| The following article is part of conference coverage from Kidney Week 2018 in San Diego hosted by the American Society of Nephrology. Renal & Urology News staff will be reporting live on medical studies conducted by nephrologists and other specialists who are tops in their field in acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, dialysis, transplantation, and more. Check back for the latest news from Kidney Week 2018. |
SAN DIEGO—In conjunction with its Kidney Week 2018 conference now in progress, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) announced the release of its “Technology Roadmap for Innovative Approaches to Renal Replacement Therapy.”
A team led by Joseph V. Bonventre, MD, PhD, Chief of the Renal Unit and Director of the Bioengineering Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, developed the roadmap as part ASN’s Kidney Health Initiative (KHI). The objective is to improve to encourage industry, academic institutions, and other organizations to invest in and develop novel patient-driven alternatives to dialysis as renal replacement therapy (RRT), according to an ASN press release.
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Among other components, the roadmap encourages multidisciplinary collaboration and multiple potential solution pathways with milestones and time projections.
“Creating innovative advanced therapies for those in renal failure is critically important. We owe it to our patients,” Dr Bonventre said in the release, adding that a key part of the roadmap is regulatory agency involvement.
Much of the roadmap is devoted to strategies for improved patient quality of life. The 34-page roadmap document identifies specific areas that need attention, including minimizing impact and intrusion of therapy on family and social life, improved ability to work and travel, increased mobility and physical activity, increased treatment choices, more liberal diet and fluid regulation, reduced medication burden, decreased disease- and treatment-related complications, decreased disease maintenance and interventions, and decreased financial impact. To address these issues, the roadmap identified the following areas for research and development: enhanced dialysis, portable or wearable devices, biohybrid and implantable technology, and kidney tissue regeneration.
Established in September 2012 under a Memorandum of Understanding between ASN and the FDA, the KHI Initiative includes more than 90 organizations. KHI members include biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, device manufacturers, dialysis providers, foundations, patient and health professional organizations, research institutions, plus US and international government agencies, according to the release.
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Reference
Technology Roadmap for Innovative Approaches to Renal Replacement Therapy. American Society of Nephrology. August 2018.
