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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Development of an In Vitro Assay to Evaluate Contractile Function of Mesenchymal Cells that Underwent Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: June 10, 2016
Resolved: EMT produces fibroblasts in the kidney
Michael Zeisberg1, Jeremy S Duffield
1Division of Matrix Biology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. mzeisber@bidmc.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a mechanism for generating primitive mesenchymal cells during gastrulation or mobile tumor cells during cancer metastasis. For 15 years, EMT has also been viewed as a principal source of fibroblasts in tissue fibrosis. Because several recent studies question its role in fibrogenesis, it seems like a good time for debate.