HHS https://www.hhs.gov and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) https://www.asn-online.org have announced a new prize competition from the Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) seeking to further develop a fully functional bioartificial kidney.
Phase 2 of the Artificial Kidney prize competition invites submissions focused on developing prototype bioartificial kidneys or a new tool or component that can help in the development of bioartificial kidneys. Innovators in the fields of regenerative medicine, cellular engineering, tissue engineering, systems biology, and synthetic biology are encouraged to apply.
Innovation is urgently needed. KidneyX is seeking to advance a field that has seen little progress in more than 60 years. The best treatment is a kidney transplant, but the supply of organs only addresses a small fraction of the need.
A successful bioartificial kidney must be able to perform at least some of the kidney’s most vital function, such as blood filtration, electrolyte homeostasis, fluid regulation, toxin removal and secretion, and the transport and drainage of excel filtrate.
Phase 2 of the Artificial Kidney Prize consists of two tracks:
- Track One– Accelerating the Prototype of a Bioartificial Kidney is open to submissions from innovators with development plans for a prototype bioartificial kidney, including a pathway and future timeline toward first-in-human studies
- Track Two– Components and tools to enable the development of an Artificial Kidney is open to proposals for tools or components that adapt regenerative medicine, cellular engineering, tissue engineering, systems biology, and/or synthetic biology methods to address the challenge currently faced in developing a fully functional artificial kidney
Artificial kidneys may be wearable or implantable options for kidney replacement therapy, xenotransplant including chimera, or another non-human organ platform may also be considered.
Up to $10.5 million in funding will be split among up to 9 prize winners, including up to 3 winners from Track One where each will receive $1.5 million and up to 6 winners from Track Two each winner will receive $1 million.
The submission period for both tracks of Phase 2 is open with Track One closing October 28, 2022 and track Two closing on January 28, 2023.
Go to https://kidneyx.org/akp for the full rules and eligibility requirements as well as a list of resources available to applicants.