University of California San Francisco’s scientists are working on a new approach to treating kidney failure. The efforts aim to free people from dialysis & harsh drugs that are used to suppress their immune system post-transplant.
Scientists have come up with an implantable device called a bioreactor that encapsulates kidney cells. So far, the device survived inside the body of a pig, mimicking several kidney functions. The device can work like a pacemaker without triggering the immune system of the recipient.
These findings were published in Nature Communications on August 29, 2023. The Kidney Project is jointly headed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s William H. Fissell and UCSF’s Shuvo Roy, Ph.D.
Scientists plan to fill the bioreactor with different kidney cells. These cells would perform vital functions like balancing the body’s fluids and releasing hormones to regulate blood pressure. The device will be paired with an instrument that filters blood waste.
According to the research conducted by scientists at the University of California, the recipient animals were tracked for seven days after transplantation. As per the results, the experiment proved to be a success. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now require month-long trials on animals and then eventually in humans.