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Welcome To KidneyX
Innovation Accelerator
At ASN Kidney Week 2017, Bruce D. Greenstein, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Chief Technology Officer, highlighted the need for innovation in the nephrology space and announced HHS’ commitment to launch a Kidney Innovation Accelerator.
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The Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) is a public-private partnership between the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Society of Nephrology to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases. KidneyX seeks to improve the lives of the 850 million people worldwide currently affected by kidney diseases by accelerating the development of drugs, devices, biologics and other therapies across the spectrum of kidney care including:
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Building off the success of similar public-private accelerators, KidneyX will engage a community of researchers, innovators, and investors to bring breakthrough therapies to patients by:
Driving patient access to disruptive technologies via competitive, non-dilutive funding to innovators.
Providing a clearer and less expensive path to bringing products to patients and their families.
Creating a sense of urgency by spotlighting the immediate needs of patients and their families.
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A typical in-center hemodialysis patient spends 12 hours a week attached to a machine
Source: Report to Congressional Requesters: National Institutes of Health – Kidney Disease Research Funding and Priority Setting; United States Government Accountability Office; December 2016.
Among patients ages 18-54 years old at the start of dialysis, 93% were classified as disabled
Source: Erickson K, et al. Employment among Patients Starting Dialysis in the United States. Clinc J. Am Soc Nephrol 13: 265-273, 2018.
Each year, more than 100,000 Americans begin hemodialysis as a result of kidney failure
Source: United States Renal Data System. 2017 USRDS annual data report: Epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2017.
40 Million adult Americans are currently classified as having chronic kidney disease
Source: Report to Congressional Requesters: National Institutes of Health – Kidney Disease Research Funding and Priority Setting; United States Government Accountability Office; December 2016.
Every day 13 patients die waiting for a kidney transplant
Source: Mitchell K. For Transplant Patients, 'This is Your Statue of Liberty'. GW Magazine. http://magazine.gwu.edu/for-transplant-patients. Published December 2, 2016. Accessed March 2018.
Of Stage 4 CKD patients, 48% were unaware of their severe CKD
Source: United States Renal Data System. 2017 USRDS annual data report: Epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2017.
African-Americans are 3.5x more likely to develop kidney failure
Source: Kidney Disease Statistics for the United States. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/kidney-disease. Published December 2016. Accessed March 2018.
Hispanics are 1.5x more likely to develop kidney failure
Source: Kidney Disease Statistics for the United States. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/kidney-disease. Published December 2016. Accessed March 2018.
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As 2020 gets underway, the federal government has set its sights on bringing innovation to an area of health that affects one in seven Americans and costs the government more than NASA and the Department of Commerce combined, yet hasn't seen major innovation since the 1970s.
January 17, 2020
President Donald Trump on December 20 signed a spending bill that includes funding for federal health care agencies and $5 million to provide continued support of the KidneyX prize competition.
December 26, 2019
Dialysis technology, which continues to dominate the current treatment of end-stage renal disease patients, dates back to the early 1940s. It also typically proves unable to maintain these patients sufficiently long enough to get them to kidney transplant, which is only available for a fraction of those who need it.
December 24, 2019
KidneyX received $5,000,000 in the government spending package announced late Monday, December 16. Included as part of two "omnibus" spending packages, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill includes first-time funding for KidneyX for Fiscal Year 2020.
December 17, 2019
What would you do if I told you that there is an overlooked disease out there that kills more Americans per year than breast cancer and prostate cancer? Believe it or not, in the United States alone kidney disease impacts 37 million people, with 726,000 people suffering from kidney failure and in need of dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. While kidney disease affects Americans regardless of age, those over 60 are at a greater risk given the declining function of the kidney over time. There is little awareness of this health crisis and for decades we have been relying on the same treatment options.
December 16, 2019
"Kidney diseases remain in the shadows but are common, debilitating, and burdensome on patients, their families, and the economy. Unless and until we drive investment and innovation and open the pathways to commercialization for new technologies and therapies, we will live with the status quo. We can no longer wait. KidneyX is the spark to catalyze change."
"We aim to "de-risk" innovation by streamlining processes, reducing regulatory barriers, and modernizing the way we pay for treatment. This is going to require innovation from outside the government. We plan to stimulate and accelerate innovation through a series of cash prize competitions"
"I am excited by the promise that KidneyX brings in developing innovative therapies to patients affected by kidney diseases. With the partnership and coordination between HHS and ASN, more and better ways are on the horizon for patients to manage their kidney disease - including artificial kidneys, biopharma products, and the like."
"For too long, innovation in the fight against kidney diseases has remained relatively stagnant when compared with other medical subspecialties. ASN is excited about the potential of KidneyX to catalyze research and development, remove barriers to innovation and commercialize therapies in the kidney space so that they become available to patients who desperately need them"
Want to Learn More?
Individuals that are interested in being part of the KidneyX solution are encouraged to contact KidneyX at kidneyx@asn-online.org to be placed on a mailing list.
Follow on Twitter: @Kidney_X
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