Implantable Artificial Kidney to Replace Dialysis??

[Whamo]

I like the idea Bill Peckham found.  I wonder how that's going?  You don't hear about much progress in this area anymore.   

[msf21]

At this point I would settle for a hamster powered model. I don't care just get me off dialysis. I need my old life back.

[Simon Dog]

There are many companies out there trying to develop artificial kidneys as well as smaller dialysis machines.  There are 2 that are approx 2 years away from being released. One from Fresenius called the PAK - Portable Artificial Kidney and the other by a UK company being called the Quanta SelfCare+ as well as Baxter.   These are just two of many companies trying to take an edge on the technology. Unfortunately it takes many years to develop.

The Fresenus PAK would be a competitor to the NxStage, not really a "portable kidney".  It's portable in the same sense the NxStage unit is.  The PAK uses sorbent technology - a small amount (6L ) is dialysate is replenished, filtered and re-used - so you use not only a dialysis filter, but a dialysate filter.   I hear it will offer better URR than the NxStage.  Another competitor is the Sunnyvale company "HD Plus", which is also working on a home dialysis machine.

The upshot is you will see more selection in home dialysis machines long before you see actual portable artificial kidneys that you carry with you as you go about your daily business.

[Jean]

I would volunteer also, if they would take me. I would even opt for a wind powered one, hahahahaha

[natopotato]

I want a solar powered kidney!  LOL.

Now there is some freakin' smarts right there. Guess there is a gal over in Israel who creates power by connecting jewelry to her veins. Put them together maybe? http://www.viralnova.com/blood-power-jewelry/

[Jean]

There was a picture yesterday on facebook of a patient wearing a WAK I think it is called. Of course,it is not ready, as she had numerous iv's hanging all over her. But, she sure was smiling.

[PaulBC]

I have an email alert set for artificial kidney and today it came up with this, which I have not seen before:

Implantable Artificial Kidney Corporation Seals Deal for 500K Funding

Funding will be used for further research and development of their IAK-1 artificial kidney prototype.

Implantable Artificial Kidney Corporation Seals Deal for 500K Funding Roseville, CA, January 28, 2015 --(PR.com)-- After a month of negotiations, a private placement investment of 500K was provided through a trust fund held by an east coast hedge fund manager in an exchange for equity shares in the Implantable Artificial Kidney Corporation (IAKC). Future funding may come from the hedge fund itself when the need arises. The private investor wished to retain anonymity. The funding will be used to advance the development of their patented implantable artificial kidney prototype, known as the IAK-1. According to the company significant scientific advances will be made in 2015.

This is not the same as the one at UCSF, and looks simpler. The web page says it will only filter (like dialysis), so I don't think it includes the bioartificial "renal assist device." Still, more people working on more ideas cannot be a bad thing. Website says 5-7 years till human trials. UCSF should be sooner, assuming any of this works.

But $500k? Seriously? Back in the dot com days, a college dropout could get ten times that amount of funding for an online dog-sitting website. Is it possible that someone could throw serious money into research? Like, considering the billions of dollars being spent on treatment?

[PaulBC]

Back in the dot com days, a college dropout could get ten times that amount of funding for an online dog-sitting website.

And if you thought I was exaggerating (because I did too), I just did a quick check and found this:

Dog-Sitting Site Receives $3.4M in Backing
Rover.com hopes to tap into potential $60 billion market
Apr 9, 2012, 2:47 pm EST  |  By Christopher Freeburn, InvestorPlace Writer
Rover.com is betting that many dog lovers will look online to find local dog sitters rather than turn to expensive kennels, or burdening friends or family with Fido while traveling.


Maybe not founded by a college dropout, but still, I look at the advance of "technology" and sometimes despair.

[Whamo]

 Healthcare often pushes expensive treatments as cash cows.  The cynic in me thinks the industry will be slow to change.  They've got a lot of money invested in the current system.  It rakes in a fortune, even though the expenses are high.  On the other hand, innovation is needed to save money because our system is headed for bankruptcy. 

[okarol]

I applaud Juliana's efforts here, to get the word out, but why crowdfunding for $3,000,000 - and the need is a total of $20,000,000 just to create the sample to use in clinical trials.
So far I cannot see if NIH is contributing funding.
https://crowdfund.ucsf.edu/project/850?clid=ASVUeQBPA0WdA4ChpLgp93&utm_campaign

[noahvale]

^

[okarol]

I applaud Juliana's efforts here, to get the word out, but why crowdfunding for $3,000,000 - and the need is a total of $20,000,000 just to create the sample to use in clinical trials.
So far I cannot see if NIH is contributing funding.
https://crowdfund.ucsf.edu/project/850?clid=ASVUeQBPA0WdA4ChpLgp93&utm_campaign

I don't like this video at all.  Why can't Juliana go to school or get a job?  Even part time?  Plus, how she says the implantable kidney will allow her to eat again and drink things other than water??  It is BS.  And, I'll put down odds that she still won't be working/going to school if fortunate enough to receive an implantable kidney.

As far as Christian David, his facts are wrong. There aren't 600,000 on dialysis in the US and he comes across like a used car salesman. 

I always hated how the NKF made helpless victims out of dialysis patients to promote transplantation.  As a staff member of the Georgia affiliate back in the 1980's,  I never used that ploy to help raise funds or awareness.  I still find victimization a deplorable tactic today.   The Kidney Project can do better than this.

I agree with your questions. Also, if she has never had a transplant, how do they know she is allergic to anti-rejection medications. I just have never heard of this.
She is also fortunate to be doing home hemo, but the comment about bleeding out if the interviewer goes off to pop popcorn is creepy.
I wrote to the information contact at UCSF and asked "Why crowdfunding? No NIH support?"
Here is the reply:

"Dear Karol,
 
Great question!
 
To date, we have received almost $7 million from various federal agencies in the United States, namely National Institute of Health (NIH), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), who provided funds for the basic research and groundwork behind the artificial kidney. We have since received very positive feedback from these federal agencies, recognizing our success with the fundamental proof-of-concept work. In order to proceed to the next steps in commercialization, we now need the help of industry partners and investors.
 
However, the challenge with procuring these industry partners and investors is that they want to see more data from preclinical studies before they invest.  Investors have expressed interest in the concept of our project and have indicated their understanding of its potential. Additionally, they have also commented that their comfort with investing in our project would increase significantly once we can show them evidence of the device working in an animal for at least 30 days. This is what we are currently working on.
 
I hope this clarifies the issue a bit. If you have any further questions, you are welcome to contact me again.
 
All the best,
Stephanie"

They talk about doing clinical trials in 2017 but they are not even at the point where they have an operational prototype, that animal testing is needed?

[Vt Big Rig]

In My  Humble Opinion  .........

While there are many of us  and it sucks .... we are overlooked. I think the attitude of others the attitude is "well, dialysis saves them". It does and I am grateful for that.

BUT ... with enough money lets face it .... it's a filter. How hard can it be? I got to believe the talent is out there to develop it but ...."dialysis saves them".

Also what bugs me is why can't somebody develop an access that does not required needles each time or a "risk for infection" catheter.... "dialysis saves them".

Perhaps it is the engineer in me ....we think different. We generally believe there is an engineering solution to everything. That is the attitude that put men on the moon!

Oh, and I volunteer also!!!!

[Hopeful1]

Loopywinks I read about the implantable kidney in Kidneybuzz.com.  I believe it said they are already testing on animals and will probably be starting human trials in 2017.  It is to be about the size of a cup.  They say it has had good results and should be a permanent implant that takes over the work of the kidneys.  I believe it was in California. Kidneybuzz is a interesting place for info.

[okarol]

Loopywinks I read about the implantable kidney in Kidneybuzz.com.  I believe it said they are already testing on animals and will probably be starting human trials in 2017.  It is to be about the size of a cup.  They say it has had good results and should be a permanent implant that takes over the work of the kidneys.  I believe it was in California. Kidneybuzz is a interesting place for info.

Kidneybuzz takes old news articles, rehashes them, adds a titillating title and posts all over facebook. It is designed to bring traffic to their website, where they sell stuff, including over priced t-shirts from our kidney store.
I would not rely on them for the latest medical news, IMHO.
They also offer to start kidney donor search facebook pages for free for patients, they get access to your personal facebook, posts some of your photos (and many links to THEIR articles, linking back, as mentioned.) After a month or two they hand the facebook page back to the person to market, or for $12.95 a month they will do it for you. It's a waste of money.

[noahvale]

^

[Whamo]

On L.A.'s Channel Seven they had a doctor showing off the dialysis belt.  They said it is has just gone through the proof of concept stage.  One can only hope funding is far off.

[Bill Peckham]

*Proof of Concept. 1981, Grand Canyon

[lainiepop]

Don't know if this one's been posted

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/artificial-kidneys-could-be-patients-2020

Artificial Kidneys Could Be In Patients By 2020

November 11, 2015 | by Justine Alford

More than two years ago, scientists at Vanderbilt University told of their intention to build an artificial kidney that could be implanted into the bodies of those suffering renal failure. Now it seems like they could be getting somewhere, with new advances in nanotechnology potentially putting such a lifesaving system within our grasps.

It’s obvious why doctors don’t want to depend on transplantation: there is a worldwide donor organ shortage, and after that there are issues of blood type matching and rejection. People with kidney disease can go on to dialysis – a procedure that cleans the blood, usually performed by machine – but the prospects aren’t good. The survival rate after three years is only about 50 percent. And the quality of life for those undergoing this treatment is poor – imagine being hooked up to tubes and having your blood swished around like clothes in a washing machine, for hours, several times a week.

So clearly there is a need for an alternative, which is what Vanderbilt researchers, in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, hope to ultimately achieve. A major part of the system they are developing is a nanofilter made of silicon that basically fishes out unwanted molecules from the blood, like waste products, excess water, and salt. This is the kidney’s main job, and also the role of dialysis machines, but progress in nanotechnology has led to better, more uniform pores that could mean more efficient filtering than the membranes across which molecules are exchanged in dialysis.

While we’ve used the word “nano” several times, this device is not exactly tiny; it’s about the size of a coffee cup, so probably not far off the size of an actual kidney. But there is no need to remove the kidneys to make room for it; the fake kidney is designed to be inserted nearby and hooked up to both the patient’s blood supply and bladder.

There’s still a lot to be done, but the group has just been given $6 million (£4 million) to play with, and said Tuesday at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week that human trials within this decade are on the agenda. But they’re not the only ones hoping to get this far. Other groups are working on 3D printed replacements, while some are opting for growing them using stem cells. One study has even managed to implant lab-grown kidneys into animals that could then pass urine, although they admit human studies are way off

Another promising solution is a recently trialed artificial kidney that’s kind of halfway between dialysis and this group’s design. It’s a wearable device that’s strapped around a patient’s waist, weighing a little over four kilograms (10 pounds). A diabetic man whose kidneys started failing two years ago has just become the first in the U.S. to have one strapped on, albeit a prototype that’s just proof-of-concept at the moment. Still, it seems there is progress being made, and the implantable artificial kidney project is set to be included in the FDA’s new fast-track program that will hopefully speed things along

[Michael Murphy]

The real good news here is that there is enormous work being done in various solutions to ESRD.  It only takes one of the approaches to work to provide a alternative to dialysis.  If only one approach was being tried I would feel pessimistic about the future and being on dialysis for ever. But if one of these teams hit we all will have a different future.  So I have hope,  with that and a good 25 year scotch I guess I will survive.

[kickingandscreaming]

I actually don't think there is "enormous" work being done for us dialysees.  The kidney is the Rodney Dangerfield of organs.  It can't get no respedt.   I think it's only when you move into CKD country that you begin to get the enormity of importance of this tiny unassuming organ system.  For their size and prominence (in peoples' minds) they do some really important work.  And you only really appreciate the intricacy of their work when they no longer work.

When you compare it to cancer research,  for example, research on kidney solutions is miniscule.  We need some celebrity to need dialysis/kidney, etc. and then maybe something will happen.  In terms of progress, dialysis is essentially the same as it was in the 40's.  Machines have improved and shrunk, but the paradigm is the same.

[PaulBC]

I would add that ESRD is the Rodney Dangerfield of life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Fissell of the Kidney Project once stated that the life expectancy of a patient going on dialysis is shorter than a patient diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Well, that is hard to believe, and it probably lumps in a lot of comorbidities, but kidney disease is a serious matter. Still, it is easy to pretend that there are effective treatments. There aren't. There are stopgaps.

I agree that the principle of dialysis has not changed since it was first pioneered, but making machines more effective and widely available is significant. Also treatments like epogen make a difference. I think you can say that things progress slowing and might not be much better than the early 1990s (thinking of the Baxter HomeChoice PD cycler). There are many opportunities to improve things both in stem cell research and materials science (going the artificial kidney route). There does need to be more interest for any of this to happen.

I don't know how widely known it is that billionaire Carlos Slim has children who have needed kidney transplants, and has made philanthropic contributions to fight kidney disease and other illnesses. You'd think that kind of money would help, but I really have no idea if anything has come of it. The Kidney Project appears to have a smaller budget than a Silicon Valley garage startup.

[Whamo]

    I've been on a Baxter machine for high dose dialysis for three years.  I've adapted fairly well.  My labs have improved.  I am on track to get a transplant once my social security card comes through.  But this year doctors have said things like, "Did you live a good life?"  My cardio guy, very famous dude, predicted I'd die of a stroke.  My heart nurse says I'm doing fine.   I got my hepatitis C cured after twenty-five years of worry.  I started wearing a beard at age 64, and women give me more attention.  Not that I can do anything anymore with my wife.  I'm hopeful science will find an answer to our problem.  I hear they're testing pig kidneys.  Maybe we can use them.   I'm not overweight, but my wife calls me a pig. LOL.

[Charlie B53]

I readily admit to it, when I hold a door at a store or someplace for a  Lady, I often tell her 'I am a Male Chauvinistic PIG'.  They usually just laugh and continue on their way.

[Whamo]

I've read that those artificial kidneys will begin serious testing in 2018.  I'm excited about getting one.  The best part is that they don't need to shut down the immune system and last forever, so they say.