Kidney Health Initiatve provides new resources TO PATIENTS and innovators developing an artificial kidney
Newswise — Washington, DC (September 4, 2019) —The Kidney Health Initiative (KHI), today announced the availability of two new resources to advance the global pursuit of an artificial kidney for use in humans. The US Department of Health and Human (HHS)’s Advancing American Kidney Health initiative made developing an artificial kidney a national priority through KidneyX and its Redesign Dialysis prize competition. KHI’s Technology Roadmap for Innovative Alternatives to Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT Technology Roadmap) established the foundational strategy for KidneyX and details the basic science requirements of an artificial kidney.
The two new resources produced by KHI build off the work of the RRT Technology Roadmap. Fostering Innovation in Fluid Management, describes patient priorities, currently available devices and techniques, gaps and challenges, and design specifications for innovative fluid management technology. The Technology Roadmap for Innovative Approaches to Renal Replacement Therapy: Patient Edition distills the original technical document into an approachable version more accessible to people with kidney diseases, describing the kidney community’s commitment to changing the status quo for treating people with kidney failure.
Together these KHI efforts directly support KidneyX and HHS’s goal to develop an artificial kidney by providing the technical construct for these efforts and offering both patients and innovators the tools they need to better understand the kidney disease landscape.
“At a time of national attention on kidney diseases, patient-focused drug and device development is all the more important to obtaining outcomes that are important to patients and their families” said Raymond C. Harris, MD, KHI Co-Chair, “As a public-private partnership between ASN and the US Food and Drug Administration, KHI’s work provides an important bridge between basic science and clinical care. Tools such as technology and patient friendly roadmaps are critical to encouraging innovators and entrepreneurs from other communities to test their technology(s) and improve the lives of people living with kidney diseases.”
Precise fluid management is a critical component of current dialysis treatment and must be addressed in any artificial kidney. “Fluid management can be frustrating for people with kidney diseases on dialysis. Too much or too little fluid causes cramps, fatigue, headaches, and more.” says Derek Forfang, a kidney patient and KHI Workgroup Co-Chair, “People with kidney diseases deserve to see the kind of advances in fluid management that we see in continuous blood glucose monitors and fitness trackers.”
“Bringing innovative renal replacement therapies to people living with kidney failure requires their active engagement and involvement,” said Dave White, Chair of the KHI Patient and Family Partnership Council. “The patient edition of the RRT Technology Roadmap provides insights into the kinds of new treatment devices, from dialysis to artificial kidneys, that could become available to them as well as to future kidney patients. As new technologies become available, patients and their families need to be educated, aware, and engaged in order to make the best choice for their treatment.”
Individuals who are interested in learning more about the Kidney Health Initiative, the RRT Technology Roadmap or patient edition, or Fostering Innovation in Fluid Management, should contact Melissa West, Project Director, at [email protected].
The Kidney Health Initiative is a key part of the newly created ASN Alliance for Kidney Health. KHI is uniquely positioned to realize ASN’s vision of a world without kidney diseases. As a public-private and collaborative partnership with the FDA and more than 100 organizations and companies, KHI catalyzes innovation and the development of safe and effective patient-centered therapies for people living with kidney diseases. Learn more at www.kidneyhealthinitiative.org.
Since 1966, ASN has been leading the fight to prevent, treat, and cure kidney diseases throughout the world by educating health professionals and scientists, advancing research and innovation, communicating new knowledge, and advocating for the highest quality care for patients. ASN has more than 20,000 members representing 131 countries. For more information, please visit www.asn-online.org or contact the society at 202-640-4660.
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