Perpetual Nephron Machine

The Perpetual Nephron Machine is designed to describe the process of uric acid removal in patients with CKD (chronic kidney disease) and gout using the drug Krystexxa. Pink and blue balls begin their journey on their individual tracks at the glomerulus. A track hidden behind the top cross member queues the balls which are released when the previous balls have completed their journey. When released, approximately 10 balls roll through the track at a time. Meanwhile, in another section of the sculpture, pink and blue balls flow along the track which winds horizontally overhead as well as down vertically. This allows viewers standing at ground level to easily view the path of the balls. The machine is also equipped with sound effects to represent processes that occur in each location of the sculpture. Perpetual Nephron Machine made its debut at Kidney Week 2018 in San Diego, California.