Scientists are developing an Artificial kidney that can replicate the work of the real organs and potentially eliminate the need for dialysis. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is working on an implanted artificial kidney that can closely mimic
the functioning of natural kidneys.If the researchers are successful, they may be able to
remove the need for dialysis.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who get kidney transplants have a high success rate.
After a year, over 93 percent of transplanted kidneys are still operating, and 83 percent after three years.However, despite the fact that more than 25,000 kidneys are transplanted each year, there were more than 100,000 persons on the transplant waiting list in the United States as of early 2016.
Shuvo Roy, a professor at the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and co-inventor of the device, told Healthline, "The implanted bioartificial kidney provides an alternative to dialysis and other externally wearing technologies that would confine patients or limit their movement." "A live kidney transplant from a matched donor is still one of the best therapeutic choices for ESRD, but due to a lack of organ donors, transplants are not accessible to the great majority of ESRD patients." Our technology, unlike transplants, will not require patients to take immunosuppressive medicines to avoid rejection."
How the device works ?
Roy is the director of The Kidney Project, a national research effort aimed at developing and testing a surgically implanted, freestanding bioartificial kidney that performs "the great majority of the filtration, balance, and other biological activities of the natural kidney."
The gadget, which is powered by the body's own blood pressure, does not require the external tubes or tethers that are associated with wearing artificial kidneys like the one developed by Victor Gura of Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. In 2015, the gadget was tested on seven dialysis patients at Seattle's University of Washington Medical Centre.
The two-part implanted artificial kidney takes use of recent advances in silicon nanotechnology, making it feasible to mass-produce filtering membranes that are dependable, strong, and small.
The silicon membranes are additionally protected by unique molecular coatings that make them blood-compatible.
"Incoming blood is processed by a hemofilter module to produce a watery ultrafiltrate that contains dissolved toxins, carbohydrates, and salts," Roy added. "Second, the ultrafiltrate is processed by a bioreactor of kidney cells, which returns the sugars and salts to the blood." Water is reabsorbed into the body during this process, concentrating the ultrafiltrate into 'urine,' which is then guided to the bladder for expulsion."
Patients with the implant, like those on dialysis, may still need to take hormone supplements, according to Roy.
Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, chief medical officer for the National Kidney Foundation, told Healthline that developing alternatives to current treatments for kidney disease is "very important," because "premature mortality and poor quality of life are common for the dialysis population, particularly for in-center hemodialysis."
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