Researchers Announce First Implantable Artificial Kidney Prototype [Medicine]

A synthetic kidney powered by the circulatory system will be the first implantable device to interchange kidney donation and dialysis, scientists say.

Led by a college of California-San Francisco scientist, a consortium of about 10 different research teams unveiled a new artificial kidney prototype this week, saying a room-sized version has already shown promise for the sickest patients. Fabrication processes used to make silicon chips could conceivably be used to make coffee-cup-sized devices, that can take thousands of folk off dialysis machines or kidney-donor waiting lists.

The multi-institutional team, led by UCSF professor Shuvo Roy, formerly of the Cleveland Clinic, is the first to demonstrate technology that may be feasibly downsized into a transplant device.

It’s a two-stage system involving thousands of nanoscale filters placed in a ” BioCartridge,” which would remove toxins from the blood. A ” HemoCartridge” bioreactor made from engineered renal tubule cells would mimic the metabolic and water-balancing roles of a real kidney. The system uses a patient’s blood pressure to perform filtration without using pumps, in keeping with a UCSF news release .

Currently, transplants and dialysis are the only real how you can treat kidney failure. An implantable device would obviously be preferable, but to this point, scientists have not been ready to give you a system that mimics everything the kidney can do.

The new system relies on the newest advances in nanotechnology and tissue generation, Roy said. He hopes to exploit silicon-fabrication technology to make the device small enough for transplant.

” This may dramatically reduce the weight of renal failure for millions of folks worldwide, while also reducing one of the crucial largest costs in U.S. healthcare,” he said. [ ScienceDaily ]

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This post is tagged: california san francisco, dialysis machines, fabrication technology, implantable device, renal tubule cells, san francisco scientist, silicon fabrication