dialysis
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Lab-grown blood vessels could make dialysis easier
Dialysis, a common treatment for kidney disease, is far from pleasant, and companies and researchers are constantly working to improve the process. Now, researchers from Humacyte Inc., Duke University and Yale think they're one step closer to using bioengineered blood vessels. These would replace synthetic polymers and donor tissues, which carry risks of inflammation and immune system rejection.
Future dialysis patients could grow their own artificial veins
I rarely think about kidney failure, and when I do, it's almost always in the context of a charity appeal from my local hospital. Dialysis machines are the primary way that people with kidney disorders survive until a donor organ can be found. Going to a hospital multiple times a week to have your blood cleaned never seemed like it was a fun way to spend one's time, either. But after talking to Aditlys CEO Silvére Lucquin, I learned these trips to the hospital are not the worst part of the process.
Wearable artificial kidney hopes to gain FDA approval soon
As neat as your smartwatch is, there are other existing wearables which, you know, can actually make the world a world a better place -- though that's not to say whatever you have on your wrist now is useless and for pure vanity purposes. Aptly named the Wearable Artificial Kidney, a projected started back in 2008, this medical gadget hopes to make the dialysis process better for patients, thanks in particular to its portability features. As opposed to the more traditional, stationary machines found at hospitals or in homes, which tend to be extremely heavy, the current version of WAK weighs a mere 10 lbs (around 4.5 kg.) and can be attached around a person's waist.
HP inkjet patent licensed for home dialysis
We've seen some impressive applications for the humble inkjet over the years, from printing solar cells to printing living ones. You might think it could be time to move on to something new, but if this latest use is any indicator your dusty old DeskJet still has some legs yet. Home Dialysis Plus has licensed HP's fluid management technology to enable mixing of dialysis solution and (internally pasteurized) tap water on the fly, automatically creating the appropriate concentration and removing human error from the equation. In another nod to printer tech, that solution will be distributed using cartridges that can be easily stored and dropped into the machine. It remains to be seen whether the company will also license HP's system of pricing cartridges higher than the device that uses them, but since refill kits are bound to be a little harder to find we're certainly hoping not.
Artificial kidney enables "dialysis-on-the-go"
Not like we haven't heard of at-home dialysis before, but a pair of researchers from UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System concocted a design which would make the process even more portable. The AWAK (automated, wearable artificial kidney) would "avoid the complications patients often suffer with traditional dialysis" by being bloodless in nature; additionally, it would theoretically "reduce or even eliminate protein loss." Fittingly, UCLA-VA has already inked an agreement with Singapore-based AWAK Technologies in order to develop a commercial version, but there's no mention of how soon the creators expect said device to be widely available.[Via Physorg]
