Collaborate Disseminate
Kidneys perform a vital function in removing waste and toxins from the blood, but how exactly cells transport that fluid through the organs has remained a mystery. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins University have investigated the mechanical forces at w… Continue reading Previously unobserved pumping action of kidney cells discovered
Although some kidney stones can be treated with medication, larger ones are often broken up with an endoscopic laser. A new hydrogel is now claimed to be capable of removing even the smallest of the resulting fragments, instead of leaving them to possi… Continue reading Hydrogel designed to remove every bit of those “blasted” kidney stones
An article published in the Journal of Urology is reporting on the first 19 humans treated with a new non-invasive method designed to break up kidney stones using sound waves. The method, dubbed burst wave lithotripsy (BWL), successfully fragmented the… Continue reading Kidney stones blasted by new non-surgical sound wave device
Patients with kidney failure require dialysis regularly, which is an invasive and potentially risky treatment. But now researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have successfully demonstrated a prototype bioartificial kidney that… Continue reading Bioartificial kidney prototype aces lab tests, could replace dialysis
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a population of natural barometers that monitor and maintain our blood pressure. The cellular sensors have long been presumed to be located in a certain type of cell in the ki… Continue reading Blood pressure “barometer” cells discovered in the kidney
New results from a clinical trial testing a novel ultrasound therapy for hypertension show the experimental treatment can deliver clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure. The treatment is based on an old hypothesis that disrupting signals fr… Continue reading New evidence ultrasound pulses can treat high blood pressure
Every day in the US, seventeen people die because they couldn’t get a organ transplant in time. An American biotech company called United Therapeutics is looking to pick up the lifesaving slack by producing a line of genetically-modified pigs for …read more
Continue reading Swine of the Times: Pig-to-Human Organ Transplants on Track for 2021
Scientists at Pennsylvania State University and Stanford University are reporting a breakthrough that could greatly improve on methods to detect kidney stones, demonstrating a novel type of urine test that can return results in just 30 minutes. This no… Continue reading Nature-inspired kidney stone test returns results in 30 minutes
Citizen science isn’t limited to the nerd community. When medical professionals get a crazy idea, their options include filling out endless paperwork for human consent forms and grant applications, or hacking something together themselves. When [David Wartinger] noticed that far too many of his patients passed kidney stones while on vacation, riding rollercoasters, he had to test it out.
Without the benefit of his own kidney stones, he did the next best thing: 3D printed a model kidney, collected some urine, and tossed a few stones that he’d collected from patients into the trap. Then he and a colleague rode …read more
Continue reading Riding Rollercoasters with 3D Printed Kidneys, Passing Stones