New diamond dialysis implant works at ordinary blood pressures

London, November 20 : Scientists have made a new kind of filter from a series of diamond layers that can be implanted inside the body to work as a dialysis machine.

William Fissell at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and colleagues at the University of Michigan have revealed that each layer of the filter only allows molecules below a certain size to pass through, and an electric field keeps away larger proteins that would otherwise clog its pores.

The researchers say that these features make the filter more effective at removing toxic molecules from the blood stream than conventional membranes, reports New Scientist magazine.

Fissell says that the diamond device is so small that it can be implanted into the body.

The novel device even works at ordinary blood pressures, he adds.

ANI