SAN FRANCISCO -- Half a million Americans suffer from chronic kidney failure each year, and that number keeps going up. The best available treatment is a transplant, but many have to wait years to get one if they get one at all. Now, an artificial kidney may be medicine's next big thing.

It's a routine that's getting old for David Anderson. Sitting in this chair for hours on end is not how he'd prefer to spend his days.

"It's about five hours a day of coming and going, really, three times a week, " said David Anderson, kidney failure patient.

Anderson suffers from kidney failure and needs dialysis to survive. It's a process that cleans out blood but takes its toll on patients.

“It's uncomfortable to sit here for such a long time," Anderson said.

The therapy only replaces about 10 percent of kidney function. After five years, just 35 percent of patients are still alive.

"It's actually really sad. I have a lot of patients. I think all nephrologists have a lot of patients that die regularly," said Lynda Frassetto, M.D., Nephrologist, Professor of Medicine at UCSF in San Francisco.

A kidney transplant is a better option. The problem? Last year, only 17,000 of the 85,000 patients on the waiting list received an organ.

But the artificial kidney could soon be a solution. Researchers at UC San Francisco hope to implant the device right in the body. Thousands of microscopic filters mimic the filtering role of a real kidney. One side filters out toxins while the other re-absorbs salt and water and emits waste. The body's own blood pressure performs the filtration without the need for a power supply.

"Because it's implanted and provides many of the same benefits of a transplant, the patient quality of life, the patient health, will be improved," said Shuvo Roy, Ph.D., Bioengineer at the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at UCSF in San Francisco said.

The surgery will cost the same as a kidney transplant, but this device is designed to completely eliminate the 75 thousand per year spent on dialysis for each patient. A room-sized model of the artificial kidney has been used for over a decade. Now, engineers are trying to fit that into a device the size of a coffee cup.

"I'd sign up now if I could," Anderson said.

Until then he'll wait, hoping medicine will soon get him out of this chair and onto more exciting adventures.

Another benefit is patients wouldn't need to take the immune-suppressant drugs like they do with a transplant. Researchers hope the artificial kidney will be in clinical trials in the next five years.

Artificial Kidney: Medicine's Next Big Thing? -- Research Summary

BACKGROUND: According to emedicinehealth, the kidneys serve a very important function in the human body. Some of these functions include:

Filtering wastes from the bloodstream

Removing toxins and chemicals from your blood

Eliminating waste and urine

Secreting hormones that regulate:

Calcium absorption

Red blood cell production

Fluid in the circulatory system (blood pressure)

Typically, if any part of the kidney becomes damaged, it cannot be restored to its original function, unless the patient undergoes a transplant.

WHY KIDNEYS FAIL: There are many factors that can cause one's kidney's to fail. Emedicinehealth explains kidney failure can happen quickly (known as acute kidney failure) or very slowly over time (known as chronic kidney failure).

Both types of kidney failure can be the result of primary kidney disease or can be inherited. Infections and certain substances, such as alcohol and drugs, can damage the kidneys and cause permanent, long-term damage.

WHO'S AT RISK: While kidney failure can happen to anyone, there are certain people who are at higher risk of developing kidney disease than others. Some of those people include those who have had:

Diabetes

Sickle cell anemia

Major surgery

Severe burns

Heart disease/heart attack

Vascular diseases -- any condition that blocks blood flow to various body parts

Liver disease/liver failure

High blood pressure, especially if it's uncontrolled

AN ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY: Researchers at UCSF have unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney. The device uses thousands of microscopic filters to mimic the filtering role of a real kidney. One side filters out toxins while the other reabsorbs salts and water to maintain overall fluid and electrolyte balance. The rest is dumped as waste. The device is designed to eliminate the need for dialysis and immune-suppressant drugs. Researchers project it could save $15 billion per year out of the $25 billion that Medicare spends on treating kidney failure patients in the United States. MORE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Kristen Bole, UCSF News Office
(415) 502-NEWS
Kristen.Bole@ucsf.edu