The research group led by Marco Pontoglio at the “Institut Necker Enfants Malades” has discovered a novel genetically programmed morphogenetic process that plays an important role in renal glomerulogenesis. The dysfunction of this process leads to self-strangled glomeruli that generate cysts upon glomerular filtration. This process tackles a so far unappreciated developmental issue: the separation of the urinary and vascular poles in early nephron precursors. This study is published in Cell Reports 2020 Oct 27;33(4):108304. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108304