Your kidneys play a vital role in your body. Without them, you would struggle to process toxins, and this would have a devastating impact on your health.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined as the presence of impaired or reduced kidney function lasting at least 3 months. A person who has the most severe form of CKD, end-stage kidney disease, usually requires a kidney transplant or dialysis to survive. The elderly, Indigenous Australians and people living in remote and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are at an increased risk of CKD.
New research led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), has combined gene editing technology with stem cell kidney regeneration to correct a patient’s gene mutation.
Scientists have used a 3D printer to create tiny human kidneys in the laboratory, raising hopes that human tissue printing will one day allow those with end-stage kidney failure to receive a bioprinted kidney instead of waiting for a donor kidney transplant.
WARNING: Medical procedures - viewer discretion is advised. Part 1 of series.
UCSF bioengineering professor Shuvo Roy is developing artificial kidney that could revolutionize care for millions of people around the world. The implantable device would provide relief for people with kidney failure who rely on dialysis or are on the waiting list for a life-saving organ transplant.
Understanding how an artificial kidney would work.
A national research project is under way to develop an implantable bioartificial kidney using the latest advances in science and technology with the goal of both improving the health and lives of patients with end stage renal disease and saving health care dollars.The Kidney Project team includes members from academia, health care, and industry and is led by Shuvo Roy, PhD, in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). This video covers the need for such a device, how it works, and its potential impact on patients.
Kidney disease (also called renal disease) is a general term for when the kidneys are damaged and do not function as they should. If you have kidney disease that lasts for more than 3 months, it is called chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Kidney Health Australia has developed this Action Plan on behalf of the kidney community. The community is impatient for change: the response to the development of the strategy has been unprecedented, from people with kidney disease and carers to the wide range of healthcare professionals involved in providing care and support.