Editor
Nadey Hakim
Renal and Transplant Services
Hammersmith Hospital
London, UK

2009

Artificial organs have come a long way since the first dialysis machine, the rotating artificial kidney, was invented in 1944 by Willem Johan Kolff, who is known as the ‘‘father of artificial organs’’. At that time he met stiff resistance from his hospital superiors but his persistence paid off and a million saved lives have been attributed to his first invention. He was indeed the first to mix medicine and engineering.