The kidney and pancreas are essential organs that control metabolism throughout the body. In the past, it has been difficult to grow adult-derived cells from these organs in vitro. This has hampered research into the biology of stem cells in the kidney and pancreas, as well as disease modelling and cell replacement therapies for diseases in these organs. Adult-derived kidney and pancreatic tissue can now be cultured and manipulated in vitro under clearly defined culture conditions. In this section, we examine these systems and evaluate their physiological significance and biomedical potential.