In-flight programming features bioartificial kidney

Passengers who travel on American Airlines from September through October 2011 will learn about the surgically implantable bioartificial kidney being developed at UCSF as a permanent solution to end stage renal disease.

Directing this national project and speaking on the airline’s in-flight audio program, Shuvo Roy, PhD, explains the health and economic impacts of the disease, the limitations of dialysis and kidney transplantation, and how UCSF is leading the creation of the two-part device composed of:

1. A membrane filter made using silicon nanotechnology to remove toxins from the blood
2. A bioreactor that houses specially engineered kidney cells to perform biological functions

Roy is a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, UCSF Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine.

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American Airlines, The Executive Report, September/October 2011: Shuvo Roy, PhD, University of California, San Francisco - (mp3, 2 min. 23 sec.)