Microchips used to build first artificial kidney

An artificial kidney, powered by the human heart and microchip filters rests inside the body and enables patients with kidney failure to forego dialysis, according to Znews

The bio-hybrid kidney uses living kidney cells and silicon nanotechnology which both filters blood and acts as scaffolding for the living cells to grow around and on.

Znews reported that the device, which is being developed by William Fissell, nephrologist and associate professor of medicine from Tennessee-based Vanderbilt University, may in the near future help kidney patients avoid dialysis.

Fissell said: “We are creating a bio-hybrid device that can mimic a kidney to remove enough waste products, salt and water to keep a patient off dialysis."

Vanderbilt biomedical engineer Amanda Buck is using fluid dynamics to see if there are certain regions in the device that might cause clotting. She uses computer models to refine the shape of the channels for the smoothest blood flow, according to Znews.

The researchers then rapidly prototype the new design using 3D printing and test it to make the blood flow as smoothly as possible.

Fissell also highlighted that since this bio-hybrid device sits out of reach from the body's immune response, it is protected from organ rejection.

Fissell said: "The issue is not one of immune compliance, of matching, like it is with an organ transplant."

Znews reported that Fissell has a long list of dialysis patients eager to join a future human trial with pilot studies of the silicon filters starting in patients by the end of 2017.