For example I would like to know, if the goal is, to actually put this inside of people?
Currently it is smartphone sized. That might work, but only if the person moves not much, because it does not seem flexible. And having a stiff smartphone in your body would mean moving like a old school robot. That still might beat the alternative, but would be a serious limitation. Maybe they get it smaller and more flexible - then I would be curious how long the bioreactor and hemofilter lasts, before they need replacement? Because that means dangerous surgery.
So the first versions would be probably carried outside the body and connected to your arteries?
A kidney isn't all that different in length on the major axis from a smartphone, either, and in volume is larger besides. Speaking as someone with recurrent kidney trouble, if things do get bad enough and I can't get on the transplant list due to age or comorbidity, I'd rather take a chance on something like this than suffer the known drawbacks of periodic dialysis, especially the all but guaranteed progressive impairment of cognition.
Could you expand a bit more on this? What causes the impairment in cognition?
This would basically replace dialysis if they are able to achieve the numbers they quote (GFR of 20-30). Occasionally having a minor surgery is likely much safer and more affordable than dialysis.
I suspect it would just be an internal version of the parental "stop slouching dear". Users might report better backs as well as kidneys !
And just to be clear, Science and medicine makes amazing advances each day and decade. I am astonished by the idea this even is close to working.
I doubt that. A healthy back needs twisting and bending in all directions.
Like you said: I'm amazed by the fact that were close to having a replacement. Not sure how many will be able to afford it but still. It's one step forward.
I have seen these articles pop up at regular intervals for a decade now, and if we're going to be honest: nothing much has happened during that decade. This is still an under-funded area where nothing more than "pre-clinical" prototypes keep getting press - and then nothing.
I used to be active on various forums for kidney patients (one of which had more than 27.000 members last I checked). I'm not very active anymore because it is too depressing to read about people who are less fortunate than me (I have good health, live in a country with socialized medicine and my total cost per year for keeping the transplanted healthy is less than $300). For instance non-affluent people living in the US.
I've lost count of how many americans I've known who have ended up in a place where taking their own life seems like the best option. Either because they are tired of finding money for the medications that keep them alive, tired of navigating bureaucracy, because they don't want to drag their entire family into a financial hole, or because they are just physically exhausted. (Dialysis is time-consuming and slowly ruins your body)
Take some time to think about that. Think about what it means that every so many months someone on a forum you frequent tells you "I've had it - I'm going to give up and die". It can be quite taxing if you allow yourself to care.
So excuse me for being negative, but this isn't anything to be excited about. This is just a reminder that nothing much that actually has any impact is happening in this area.
Please take some time to review the national statistics for the US and please consider becoming an organ donor.
After being diagnosed my doc said avoid taking all meds, which i did and do. I also went ahead and changed my diet where i drink 3 liters of water per day and cut out all pork and redmeatl, as well increased my fruits & vegetable intake. Also, avoid fatty foods and lost five to ten pounds (around 170 5'10). My kidney function as of just getting my results today is 79 out of 100(creatitine 1.1). Though my monthly test shows me the average to be in the low 70s usually. Not sure why it was higher this month..did lose a few pounds further.
Overall Im thinking if I continue on with this lifestyle I may not have to go on dialysis for another 20 to 30 years possibly more. Yet its all in the air thus I constantly get it monitor each month to bi-monthly even if my doctor says that's not needed. She did say sure try changing your diet/lifestyle and see how it works. Some docs I hear will just say diet won't improve your kidney yet I joined a Facebook group where a guy's kidney was completely failed yet his wife revolutionized his diet and his function went from crazy low on dialysis to like 30 percent and off of dialysis.
I am just sharing my experience with my kidney issues maybe it will help others .. maybe not. Im not here to argue just offer what has worked for me positively and many others in that Facebook group mentioned.
So, even if they got the actual device perfect, the realities of interfacing that with an actual person, for any reasonable length of time... Don't hold your breath.
This is why kidney transplant is so great... it's all real tissue, even if you need lifelong antisuppression.
I have taken my life circumstance to share my story and ask others to sign up to become an organ donor. It can change the life of someone and you can truly make a difference not only for a person but an entire family.
I also look at this news as positive, Ill take anything no matter how slow the progress is. Decades ago before transplant techniques were developed my story would have ended (unless I had a twin) but its because of work like this I'm able to type this out right now. So perhaps a few decades from today someone will benefit from this technology and not have to go through what you and I did.
Ill add the link in for the National Kidney Registry who do great work and if someone wants donate their cause can do so. https://www.kidneyregistry.org/
And after the transplant, things have gone exceptionally well and I live a completely normal lifet. I just need to down a fistful of pills every day :-)
[0] https://pharm.ucsf.edu/kidney/need/statistics#:~:text=Costs,....
Meanwhile, I just read that a recruiting startup raised 100M $ in investment.
Hunger in Africa, no problem. Homelessness or global poverty, could have easily brainwashed the public into rallying behind that cause.
It was just a matter of choice. All our problems are allowed to become that by our useless rulers. And I'm not talking about the ones we "elect", but the ones that have their own different priorities. They only care about their eugenicist fervor.
It is amazing, but real organs can sustain themself - artificial mechanical ones not. And need surgery for replacement.
I have my hopes on artificial real organs and see the mechanical ones as a intermediate solution.
Either way, implanted devices can be a good bridge from our current situation.
Frankly I wouldn't want one for $1B.
IIRC the longest recorded survival with an artificial rate was about 3 months for a continuous flow 'pulse-less' device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_heart
So yeah, they "work", but are still far from perfect.
Consider also the danger of having something dangling from your body that is powered by your arterial blood pressure (from a major artery, as the kidney is). A trip and fall could be instantly fatal.
