Artificial kidney does away with waiting list

It is said that if you are on a waiting list for a donor organ to come your way, then good luck waiting, as more often than not, it is the crucial waiting period that your condition ends up for the worse. Having said that, what if we were able to create new organs and grow them in a petri dish at a laboratory somewhere? That would be the most ideal, but just in case it were not to be possible, at least there is always the traditional backup of working with mechanical replacements. Not only that, if mechanical replacements were to be manufactured in a manner where they are extremely affordable to the masses while being reliable, it would surely send the black market for human organs crashing!

Researchers at UCSF and nine other labs have been working on an artificial kidney for years, potentially enabling diabetic patients (and others suffering from kidney ailments) to live without the need for dialysis as well as to consume immune suppressants. In fact, the FDA has already picked the artificial kidney project for its Innovation Pathway, where hopefully, it will be able to bear fruit sooner than expected.

This implantable artificial kidney will be able to do the water-balancing act as well as metabolic functions just like how a real kidney would, and contrary to popular belief, it does not require any pumps or outside power to get the job done – the body’s blood pressure alone pushes along filtration. A clinical trial is tipped to begin in 2016 if all things fall into place.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Medical