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The bioartificial kidney: current status and future promise

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Abstract

The rapid understanding of the cellular and molecular bases of organ function and disease processes will be translated in the next decade into new therapeutic approaches to a wide range of clinical disorders, including acute and chronic renal failure. Central to these new therapies are the developing technologies of cell therapy and tissue engineering, which are based on the ability to expand stem or progenitor cells in tissue culture to perform differentiated tasks and to introduce these cells into the patient either via extracorporeal circuits or as implantable constructs. Cell therapy devices are currently being developed to replace the filtrative, metabolic, and endocrinologic functions of the kidney lost in both acute and chronic renal failure. This review summarizes the current state of development of a wearable or implantable bioartificial kidney. These devices have the promise to be combined to produce a wearable or implantable bioartificial kidney for full renal replacement therapy that may significantly diminish morbidity and mortality in patients with acute or chronic kidney disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Innovative BioTherapies, Inc., 650 Avis Dr., Suite 300, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA

    H. David Humes, Deborah Buffington & Angela J. Westover

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, 4520C MSRB I, SPC 5651, 1150 W. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    H. David Humes

  3. CytoPherx, Inc., 401 W. Morgan Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA

    H. David Humes

  4. Department of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 1700 4th St. Byers Hall, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA

    Shuvo Roy

  5. Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1161 21st Ave. South, MCN S-3223, Nashville, TN, 37232-2372, USA

    William H. Fissell

  6. Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Michigan, 4520 MSRB I, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-0686, USA

    H. David Humes

Authors
  1. H. David Humes
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  2. Deborah Buffington
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  3. Angela J. Westover
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  4. Shuvo Roy
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  5. William H. Fissell
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Correspondence to H. David Humes.

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Humes, H.D., Buffington, D., Westover, A.J. et al. The bioartificial kidney: current status and future promise. Pediatr Nephrol 29, 343–351 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-013-2467-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-013-2467-y

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