# Strategies for Removal of Protein-Bound Uremic Toxins in Hemodialysis

## TL;DR

This review discusses new methods to better remove harmful protein-bound toxins from the blood of kidney failure patients during dialysis.

## Contribution

The paper reviews novel strategies to enhance removal of protein-bound uremic toxins using advanced dialysis technologies and bioartificial kidneys.

## Key findings

- Strategies like chemical displacers and electromagnetic fields can increase the free fraction of toxins for dialysis.
- Adsorption methods, including hemoperfusion and bioartificial kidneys, show potential but face challenges in scaling.
- Current methods have in vitro and some in vivo success but lack long-term safety data.

## Abstract

The removal of protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs) from the blood of kidney failure patients with conventional dialysis is limited. However, as their harmful effects and association with morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients are increasingly recognized, PBUTs have become important therapeutic targets. In this review, PBUT removal with current state-of-the-art dialysis technologies and future perspectives are discussed. Strategies to enhance PBUT clearance include methods that interfere with PBUT–albumin binding, such as chemical displacers, high ionic strength, pH changes, or electromagnetic fields, thereby increasing the free fraction available for dialysis. While these methods have shown promise in vitro, and some also in vivo, long-term safety data are lacking. PBUT removal can also be increased by adsorption, either directly via hemoperfusion, or indirectly, e.g., via sorbents incorporated in a mixed-matrix membrane or dissolved in the dialysate. In the kidney, PBUTs are secreted in the proximal tubules; hence, a cell-based bioartificial kidney (BAK) that secretes PBUTs is proposed as an add-on to current dialysis. Yet both PBUT adsorption strategies and, in particular, BAKs face considerable challenges in upscaling and mass production at acceptable costs. In conclusion, many novel technologies are under development, all requiring further (pre)clinical testing and upscaling before these strategies can be applied in the clinic.