Awardees

Supervisor: Dr. John T. W. Yeow
Award: NSERC - KFOC - KRESCENT Allied Health Doctoral Scholarship
Institution: University of Waterloo
Year: 2011-2013

Mr. Morteza Ahmadi holds a master’s degree from the University of Lethbridge and is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. in systems design engineering at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Dr. John Yeow. 

Kidney failure is a major health problem around the world. An increasing number of patients and inadequate number of transplants are two main issues. Dialysis technologies have played an important role in health care delivery over the last 65 years, and on average patients with renal failure need to visit a dialysis center for 4-6 hours, 3 times per week to remove toxins and waste from their blood. A compact, reliable and wearable artificial kidney carried by the patient 24 hours a day, 7 days a week could change the quality of life for these patients and help them lead a normal day-to-day existence.

This research project is focused on the design, fabrication and characterization of a compact, wearable artificial kidney based on nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is the science of making tiny structures as small as atoms and molecules, and with advances in nanotechnology membranes with a precise pore size have been produced. We employ such membranes in our wearable kidney to more efficiently filter out toxic molecules and waste from the blood, and the results of this research project may have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients who depend on dialysis.