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Donor Kidneys Further Out of Reach for Kids Regardless of Race

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“The revamped U.S. kidney prioritization system appeared to better even the field in pediatric kidney transplant wait times — by making organs similarly harder to get for children across races and ethnicities, according to a study.

Measuring time from dialysis to transplantation, Black, Hispanic, or other children of color had significantly longer wait times compared to white children before the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network’s Kidney Allocation System (KAS) changes in 2014, but these differences were reduced afterward, Jill Krissberg, MD, MS, of Lurie’s Children Hospital of Chicago, and colleagues reported.”

Read more here.

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How Genetically Altered Pigs Could Help Kidney Transplantation

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“Just a year or two from now, patients waiting for a human kidney may be able to participate in a trial for a pig kidney, if a short-term experiment at NYU Langone Health in New York City paves the way for trials in patients with end-stage kidney failure.

The successful result was released October 19 and this experiment is the first of its kind. “

Read more here.

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Bay Area research team wins prize for working prototype of artificial kidney

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“A Bay Area research team is being awarded a major prize for a device they hope will someday free kidney patients from dialysis.

For thousands of kidney patients in the U.S., the only practical hope of getting off dialysis has been waiting for a transplant. But now, a new engineering breakthrough is reigniting hopes for a second option… an implantable artificial kidney.”

Read full story here.

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Trick or Treat Your Kidney with These Kidney Friendly Halloween Candy

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“Halloween is right around the corner, which means one thing: candy! It’s often challenging to resist Halloween candy temptations, so we’ve compiled some tips and tricks for you to treat your body in a safe way..
While living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), it’s important to know which foods are kidney friendly and which foods to avoid especially if you are on a dialysis diet. It’s okay to have a sweet tooth, however, moderation is a must.”

See the full list, here.

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NKF Statement on Key Healthcare Policies to Help Kidney Patients

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“This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is reviewing several policy initiatives in the budget reconciliation process that, if passed, could positively impact patients with kidney disease. The National Kidney Foundation and our advocates nationwide have been working closely with Congress to keep kidney patients and their unique needs front and center and we strongly support the following initiatives:

Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs 

NKF is proud to have worked with the Partnership to Protect Coverage in advocating for lower cost prescription drugs for our patients. Among other things, this provision caps Medicare Part D out of pocket costs at $2000 per patient, per year. “

Learn more here.

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For 2 Ga. Couples, a Transplant Created an Unbreakable Bond: ‘We’re the Kidney Warrior Family’

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“Tia Wimbush and Susan Ellis were coworkers for years at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and while friendly to each other at work, they rarely interacted in the large IT department. But in March, the two became bonded for life when Tia donated her kidney to Susan’s husband Lance, and Susan donated her kidney to Tia’s husband Rodney.   

It all began with a chance encounter in the company restroom, and an introduction through another woman at work who knew that Tia’s husband Rodney had experienced sudden kidney failure in 2019 and that Susan’s husband Lance, who had long battled the disease, was in the same situation. Soon, they began to share what Ellis calls “a connection of sisterhood” after learning both their husbands had end-stage kidney disease and were on dialysis.”

Read full story, here.

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USC Stem Cell scientists make big progress in building mini-kidneys

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“A team of scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has created what could be a key building block for assembling a synthetic kidney. In a new study in Nature Communications, Zhongwei Li and his colleagues describe how they can generate rudimentary kidney structures, known as organoids, that resemble the collecting duct system that helps maintain the body’s fluid and pH balance by concentrating and transporting urine.

“Our progress in creating new types of kidney organoids provides powerful tools for not only understanding development and disease, but also finding new treatments and regenerative approaches for patients,” said Li, the study’s corresponding author and an assistant professor of medicine, and of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.”

Learn more, here.

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Could Nixing Race-Adjustments for eGFR Harm Black Cancer Patients?

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“Removing race from estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations would result in fewer Black patients being eligible for certain anticancer drugs, researchers have demonstrated.

Their analysis showed that for Black patients, removing race from the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation reduced median eGFR from 103 mL/min to 89 mL/min. In addition, removing the race factor doubled the percentage of black patients with an eGFR under 60 mL/min — a clinically relevant cut-off below which many drugs have recommended changes to dosage and eligibility, reported Thomas D. Nolin, PharmD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, and colleagues.”

Learn more here.

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Weight Cycling Linked With Poor Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease

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“Large fluctuations in body mass index (BMI) over time — otherwise known as weight cycling — were associated with poorer outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to an observational study.

In 84,636 predialysis patients with CKD followed for a median of 4 years, those in the highest quartile of BMI variability had an increased risk for all-cause mortality compared with the lowest quartile (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.53-1.81, P<0.001), reported Dong Ki Kim, MD, PhD, of Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea, and colleagues.”

Read more, here.

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National Kidney Foundation Partners with Alport Syndrome Foundation to expand First-Ever National Registry for Patients at All Stages of Kidney Disease

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“A new partnership between the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the Alport Syndrome Foundation (ASF) is designed to give hope to the thousands of patients, including children and their families, who suffer from debilitating Alport syndrome, a rare genetic kidney disorder. 

NKF and ASF will collaborate on the NKF Patient Network – Alport Syndrome, a new sub-registry devoted to Alport syndrome patients within the NKF Patient Network, a registry for people with all stages of kidney disease. The NKF Patient Network is the only kidney disease registry that has both patient-entered data combined with electronic health records (EHR). Patients with all stages of kidney disease can register and add their important health information. The unique digital platform is designed to improve the lives of people with kidney disease by better informing research, clinical care, drug development, and health policy decisions, as well as give kidney patients the tools they need to stay educated and healthy.”

Learn more, here.

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