Karin Gerritsen receives grant for kidney-on-a-chip
Nephrologist Karin Gerritsen of UMC Utrecht receives a grant of 1.8 million euros for the research NanoKid from NWO. In this research she is working on an innovative kidney-on-a-chip: a miniature model in which the most important kidney functions are imitated. The ultimate goal is to use this kidney-on-a-chip as a fundamental building block for a bioartificial kidney and improving kidney replacement therapies.
There are about 1.7 million people in the Netherlands and more than 850 million people worldwide with chronic kidney disease. Although a kidney transplant is often the best treatment option, many patients remain dependent on dialysis due to a shortage of donors and other factors. Dialysis is a treatment that cleanses the blood of waste products and excess fluid. The treatment is very stressful for patients and requires a lot of care.
Rebuilding kidney functions on a miniature scale
In the NanoKid study, Karin Gerritsen and her research team are rebuilding the two most important functions of the kidney in the laboratory:
- The glomerulus, which filters waste products from the blood and drains them into the urine.
- The tubule, which recovers water and useful substances from the blood and actively excretes waste products.
In addition, the team is developing microsensors to measure in real time how well these components are functioning. Combining these components creates a kidney-on-a-chip that can be used for research and drug testing.
From drug development to kidney replacement therapies
“With the research, we are laying the foundation for a modular kidney-on-a-chip,” explains Karin Gerritsen. “This setup makes it possible to develop applications step by step: from drug testing and disease modeling to improving standard dialysis. Ultimately, we aim for artificial, partly biological kidney modules that can be implanted in the body and mimic the functions of a natural kidney.
When and what can the kidney patient expect?
NanoKid is basic research and, in the short term, it mainly provides new knowledge and technology, such as a better understanding of how to mimic kidney functions, a testing platform for new drugs and building blocks for future improvements in kidney replacement therapies. It does not yet lead directly to a new treatment for patients. In the long term, NanoKid contributes to the development of a bioartificial kidney, a small device that mimics the functions of a natural kidney.
Project team
Main applicant: Dr. K.G.F. Gerritsen (UMC Utrecht)
Co-applicants: dr. K.L. Cheng, prof. dr. ir. J. Huskens, prof. dr. R. Masereeuw, dr. S.M. Mihaila, prof. dr. ir. M. Odijk, prof. dr. A.D. van der Meer