This is an innovation of blood purification for patients with renal failure.
Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - Airlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya has initiated the first production of hemodialysis membranes in Indonesia as an innovation for purifying kidney failure patients' blood.

"The hemodialysis membranes are used in hemodialysis therapy. This is an innovation of blood purification for patients with renal failure," Yanuardi Raharjo from the membrane science and technology research group (MSTRG) who developed the research explained here on Thursday.

However, the membrane cannot clean all types of uremic toxins in the blood, he said.

Hemodialysis membrane therapy in a low flux system has been proven to remove water-soluble uremic toxins (WSUT) from the blood, he informed.

Meanwhile, hemodialysis membranes in a high flux system can clear the blood from middle-molecular uremic toxins (MMUT).

According to the team, protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUT) are very difficult to clean using hemodialysis membrane therapy, but can be cleaned using the hemoperfusion method.

To clean WSUT, MWUT, and PBUT, Raharjo initiated the innovation of the Mixed Matrix Membrane Adsorbers (MMMAs).

"The MMMA is capable of cleaning WSUT, MMUT, and PBUT up to 50 percent on a lab scale. While the membrane characteristics, membrane performance, and in vitro tests have been carried out with very good results," he said.

The MMMA innovation has been published in reputable international journals and indexed by SCOPUS (Q3 to Q1) and a patent for it has been registered with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property of the Law and Human Rights Ministry.

So far, Raharjo said, the hemodialysis membrane is still being imported into Indonesia.

"No one has produced hemodialysis membranes in Indonesia, so we want to initiate to produce hemodialysis membranes," he added.

Unair's Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, and Community Development (RICD) Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih supported the development of the research through in vivo testing and said the membrane product is expected to improve kidney patients' quality of life.

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Translator: Willi I, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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