utility of USCs and USC-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (u-iPSCs) in drug toxicity testing, and investigating the use of USCs as biomarkers for renal disease diagnosis. Finally, we discuss the challenges of using USCs in these applications and provide insights into future research directions. USCs are a promising tool for advancing renal therapy, drug testing, and biomarker discovery. Further research is needed to explore their potential. Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are a promising source of stem cells for cell therapy, renal toxicity drug testing, and renal disease biomarker discovery. Patients’ own USCs can be used for precision medicine. In this review we first describe the isolation and characterization of USCs. We then discuss preclinical studies investigating the use of USCs in cell therapy, exploring the utility of USCs and USC-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (u-iPSCs) in drug toxicity testing, and investigating the use of USCs as biomarkers for renal disease diagnosis. Finally, we discuss the challenges of using USCs in these applications and provide insights into future research directions. USCs are a promising tool for advancing renal therapy, drug testing, and biomarker discovery. Further research is needed to explore their potential.