Development of AI model to predict remaining kidney function after donating one kidney
May 20, 2025
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Recently, an artificial intelligence (AI) model has been developed to predict the function of the remaining kidneys after donation of living kidneys, which is expected to alleviate such concerns.
A research team led by Jang Hye-ryeon and Jeon Jun-seok, professors of kidney medicine at Samsung Medical Center, and Lee Dong-cheol, professors of emergency medicine, developed an algorithm for predicting kidney function of donors after kidney transplantation and recently applied for a domestic patent.
According to Samsung Medical Center, this algorithm predicts the glomerular filtration rate of a single kidney left after donation by entering the donor's age, gender, height, body mass index (BMI), glomerular filtration rate, and serum creatinine levels.
As of 2023, there were 1,257 donations of living kidneys in Korea, and 95% of them were made within the family, so it is an important consideration whether the donor's kidney will function properly after donation. The research team adopted the model with the lowest error by comparing several AI models based on the glomerular filtration rate before and after donation of 823 people who donated kidneys at Samsung Medical Center between 2009 and 2020. The program made it possible to immediately predict the glomerular filtration rate after donation when entering the test results into web-based questions without a separate app or device.
Professor Jang Hye-ryeon said, `Although kidney donation by itself does not increase the risk of developing certain diseases or negatively affect life expectancy, there is still a great concern about donation.' `We will constantly find better ways to convey the right information and reduce unnecessary worries.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
