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- Kidney Transplant

- Over 38,000 people wait for a kidney transplant each year, yet less than 12,000 people

actually receive an organ.

                        - On average, transplanted kidneys last about 30 years.
                        - Patients still have to take powerful anti-rejection drugs, because their bodies recognize foreign
                           cells and try to destroy them.
        -Dialysis
                        -process in which machines are used to purify the blood of those who suffer from kidney failure
                        - acts as an artificial kidney
                        -2 different kinds:
                                     1.) Hemodialysis
                                                -performed in a clinic, usually three or more times a week
                                                - a shunt is inserted into patient's arm
                                                - each treatment lasts five to six hours
                                     2.) Peritoneal dialysis
                                                - can be done at home, five times a day
                                                - a shunt is inserted into patient's abdomen
                                                - each treatment lasts about one hour
                                                - machine used is usually eight feet tall, weighs 100 pounds

-Current Experiments

-Xenotransplantation
-The transplant of organs between species

                        -These transplants are more vigorously rejected
                        - Using pig organs in humans is dangerous
                                      - pig organs may contain diseases that are dangerous to humans

-Skin Grafts

- Our design for a kidney utilizes techniques that are used today in the making of skin grafts.

- Scientists are able to implant the patient's own cells in a matrix that allows them to grow.
- The patient's body will not usually reject the new skin, because it recognizes its cells as self.

Kidneys are a vital part of the human body. Most people are born
with two kidneys, which are bean-shaped organs located at the back of the
body, around waist level. Each kidney consists of approximately one million
nephrons, which are the functioning units of the kidney. A kidney's job is to
remove waste products and excess water from the body in the form of urine.
Kidneys also balance salt and acid levels and produce certain hormones.
When a patient suffers from kidney failure, they have only two
options for treatment. These are kidney transplant and dialysis, which are
outlined below.