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Veterinary Anatomy

Submitted to- Dr.Shalini Suri

Praney Slathia
HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY
Abstract.
The factors that have always been detrimental in depicting what path the mankind
has to walk upon have been through the suffering. Now the major course setting
catastrophe, for almost every decade has been in the form of one pandemic followed
by another. Let it be the case of Bubonic Plague of the Middle Ages or the Spanish
influenza of the 20th century, has constantly reminded us of the vulnerability of the
defence shield of health and hygiene around us.

Above being said, the latest generation has another predicament following up the
footsteps of its ancestors, knocking the doors. Even though the threat is feeble in
the way it progresses, but makes no compromise in the repercussions that the
population of modern times has to face. These new threats are in the form of slow
and chronic forms of diseases, striking not at once, but with a cumulative force
rather. Now the danger that looms the physical and mental wellbeing of the global
populations asks not for a miraculous remedy (like Quinine to Malaria & Vaccine to
Small pox), but an innovation so dependable that it can last for ages without
compromising the normal wellbeing.

The article discusses one of the modern innovations in the life sciences, aimed at
dealing with the chronic renal abnormalities which require dialysis primarily in
the treatment procedure.

Introduction.
The renal system performs numerous functions alongside the primary function of
excretion. The reason that it has a very high perfusion rate and is responsible for the
filtration of the all the blood from an animal body. Thus it is very often exposed to
all types of pathogens, toxins and what not. Not only the above, but it also has to
face the sequale of diseases affecting other major systems of the body.

A new field in biomedical science has been established. Cell biologists, engineers,
and surgeons now work within a team. Artificial connective, epithelial, or neuronal
tissues are being constructed using living cells and a broad variety of biomaterials.
The enormous need for “spare parts” for the human body is the driving force for
research and requires innovative techniques and creative solutions.
The requirement for innovations to develop the kidney has been initiated with the
advent of neo generation diseases which are primarily the effects of unhealthy
lifestyle. With the ever increasing cases of the end stage renal failures it is unhealthy
and uneconomic to set patients of lifetime of dialysis also that it is both cumbersome
and risky. Thus the innovation is both a want and a dire need of the modern
medicine.

Tissue engineering combines living cells with a wide range of selected biomaterials,
mostly as a substitute for the extracellular matrix or the stroma of tissues or organs.
In almost any approach, the biocompatibility of the artificial extracellular matrix is a
major point of discussion. This aspect is especially important for the development of
autologous transplants. Only typical molecular structures of tissues should be
expressed to avoid any immunological response of the immune system.

The creation of functional tissues depends on innovative culture setups. It is

important to consider that functional tissue structures are only able to develop if the
histotypical sociality of the respective cell types is taken into account. Usually the
interstitial three-dimensional structure is provided by a scaffolding of biomaterial,
which is either stable or resorbed after weeks or months and replaced by the specific
synthesis of extracellular tissue. Resorbable compounds made of polylactic acid and
polyglycolic acid are frequently used. Here the settlement of the specific cell type is
the first important step. Previous experiments showed that only on an optimal bio
matrix makes it possible to develop an optimum of functional differentiation. The
later degradation of the resorb able polymers may release a-hydroxy acids in rather
high local concentrations. This leads to a local acidification of the environment and
possibly to a damaging effect on the generated tissue. For that reason, conventional
cell and tissue dishes should not be used since they lack a continuous exchange of
medium. Perfusion culture systems guarantee a constant removal of metabolite
waste. Finally, culture media supporting cell differentiation rather than proliferation
have to be used.

Bionic Kidney.
What is a “Bionic Kidney”?
Bionic kidney, which is a result of the bio-hybrid approach uses living kidney cells in
tandem with a series of specialized microchips powered by the human heart to filter
waste from the blood stream. The device that can be implanted in the abdomen and
will be powered by the heart is designed to filter the blood and perform other kidney
functions, including production of hormones, and help assist in blood pressure
control, he told a hall filled with doctors, paramedics and patients.
Unlike conventional haemodialysis, which merely filters toxins from the blood, the
artificial kidney has a membrane that filters the blood and a bio-reactor comprising
living kidney cells that are exposed to the blood during dialysis.

The implantable bioartificial kidney aims to provide the many health benefits of a
kidney transplant while addressing the limited number of donors. The device filters
uremic toxins from the blood, while also mimicking tubular functions, such as
selective water and salt reabsorption. After a single surgery to establish a permanent
blood connection, the bioartificial kidney processes blood continuously, which
mitigates the inconveniences and morbidities associated with intermittent
hemodialysis.

The bioartificial kidney is a two-stage system that consists of a hemofiltration unit to

remove toxins and a renal cell bioreactor to provide other biological functions of a
healthy kidney. For the hemofilter, silicon nanotechnology is used to produce a
highly efficient and compact membrane, which relies on the body’s blood pressure to
perform ultrafiltration without the need for pumps or power supply. For the cell
bioreactor, recent advances in the field of regenerative medicine are applied to grow
renal tubule cells to perform metabolic functions. By better mimicking healthy kidney
function, the bioartificial kidney alleviates the necessity of constant physician
oversight and a heavy regimen of immunosuppressive medication.
Why the Bionic Kidney?
Kidney disease is any condition or disorder that affects the proper functioning of the
kidneys. It refers to any unhealthy condition or specific illness that affects the
kidneys and impairs kidney function. This could range from mild kidney infection to
life threatening conditions, such as kidney cancer. Signs of early kidney problems are
not always obvious and can be easily overlooked or ignored. For example, high
blood pressure, which is a leading cause of kidney failure, produces very little early
warning signs.

Many people who suffer with this condition have no obvious symptoms and may
have no clue of its presence or the silent destruction it is causing. If it goes
undetected and untreated for an extended period of time, the consequences can be
quite devastating to the kidneys and other organs in the body. Some diseases are
hereditary and are passed on from parents to children. These are sometimes
unavoidable and can be very difficult to treat. Others are caused by bacteria that
either originate in the body or enter the body from external sources and attack the
kidneys and other organs.
By far, however, the vast majority of diseases that cause kidney problems result
from improper dietary and harmful lifestyle choices. These are sometimes referred to
as lifestyle diseases. In many cases, these can be completely reversed by making
timely dietary and lifestyle changes.

Occasionally, one or both kidneys may cease to function properly as a result of

factors external to the body, such as severe shock caused by trauma.

Typical causes of chronic (gradual) kidney failure are:

 Type I and Type II diabetes

 High blood pressure

 Glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the glomeruli, the tiny clusters of blood

vessels that filter your blood)

 Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)

 Long-term autoimmune attack on the kidneys

 Prolonged urinary tract obstruction

Where and who is involved in the development?
The device being engineered in the US will go through a series of safety and efficacy
trials on hundreds of patients in that country before it is approved by the FDA,
University of California San Francisco researcher Dr Shuvo Roy, co-inventor of the
device.

In November 2015, The Kidney Project received a $6 million grant from the National
Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). The group also reached
out to both the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the FDA in a more coordinated
effort to bring the artificial kidney to clinical trial. Under a cooperative agreement
with the NIBIB’s Quantum Program, the NIBIB will oversee funding for The Kidney
Project’s research for another four years.

The prototype is roughly the size of a coffee cup and uses a combination of silicon
nanotechnology and living kidney cells to filter blood. A series of 15 microchips serve
as scaffolding for the living cells to grow on and around, creating a bio-hybrid
device.

Possible Results.
With the type of development the above discussed promises, the new emerging
lifestyle disease can be well dealt. Also it can play a major role in shrinking the que
for the kidney transplant.

 Less stress for the transplant organ demand

 Increment in the survival rate for acute renal failure.
 Permanent solution for chronic kidney diseases
 Cure for ESRD.
 Curb on the organ trafficking market

Conclusions.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) currently affects over 600,000 people in the United
States, with fewer than 20,000 donor organs available for transplant. This is a
growing problem as the number of patients on the transplant wait list is hovering at
100,000, and the prevalent ESRD population is increasing at 4% to 5% annually. At
present, the only alternative to kidney transplant for the vast majority of patients
with ESRD is haemodialysis, a procedure fraught with morbidity and eventual
mortality.

However with the launch and FDA approval of the Bionic Kidney it will be possible to
deal with piling up renal failure patient files. Therefore it can be assumed that, bionic
kidney will prove to be another milestone in the field of life sciences and medicine.
The credit of the project can be related to the fields of Medicine, Biotechnology, and
Biochemistry & Genetics.

PS - Henceforth the days do not seem so far when the repercussions faced by the
renal system due to other system failure can be minimised and the force and
stability provided by the Bionic kidney can be utilized to deal with the sequale of
other chronic dreadful disease conditions as that of diabetes.