Scientists Develop Implantable Device that Mimics Kidney Functions

A team of scientists from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the University of Michigan have developed a device that could one day replace the need for dialysis or kidney transplants for people with chronic kidney disease. The device, called a bioreactor, uses human kidney cells grown in the lab and replicates some of the key functions of a kidney, such as regulating water and salt balance, filtering waste and releasing hormones. The device has been successfully tested in pigs for a week with no obvious side effects or issues.

The bioreactor is designed to connect directly to blood vessels and veins, allowing the passage of nutrients and oxygen, much like a transplanted kidney would. Silicon membranes keep the kidney cells inside the bioreactor safe from attack by the recipient's immune system. The team used a type of kidney cell called a proximal tubule cell, which regulates water and salt, as a test case. Co-author H. David Humes, MD, from the University of Michigan, had previously used these cells to help dialysis patients in the intensive care unit with life-saving results.

The scientists plan to fill the bioreactor with different kidney cells that perform vital functions like balancing the body's fluids and releasing hormones to regulate blood pressure – then pair it with a device that filters waste from the blood. The aim is to produce a human-scale device to improve on dialysis, which keeps people alive after their kidneys fail but is a poor substitute for having a real working organ. More than 500,000 people in the U.S. require dialysis several times a week. Many seek kidney transplants, but there are not enough donors, and only about 20,000 people receive them each year. An implantable artificial kidney would be a boon.

The Kidney Project is one of a handful of programmes around the world that is attempting to replace conventional dialysis with portable or implantable artificial kidneys. The effort is boosted by the KidneyX prize, a collaboration between the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Society of Nephrology, which provides money to jump-start innovation in the field. Dialysis hasn't fundamentally changed since the early 1960s. Portable or, ultimately, implantable devices could improve survival rates and quality of life.

Source:

(1) Scientists develop artificial kidney that may end dialysis. https://punchng.com/scientists-develop-artificial-kidney-that-may-end-dialysis/.

(2) Scientists Develop Artificial Kidney That May End Dialysis. https://www.osundefender.com/scientists-develop-artificial-kidney-that-may-end-dialysis/.