Artificial Kidney News

Clinical trials for the implantable artificial kidney haven’t started yet, but developers are already seeking feedback.

ORLANDO, Fla.­­­­­ ­– “Dialysis is a promise unfulfilled,” said Jonathan Himmelfarb, MD, director of the Kidney Research Institute and Joseph W. Eschbach Endowed Chair in Kidney Research at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

An abstract presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 2016 Kidney Week suggests that a backpack-like wearable artificial kidney (WAK) device, with rear and vertical arrangement, would offer more space for the components and cause less discomfort for the patient than a belt-like or jacket-like design. “With a backpack design, hemodialysis patients would use their own personal device only, in which all the disposable components could be replaced as a unique cartridge, designed to be extremely easy to fit and dispose,” the researchers from the Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, International Renal Research Institute of Vicenza in Italy wrote in their abstract. “Furthermore, the backpack shape can be re-arranged into a “sleep station” to perform night treatments as well.”

Scientists in the Netherlands have created a “living membrane” that consists of a tight kidney cell layer on artificial membrane surfaces and can transport molecules from one side to the other, which they said is needed to create a bioartificial kidney that could replace the need for dialysis or transplantation.

Researchers have established methods for culturing kidney progenitor cells in vitro that maintain their ability to form the glomerulus. Researchers at Kumamoto University in Japan and the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. said the new findings, published in Cell Reports, represent a big step towards being able to regenerate kidneys.

What is involved in setting up a research trial involving new technology? A key part of the process is recruiting patients and, just as important, monitoring their success––and setbacks––during the trial.

LOUISVILLE––Victor Gura is a nephrologist turned inventor. He can give you a fascinating review of progress on his project, the wearable artificial kidney. But equally of interest is the story about the patients who tested the device––and the nurse who patiently lead them through it.

Editor’s note: The implantable artificial kidney is being developed jointly by the University of California San Francisco and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Nephrology News & Issues is not involved in the development of the device and cannot help anyone become a participant in a clinical trial.

Researchers have identified the stem cells that develop into kidney vessels, which they say is a significant step toward growing replacement kidneys. The researchers, from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, also found that when the vessels are created, so is the blood that fills them. Until now, scientists had not known that the kidney was a blood-generating organ. Blood generation occurs within the kidney in fish, but this is a notable discovery in mammals, according to the researchers.

The Wearable Artificial Kidney, or WAK, is a miniaturized dialysis machine that can be worn around the waist. The present prototype of the WAK is a 10-pound device, powered by nine-volt batteries, which connects to a patient via a catheter. It is designed to run continuously on batteries.