Kidney Modeling: Status and Perspectives

Mathematical models have played an essential role in elucidating various functions of the kidney, including the mechanism by which the avian and mammalian kidney can produce a urine that is more concentrated than blood plasma, quasi-isosmotic reabsorption along the proximal tubule, and the control and regulation of glomerular filtration by the myogenic and tubuloglomerular feedback mechanisms. This review includes a brief description of relevant renal physiology, a summary of the contributions of mathematical models at various levels and describes our recent work toward the Renal Physiome.