HHS https://www.hhs.gov and the American Society of Nephrology https://www.asn-online.org are partnering to launch the “Kidney Innovation Accelerator” (KidneyX). KidneyX will work with researchers, innovators, and investors to accelerate the commercialization of therapies to benefit people with and/or at risk for kidney disease.
More than 40 million Americans live with kidney disease and 703,243 experience kidney failure. With an aging population and rising prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, more Americans need or will need dialysis.
Patients with chronic kidney disease continue to have limited treatment options and are particularly vulnerable in natural disasters when local dialysis centers are damaged or closed for more than a few days.
To prevent kidney diseases as well as improve the lives of people affected with chronic kidney disease, KidneyX will address the barriers innovators in the field commonly identify as they look to bring new drugs and technologies to market.
The KidneyX Accelerator will:
- Provide funding through prizes to promising innovators selected through a competition
- Encourage better coordination across HHS agencies such as NIH, FDA, and CMS in order to clarify the path toward commercialization
- Create a sense of urgency to develop new therapies to treat chronic kidney disease
- Enable the KidneyX program to encourage the venture capital community to invest in kidney therapeutics for potential investments
KidneyX will accept applications for the first round of prize funding in late summer 2018. For more information, go to https://www.kidneyx.org.