Renal Biology Driven Macro- and Microscale Design Strategies for Creating an Artificial Proximal Tubule Using Fiber-Based Technologies

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Chronic kidney disease affects one in six people worldwide. Due to the scarcity of donor kidneys and the complications associated with hemodialysis (HD), a cell-based bioartificial kidney (BAK) device is desired. One of the shortcomings of HD is the lack of active transport of solutes that would normally be performed by membrane transporters in kidney epithelial cells. Specifically, proximal tubule (PT) epithelial cells play a major role in the active transport of metabolic waste products. Therefore, a BAK containing an artificial PT to actively transport solutes between the blood and the filtrate could provide major therapeutic advances. Creating such an artificial PT requires a biocompatible tubular structure which supports the adhesion and function of PT-specific epithelial cells. Ideally, this scaffold should structurally replicate the natural PT basement membrane which consists mainly of collagen fibers. Fiber-based technologies such as electrospinning are therefore especially promising for PT scaffold manufacturing. This review discusses the use of electrospinning technologies to generate an artificial PT scaffold for ex vivo / in vivo cellularization. We offer a comparison of currently available electrospinning technologies and outline the desired scaffold properties required to serve as a PT scaffold. Discussed also are the potential technologies that may converge in th

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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