Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, have created a bioreactor device that mimics some of the fundamental functions of a kidney by using human kidney cells produced in the lab.
According to the researchers, the gadget could one day eliminate the necessity for dialysis or the need of harsh medicines to suppress the immune system after a transplant.
The device was successfully tested in pigs for a week, according to the experts, with no evident side effects or difficulties.
According to a statement on the university’s website, the device can work silently in the background, similar to a pacemaker, and does not activate the recipient’s immune system.
“Eventually, 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,” it noted.
The scientists engineered the bioreactor 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 cells.
“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 statement noted.
