A coffee cup - sized implant that mimics the functions of the human kidney could be a life - saving option for patients with chronic kidney disease . According to DailyMail UK Online , the implant is expected to begin trials later this year and if successful , it could be available within a few years , saving patients from dialysis or needing a transplant — there are currently 30 , 000 people in the United Kingdom (UK ) having dialysis , and 5 , 000 on the waiting list for a donor kidney

Kidney failure is where the organ ’ s ability to do these things falls below 15 per cent of its normal capacity , causing toxins to build up in the blood and water to gather in the lungs — with potentially fatal consequences . The most effective treatment is a transplant, but demand for organs far outstrips supply .

The only other option is dialysis , where a machine takes over the function of diseased kidneys to clean the blood of waste , salts and excess fluid — without dialysis , these could build up to fatal levels . Dialysis can be inconvenient as people usually go to hospital for treatment , typically three sessions a week , for three to four hours at a time .

Dialysis is also associated with fatigue and depression , can remove too many nutrients from the blood and only works while patients are connected to the machine .
The idea with the artificial kidney is that it continuously filters blood inside the body and avoids these problems — researchers at the University of California , San Francisco , have developed it over the past 20 years .

The implant is essentially two components — filters to separate the various substances in the blood, and a ‘ bioreactor ’ which transfers these either to the blood, or to the bladder for removal from the body . These are encased in a hard -wearing box coated in a film made from materials safe for use inside the body . It is connected with tubes to nearby veins and to the bladder .
The artificial kidney first passes blood through layered silicon filters to remove waste and then through the ‘ bioreactor ’ made of lab - grown live kidney cells which reabsorb vital salts , sugars and water into the blood, in a similar way to a real kidney.

 

http://medfort.com.ng/sythentic-kidney-breakthrough-thousands-wont-need-transplant-or-dialysis/

GOOD DEVELOPMENT

God bless rhe brain behind this