Nephrodite's Holly implant could help Indians with end-stage kidney disease
Say hello to Holly, a new implantable artificial kidney that could make life way easier for more than 200,000 Indians with end-stage kidney disease each year.
Created by the urologists and co-founders of medical device company Nephrodite in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Nikhil Shah and Dr. Hiep Nguyen,
Holly is surgically placed inside the body and connects to pelvic blood vessels, filtering waste around the clock, so no more regular hospital trips or painful dialysis needles.
FDA breakthrough designation and Indian manufacturing
The US Food and Drug Administration called Holly a "breakthrough device" in 2025 after it passed animal testing, and human trials are forthcoming.
Manufacturing hubs are already up in Kochi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai.
People with the implant just need to hook up to a bedside machine at night for water removal; otherwise, they can live pretty normally.
Experts say Holly could finally make kidney treatment simpler and more accessible across India.