Scientists have developed a bioreactor that can survive inside a pig that is designed to mimic some of the vital functions of a kidney.
Scientists at UC San Francisco have developed a bioreactor, designed to mimic some of the vital functions of a kidney, that can survive inside a pig for at least a week.
As detailed in a pilot study published in the journal Nature Communications, the team placed human kidney cells in an implantable «proof-of-concept» device. Seven days after being implanted in a pig, the cells inside the bioreactor maintained over 90 percent of their «viability and functionality,» according to the paper.
The research is a small — albeit intriguing — step, demonstrating that a host’s body won’t necessarily reject the bionic organ. More work is needed before we can say for certain whether such a bioreactor could replace a failing human kidney, but for patients with kidney disease who currently rely on expensive and inconvenient treatments like dialysis, the prospect is tantalizing.
