Artificial kidney

• Kidneys
• Kidney transplantation

2023: First artificial kidney successfully transplanted into animal

On August 29, 2023, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, reported the development of an artificial kidney, a special implantable bioreactor capable of performing some key functions of said organ. In the future, the device is expected to eliminate the need for dialysis or aggressive drugs to suppress the immune system after transplantation.

The goal of the project is to create an effective alternative to dialysis systems that serve to purify the blood of excess substances and toxins in patients with impaired kidney function. The specialists designed the bioreactor so that it directly connects to blood vessels and veins, allowing nutrients and oxygen to pass, like a real kidney.

Artificial kidney

The bioreactor is filled with renal tubule cells. A special silicone membrane protects the artificial organ from attacks by the recipient's immune cells. During the experiments, such devices were transplanted into several animals. Observations have shown that the bioreactor is able to filter blood without causing an rejection reaction for more than seven days after implantation. The next step will be trials lasting about a month, as required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the future, it is planned to perform clinical experiments on volunteers.

We needed to prove that a functional bioreactor would not require the administration of immunosuppressants, and we did. We have not recorded any complications, and now we can continue to work on the project, "said Dr. Shuvo Roy, one of the authors of the study.[1]

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