<P> The implantable artificial kidney is a second project that is being co-developed by a nephrologist named William H. Fissell IV, MD, from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center with Professor Shuvo Roy from the University of California, San Francisco . Fissell and his colleges have been working on the implantable artificial kidney for over a decade but recently received a 6 - million - dollar grant in November 2015 to further continue the research and development of the project . The goal of this project is to create a bio-hybrid device that can imitate the functions of a healthy kidney by removing enough waste products to keep a patient from needing dialysis treatment . The key to the success of this device is the use of silicon nanotechnology and the microchip which is precious and can act as a natural filter . Fissell and his team have designed each pore (of the filter) to perform a specific function or task . The microchips will also act as a platform for which living kidney cells will reside and grow on and around the filters with the goal of imitating the natural functions of the kidney . The bio-hybrid device will not be in reach of the body's immune response which allows it to be protected against being rejected by the patient's body . The device will be designed to be small enough to fit inside a patient's body that will successfully operate with the patient's natural blood flow . Fissel and his research team continue to make progress and they expected the implantable artificial kidney would enter human trials by 2017 . </P> <P> A wearable artificial kidney is a wearable dialysis machine that a person with end - stage kidney disease could use daily or even continuously . A wearable artificial kidney (WAK) is not available, but research teams are in the process of developing such a device . The goal is to develop a portable device that will be able to imitate the functions of the regular kidney . This device would allow for a patient to be treated twenty - four hours a day . With the development of miniature pumps, the hope of an effective wearable hemodialysis device has become realizable . Some patients already receive continuous peritoneal dialysis treatment which allows them to remain ambulatory . However, only a small portion of dialysis patients use peritoneal dialysis treatment because it requires large amounts of dialysate to be stored and disposed . A healthy individual's kidneys filter blood 24 hours / day, 168 hours / week compared to an individual with end - stage renal disease whose dialysis treatment plan is approximately 12 hours a week . The treatment results in a lower quality of life as well as a higher mortality rate for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Therefore, there is a need for an around - the - clock device that will allow ESRD patients to receive dialysis continuously while maintaining a normal life . The FDA approved the first human clinical trial in the United States for a wearable artificial kidney designed by Blood Purification Technologies Inc . The prototype of the WAK is a 10 - pound device, powered by nine - volt batteries, which connects to a patient via a catheter, and should use less than 500mL of dialysate . It is designed to run continuously on batteries, allowing patients to remain ambulatory when wearing the device, leading to a greater quality of life. The device is designed to improve other physiological aspects of the patient's health such as improved volume control, decreased hypertension and sodium retention, as well as a decreased rate of cardiovascular disease and stroke . </P> <P> The wearable artificial kidney (WAK) has constantly been modified throughout the years for the better of people who have kidney failure . To try and make the WAK usable, several experiments have been conducted . While conducting these experiments for the WAK, similar goals are trying to be achieved . For example, a main goal that these experiments are trying to achieve is to make sure that the WAK can function like a regular kidney . </P> <P> One experiment that took place included eight people who wore the WAK for four to eight hours . As the participants wore the WAK, several outcomes occurred . For example, one outcome during the experiment was that the fluid removal for the WAK was controlled correctly by an ultrafiltration pump . Another outcome that took place during this experiment was that a needle connected to the WAK ended up disconnecting itself . When this happened, the WAK was able to recognize this, and the blood stopped pumping . When the blood stopped pumping, the needle could be reinserted without the body losing a large amount of blood . As other research has been conducted, it has been argued that using an ultrafiltration pump may not be the best pump for the WAK . For example, research has found that by using a peristaltic pump instead, would allow a person to know their blood flow rate without having a sensor, which is needed in an ultrafiltration pump used in the experiment mentioned above . A change in the type of pump used for the WAK may be crucial because it could help make the device cheaper and more reliable for the public by not having a sensor . </P>

What are artificial kidneys how do they work