Good news! This seems to be a new approach.
"... Scientists have developed a bioreactor device that uses human kidney cells cultured in the lab and mimics some of the key functions of a kidney. It's been successfully tested in pigs for a week with no obvious side effects or issues.
The team, led by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is hopeful that their device can be adapted to include a broader range of kidney cell types and be paired with another instrument to filter waste from the blood. ..."
"... They have shown for the first time that kidney cells, housed in an implantable device called a bioreactor, can survive inside the body of a pig and mimic several important kidney functions. The device can work quietly in the background, like a pacemaker, and does not trigger the recipient’s immune system to go on the attack. ..."
From the abstract:
"The definitive treatment for end-stage renal disease is kidney transplantation, which remains limited by organ availability and post-transplant complications. Alternatively, an implantable bioartificial kidney could address both problems while enhancing the quality and length of patient life. An implantable bioartificial kidney requires a bioreactor containing renal cells to replicate key native cell functions, such as water and solute reabsorption, and metabolic and endocrinologic functions. Here, we report a proof-of-concept implantable bioreactor containing silicon nanopore membranes to offer a level of immunoprotection to human renal epithelial cells. After implantation into pigs without systemic anticoagulation or immunosuppression therapy for 7 days, we show that cells maintain >90% viability and functionality, with normal or elevated transporter gene expression and vitamin D activation. Despite implantation into a xenograft model, we find that cells exhibit minimal damage, and recipient cytokine levels are not suggestive of hyperacute rejection. These initial data confirm the potential feasibility of an implantable bioreactor for renal cell therapy utilizing silicon nanopore membranes."
Can an Artificial Kidney Finally Free Patients from Dialysis? The Kidney Project proves its bioreactor can keep kidney cells alive for at least one week.
Feasibility of an implantable bioreactor for renal cell therapy using silicon nanopore membranes (open access)
Fig. 3: Bioreactor design with constituent components.
No comments:
Post a Comment