The Kidney Project

One of the key promises of the bioartificial kidney is that patients won’t need to take immune-suppressing drugs, like transplant recipients do. The Kidney Project team demonstrated the feasibility of this benefit in an experiment described in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications.   The bioartificial kidney combines a mechanical blood filter (the “hemofilter”) with a cell-based bioreactor that reabsorbs water and salts back into the body. To mimic a natural human kidney, the bioreactor must nurture kidney cells inside it and give them access to the blood of the patient. With access to blood, however, comes the risk of an immune reaction, and ultimately rejection. The Kidney Project overcomes this challenge by using fine screens (silicon membranes) to keep the kidney cells in the bioreactor and blood components associated with immune reaction from directly touching.    In the experiment, the team tracked the health of both the kidney cells and the recipient animals (pigs) for seven days after bioreactor implantation. The device worked quietly in the background, like a pacemaker, and did not trigger the recipient’s immune system to go on the attack. Eventually, the bioreactor will be filled with different types of kidney cells that perform vital functions like balancing the body’s fluids and releasing hormones to regulate blood pressure, then paired with the hemofilter component to create a fully functional, self-powered and self-contained implantable artificial kidney. Nature Portfolio UCSF School of Pharmacy UCSF Bioengineering Read the UCSF News article here: https://lnkd.in/ecDANchG    Read the Nature Communications paper here: https://lnkd.in/d6dvyKSX  To give: bit.ly//Givetokidney Instagram/Facebook/Threads: ArtificialKidney Twitter: KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #healthtech

If you are new to The Kidney Project page, welcome! The Kidney Project is a national research project with a goal to create a small, surgically implanted, and free-standing bioartificial kidney to treat kidney failure. This device is created to be an alternative solution to dialysis. The implantable bioartificial kidney is under development, and we have not yet started clinical trials. We are currently in our fund raising efforts for these clinical trials which is seemingly hard without your support or patronage. Our funding goal here is $10 Million which will enable this devices to be accessible to kidney patients across the world. If you have any questions about The Kidney Project, please check out our FAQs: https://lnkd.in/gspy3hiV Follow us on social media to stay updated on our progress. To give: bit.ly//Givetokidney Instagram/Facebook/Threads: ArtificialKidney Twitter: KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and American Society of Nephrology (ASN) released a joint statement a couple of months ago, in support of removing the race coefficient from the Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) calculation. This is a petition launched by NKF to promote its initiative of “Kidney Equity for All.” The Kidney Project supports these critical conversations in better transplant access and treatments for kidney patients. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gv-Cgxsk... To give: bit.ly//Givetokidney Instagram/Facebook/Threads: ArtificialKidney Twitter: KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

Have you checked out The Kidney Project’s YouTube channel lately? We have released some new videos that talk about the mission of our project and the implantable bioartificial kidney. Check them out here: https://lnkd.in/gW3bjGJE To give: bit.ly//Givetokidney Instagram/Facebook/Threads: ArtificialKidney Twitter: KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

Creating the world’s first implantable bioartificial kidney is difficult, which is why The Kidney Project has researchers from various backgrounds working on the device. Our Medical Director, Dr. William Fissell, is a nephrologist and an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Fissell was featured last year in a three-part series where he discusses the progress our team is making as the bioartificial organ moves toward the manufacturing stage. Read the articles for more information: https://lnkd.in/gYVsdRZv To give: bit.ly//Givetokidney Instagram/Facebook/Threads: ArtificialKidney Twitter: KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

There are many considerations when designing and developing the implantable bioartificial kidney, and one of them involves thrombogenicity. Thrombogenicity refers to how a material may cause blood clotting or thrombus when it is in contact with blood. As you can see in the CFD (computational fluid dynamics) images, provided by our partner Ansys, we have explored the geometry of our implantable bioartificial kidney to ensure we limit thrombogenicity as blood passes through it. The photo demonstrates the improvements made on the device to lower low wall shear stress. Donate: bit.ly//Givetokidney Facebook: ArtificialKidney Instagram/Threads: ArtificialKidney Twitter: @KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

The Kidney Project researchers attended the ASAIO 70th Annual Conference last month. Dr. Nhu Thao Nguyen Galvan from Baylor College of Medicine presented The Kidney Project’s implantable bioartificial kidney (iBAK), and it was well-received by other kidney scholars. The iBAK presents a promising therapeutic alternative for kidney disease, providing continuous filtration and alleviating the societal costs of dialysis. Photo shows Dr. Galvan (right) with Dr. O.H. Frazier (left), ASAIO Lifetime Achievement Awardee. Read the abstract here: https://lnkd.in/gEtmYGF9 Donate: bit.ly//Givetokidney Facebook: ArtificialKidney Instagram/Threads: ArtificialKidney Twitter: @KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

“My story is one of resilience, hope, and the belief that even in the darkest times, there's a possibility for a brighter tomorrow.” Kidney disease caused Dhawan to experience a number of side effects, which initially disrupted his life and passions. Through perseverance and the hope of better treatments in the future, he was able to overcome his struggles and continue to live a fulfilling life. We hope to share more patient stories like Dhawan’s in the future to spread awareness about kidney diseases and the need for change in kidney treatments. Read his story here: https://lnkd.in/gt9REjxE Donate: bit.ly//Givetokidney Facebook: ArtificialKidney Instagram/Threads: @ArtificialKidney Twitter: @/KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

In recognition of National Donate Life Month in April, our partners over at the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) hosted a health webinar on “Advancements in Kidney Transplant Research and Innovation.” Our Technical Director, Dr. Shuvo Roy, was featured in the webinar, where he spoke about the future of kidney transplants and how the implantable bioartificial kidney could change kidney patients’ lives. Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gQkwYsUW Donate: bit.ly//Givetokidney Facebook: ArtificialKidney Instagram/Threads: @ArtificialKidney Twitter: @KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth

In the human body, urea refers to the substance formed by the breakdown of protein in the liver. Our kidneys filter urea out of blood and into urine. To make sure the implantable bioartificial kidney removes urea from blood efficiently, we use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to optimize its design. This critical CFD work is enabled by the tools from one of our partners, ANSYS. The image shows a section of the device, featuring curvatures, made with the ANSYS simulation software and how blood flow is impacted by the geometry. Donate: bit.ly//Givetokidney Facebook: ArtificialKidney Instagram/Threads: @ArtificialKidney Twitter: @KidneyProject YouTube: TheKidneyProject #TheKidneyProject #kidneydisease #ckd #dialysis #bioartificialkidney #kidneytransplant #transplant #ESRD #medicine #translationalscience #science #donor #technology #tech #innovation #invention #newtechnologies #techtrends #technews #techlife #bioengineering #health #kidneyhealth