Bioartificial
Kidney
MCG Medical Center has joined a nationwide study evaluating a bioartificial kidney in intensive care units.
Dr. Harold M. Szerlip, an MCG nephrologist, hopes the new device, developed by Dr. H. David Humes at the University of Michigan, can help turn the tide for patients whose kidneys fail because of common ICU factors such as bleeding and infection. Dr. Szerlip, who is also participating in a Department of Veterans Affairs and National Institutes of Health study to determine whether round-the-clock dialysis is better than sporadic dialysis for ICU patients in renal failure, said the bioartificial kidney contains billions of kidney cells and mimics many kidney functions.
In addition to ridding the body of waste products (the role of dialysis in the event of kidney failure), the bioartificial kidney is intended to mimic functions including secreting hormones, helping determine how the body metabolizes calcium and phosphorus, stimulating red blood cell production, helping regulate blood pressure and clearing and metabolizing cytokines that help direct the immune system.
The study is funded by Boston-based Nephros Therapeutics Inc.