Previous human clinical trials in which IGF-1 or growth hormone were injected into critically ill patients to treat AKI or improve their clinical outcome, either failed or showed that growth hormone increased the mortality of critically ill adult patients.1,2 Hopefully, the study by Zhong et al. will stimulate future research to develop the best possible animal model system to test new kidney protective therapies for preterm infants, and to understand how the IGF-1 system affects the process of kidney maturation, growth and renal function of preterm pigs and infants. The gene discussed is IGF1; the disease is acute kidney injury.