Dialysis Has Prolonged the Lives of Thousands of Americans, but What if There was Another Solution?
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I have no doubt that anyone reading this article knows someone who is or was required to suffer through the procedure known as “dialysis.” It continues to save the lives of thousands of Americans whose kidneys have failed, and without a transplant would surely lose their lives. The University of California in San Francisco produced an implantable device that mimics the organ’s daily functions. [More than 500,000 people in the U.S. require dialysis several times a week, whereby their blood is filtered by a machine. Many seek kidney transplants, but there are not enough donors, and only about 20,000 people receive them each year. An implantable artificial kidney would be a boon.] The device is called a “bioreactor.” Early tests are promising. It works quietly without the threat of rejection when transplants are available. The device is currently being tested on pigs. The next step is to increase the length of the tests, and if successful, testing on humans will