With chronic kidney disease on the rise, attention has turned to human-based models as a means to bridge the translational gap and advance biomedical research. Such models are not without controversy, however, and their development comes with an ethical responsibility to incorporate the perspectives of all those involved in the developmental process- from doctors, patients, donors, and even the donors of the future.
The Power of the Model project looks at what it means, ethically and socially, to move from using animals to using human-based models in biomedical research. Newer technologies like human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), organ-on-chip, organoids, and precision-sliced tissue show great potential but come with technical hurdles and public uncertainty.
The project aims to map the discussion of this transition, incorporating ethical perspectives into the development of human-based models for research and treatment of kidney fibrosis. Beyond the science itself, this project uses anthropological methods to understand the discussions occurring in public and political discourse, as well as listen to the voices of patients and donors themselves. These perspectives are crucial to understanding the future of human-based models, from their efficacy to their societal and ethical implications.
This is a joint effort across three international labs, focusing on how humans are increasingly positioned at the center of laboratory practices and the ethical and societal outcomes of this transition from animal-based models to human-based models. Locally, this project will also collaborate with the Steno Science Museum to educate and listen to secondary and high school students, whose perspectives are invaluable as potential donors of the future.
The Power of the Model project is funded from 2025 to 2027 by an AUFF NOVA grant, from Aarhus University Research Foundation.
