Kidney Research UK

The National Kidney Research Fund urges the public to treat the news that test tube organs will revolutionize transplant medicine with caution

The Fund is very encouraged that scientists are constantly looking for ways to overcome the organ shortage problem as there are currently some 5000 people needing a kidney transplant in the UK. Once the kidneys have failed a patient needs lifelong treatment via a kidney transplant or dialysis in order to survive and transplantation is the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage renal failure and the only treatment available for end stage liver or cardiac failure.

The Fund believes however that the prospect of growing full size organs that perform all the functions of the native kidneys by cloning technology, like the prospect of an abundant source of animal organs for humans with failure of the kidneys, is a little closer but still a long way off. If Advanced Cell Technologies have succeeded in growing a "mini-kidney", as Dr Lanza claims, it is a very important step but we cannot judge the claim until it has been verified, repeated and published in a peer-review journal. Nick Turkentine, Head of Charity Affairs for the Fund said, "For the foreseeable future there remains an urgent need for human donors and we urge everyone to join the NHS Organ Donor Register by phoning 0845 60 60400 or contacting the website www.nhs.uk/organdonor and to tell their family about their wishes."

It must also be remembered that less than half of the patients on dialysis will ever be suitable for a transplant. The need for dialysis facilities also remains a high priority. Also prevention is better than cure - by diagnosing and treating kidney disease at an early stage the likelihood of end stage kidney failure is reduced. There is still a great need for further research to find cures for the more than 100 different causes of kidney failure.

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