'Renal dialysis and kidney transplants are very different treatments for the same medical condition - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 31 - 2015 - Paper 1

The two treatments differ significantly in their methods and outcomes. Renal dialysis cleans the blood of waste products by passing it through a machine, while a kidney transplant involves the removal of a damaged kidney and its replacement with a healthy one from a donor.

Renal dialysis utilizes the principle of diffusion, which is the movement of substances from areas of high concentration to low concentration. The design of a dialysis machine allows for blood to pass through a semi-permeable membrane, where toxins in the blood diffuse into a dialysis solution, effectively cleansing the blood.

Kidney transplantation involves understanding the immune system's response to foreign tissues. This biological knowledge is critical for matching donors and recipients to minimize the risk of rejection, and immunosuppressant drugs are administered to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ.