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Unlike other human stem cells, Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) can be produced directly from adult cells. Now, researchers have shown that human kidney podocytes produced from iPS cells via a highly efficient, previously described protocol exhibit transcriptomic and protein expression profiles that match those of mature podocytes — a feat that no other method has so far been able to achieve. This confirmation gives kidney researchers a tool for investigating human kidney development, function, and disease.