Damage to the filter of the kidney results in chronic kidney damage and eventually the development of kidney failure. It is therefore crucial to prevent and/or repair the damage of the kidney filter. This thesis describes the development of two advanced cell culture models which accurately mimic the kidney filter as found in the human body. These models will in the future provide important insights into the origin of kidney filter damage and eventually how this damage can be prevented. In addition, in this thesis the protein TPRC6 has been investigated. It is well-known from this protein that it plays an important causative role in the development of damage to the kidney. In this thesis, two different medicines are investigated which inhibit the protein TRPC6. Both medicines showed that the blocking of TRPC6 results in a reduced damage to the kidney filter.
Daan ‘t Hart (1994) obtained his Master's degree in Bio-pharmaceutical Sciences, cum laude, at Leiden Univeristy in 2017. In 2017 he started with his PhD research at the nephrology research laboratorium at the department of Nephrology of the Radboudumc. Currently, he is working as Technical Support Specialist at GenDx in Utrecht.