Research published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology has begun to establish a method for projecting future kidney function of potential donor kidneys. This could help thousands of individuals waiting to receive a kidney transplant by determining if older kidneys will function well enough in the future.
 
The goal of the study is to find good criteria for predicting which older kidneys are better and how long they will last in transplant patients. Researchers determine the health of a potential donor kidney by how quickly the glomeruli do their job of filtering waste products from the bloodstream.

This article originally appeared in the February 2009 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.