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GeoBioMed sheds new light on human kidney stone crystallization and dissolution

Nature Reviews Urology volume 17, pages 1–2 (2020)Cite this article

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GeoBioMed, a new multidisciplinary approach, combines geology, biology, urology and microscopy to discover unorthodox treatments. Results indicate that calcium oxalate kidney stones undergo previously unforeseen cycles of repeated crystallization, dissolution, fracturing and faulting. GeoBioMed challenges clinical paradigms for in vivo stone formation and treatment as well as biomineralization in natural and engineered environments.

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Fig. 1: MicroCT, BF and SRAF imaging of a CaOx kidney stone.

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Acknowledgements

Kidney stone samples were collected following Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board approval (IRB 09–002083) and written patient consent. This research was supported by the Mayo Clinic Illinois Alliance for Technology-Based Healthcare. We thank J. J. Saw, E. M. Wilson, M. F. Romero, N. Chia, J. C. Williams Jr and C. J. Werth for their contributions in all stages of this ongoing GeoBioMed research programme development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Mayandi Sivaguru & Bruce W. Fouke

  2. Carl Zeiss Labs@Location Partner, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Mayandi Sivaguru & Bruce W. Fouke

  3. Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    John C. Lieske

  4. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    John C. Lieske

  5. Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Amy E. Krambeck

  6. Department of Urology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Amy E. Krambeck

  7. Department of Geology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Bruce W. Fouke

  8. Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Bruce W. Fouke

  9. Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Bruce W. Fouke

Authors
  1. Mayandi Sivaguru
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  2. John C. Lieske
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  3. Amy E. Krambeck
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  4. Bruce W. Fouke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruce W. Fouke.

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Sivaguru, M., Lieske, J.C., Krambeck, A.E. et al. GeoBioMed sheds new light on human kidney stone crystallization and dissolution. Nat Rev Urol 17, 1–2 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-019-0256-5

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