A pocket-size revolution in kidney research

Every day, your kidneys filter blood and produce urine,
making them a vital part of your ability to process medications.
They also help your body synthesize Vitamin D to maintain strong bones.
Kidney disease can develop over decades, so many people don't go to the doctor
until the disease is more advanced, meaning
researchers don't know what early stage markers look like.
At the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, researchers are addressing these challenges
with a device called kidney-on-a-chip. The size of a credit card, kidney-on-a-chip contains
live kidney cells that imitate the functions of a human kidney.
Because it takes so long for kidney conditions to develop, we're sending kidney-on-a-chip to
a place where time speeds up — the International Space Station — so scientists can
finally observe the early stages of kidney disease.
Conditions like osteoporosis and kidney stones, which may take years to form on Earth,
develop in weeks or months in microgravity.
Researchers are hoping for breakthroughs that benefit kidney patients and astronauts,
including the first people to make the long journey to Mars.
Thanks to kidney-on-a-chip, the School of Pharmacy hopes to transform what we know
about kidney function. This means better and earlier treatments for kidney disease,
as well as the ability to prevent it, both here on Earth and beyond.
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A pocket-size revolution in kidney research

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