Scientists bioengineer functional, transplantable rat kidneys

About 100,000 people in the United States alone are on the list to receive a kidney transplant and 400,000 are kept alive by kidney dialysis machines. Unfortunately, there are only 18,000 kidneys available each year in the U.S. and those lucky enough to receive one face a lifetime of immunosuppressant drugs. To increase the supply and remove the risk of tissue rejection, a team of researchers led by Harald Ott of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine has built an experimental bioengineered kidney that not only produces urine, but has been successfully transplanted into a rat... Continue Reading Scientists bioengineer functional, transplantable rat kidneys

Section: Medical

Tags: kidney, Massachusetts General Hospital, Stem Cells

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