Abstract
Current approaches for treating patients with end stage renal disease include hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, both of which are diffusion-based treatments that require a dialysate solution. The native kidney has separate filtration (glomerulus) and transport (nephron) capabilities. Although artificial methods for simulating glomerular function using membrane ultrafiltration have been proposed, there are no known technologies for simulating the ion transport functions of the nephron. Here we have created a synthetic nephron using activated wafer electrodeionization (AWEDI). AWEDI incorporates mesh electrodes within an electrodeionization wafer, allowing ion selectivity and transport rate to be modulated independently. We demonstrate the capabilities of AWEDI with several physiologically relevant ions which mimic the fine control of ion transport by the kidney. Furthermore, by integrating our AWEDI technology with ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis modules, the possibility of incorporating AWEDI technology in an artificial kidney is demonstrated.
Highlights
Current approaches for treating patients with end stage renal disease include hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, both of which are diffusion-based treatments that require a dialysate solution
activated wafer electrodeionization (AWEDI) has an electrode in each wafer which allows by a simple change of current the transport properties to be altered
We have tested the variation of wafer 1 in multiple batches over 2 years and the variability in ion selectivity varies from 32% to 42% for the different ions
Summary
Current approaches for treating patients with end stage renal disease include hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, both of which are diffusion-based treatments that require a dialysate solution. Artificial methods for simulating glomerular function using membrane ultrafiltration have been proposed, there are no known technologies for simulating the ion transport functions of the nephron. AWEDI incorporates mesh electrodes within an electrodeionization wafer, allowing ion selectivity and transport rate to be modulated independently. ~700,000 ESRD patients who are being treated with hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD), or renal transplantation[1,2,3,4]. Of those patients receiving dialysis, ~100,000 are on the kidney transplant waiting list[5]. The kidney can be considered a “chemical computer” whose function is to sense and maintain the chemistry of blood relatively constant despite fluctuations due to changes in dietary intake
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