01734nas a2200205   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001500043653002800058653003000086653002300116100001700139700002300156700001900179245005800198856005500256300000900311520119400320022001401514       2026                            d  c2026-02-1010aStem-cell biotechnology10aStem-cell differentiation10aTissue engineering1 aEmma Warrner1 aAria Zheyuan Huang1 aAlex J. Hughes00aDevelopmentally inspired synthetic kidney engineering  uhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-026-03011-9  a1-143 aDevelopmentally inspired kidney tissues derived from stem cells hold promise for future renal replacement tissue, but clinical translation is limited by variability in outcomes, absence of cell types, lack of functional maturity and implausible scalability. Overcoming these may benefit from tissue engineering strategies that leverage processes for tissue construction that the embryonic kidney uses to achieve its diverse and parallelized functions. We present a ‘developmental engineering’ strategy in which spatial and temporal cues inspired by in vivo development guide multiscale structure formation in vitro. We highlight emerging tools in synthetic biology, spatial patterning and control over tissue microenvironments that can set initial and boundary conditions to instigate and guide the development of a desired ‘motif’. We then present a vision for scalable developmental engineering by guiding and daisy-chaining tissue motifs, bridging discontinuities in self-organization via direct assembly. Although we articulate a blueprint for developmental engineering of translationally viable renal replacement tissues, the strategy is also applicable to other solid organs.  a1546-1696