Is the era of dialysis and kidney transplants coming to an end? The new age of artificial kidney is on the anvil. An Indian origin researcher- Shuvo Roy and his team at the University of California in the US had developed the first bio-implantable artificial kidney device in the world. This coffee cup sized device can mimic almost all the vital functions of the kidney. It not only filters toxins but performs all the metabolic and hormonal functions of a normal kidney.

    The artificial kidney has two parts.- filter and cellular side. The first part filters the toxins from the bloodstream and is made up of silicon chips. This filtered blood is then pumped into the second part of the device which is also made up of silicon chips and is coated with a single type of human kidney cells. These renal cells help to reabsorb some of the water, sugar and salt back into the body, produce vitamin D and regulate the blood pressure. The waste products are directed through a tube that is attached to the urinary bladder and then excreted as urine.

    We can hope this invention will become a success in the future, so that it will be a great relief for patients in the final stage of chronic kidney disease and patients who are on lifelong dialysis.