Scientists have shown for the first time that kidney cells—housed in an implantable device called a bioreactor—can survive while implanted and mimic several important kidney functions without triggering the recipient’s immune system to go on the attack.

The findings were published in Nature Communications on August 29, marking an important step forward for The Kidney Project. School faculty member Shuvo Roy, PhD, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s William H. Fissell, MD, guided the bioartificial kidney from mere idea to functional prototype.

This new approach to treating kidney failure could one day free people from needing dialysis or having to take harsh drugs to suppress their immune system after a transplant.

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Can an Artificial Kidney Finally Free Patients from Dialysis?