HHS and the American Society of Nephrology Award KidneyX Redesign Dialysis Phase 1 Winners

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the American Society of Nephrology have selected 15 winning teams for Phase 1 of the KidneyX Redesign Dialysis prize competition. Through a series of prize competitions offering cash awards and other incentives, KidneyX aims to accelerate the development of innovative medical products and approaches that can significantly improve the way we prevent, diagnose, and treat kidney diseases.

“Programs like KidneyX have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people and save billions of dollars in healthcare costs. I’m impressed with the ambitious solutions proposed by the winning teams, and grateful for the entrepreneurs working to reimagine dialysis,” said Ed Simcox, Chief Technology Officer at HHS. “Supporting innovation in this space is a critical step in helping people suffering from kidney diseases.”

Phase 1 challenged innovators across a wide range of fields to submit a short proposal on approaches that could enable the design of new artificial kidney devices, extending life and improving quality of life. Of the 165 submissions received, the submission topics ranged from innovations in vascular access and fluid filtration, to innovations in hemodialysis and biosensors. The submissions were scored by 40+ technical reviewers comprised of patients and multi-disciplinary experts from government, industry and academia. The top scoring submissions were then judged by a panel of nine experts in medicine, biomedical science and engineering, and commercialization. Fifteen winners were awarded monetary prizes of $75,000 each.

“The response to Phase 1 of the prize competition is proof positive of the strong eagerness for innovation and investment in new kidney care technologies and therapies,” said Dr. John Sedor, Chair of the KidneyX Steering Committee. “The winning proposals address a broad range of potential improvements to dialysis and highlight the fact that there is more work to be done to change the status quo. Millions of patients are waiting.”

Phase 2 of Redesign Dialysis will start accepting submissions in fall 2019 and is open to all, including Phase 1 winners. In Phase 2, innovators will be asked to develop and demonstrate functional and testable prototypes that can replicate some or all kidney functions. Up to three winners will be awarded $500,000 each.

The Phase 1 prize winners will be announced during the inaugural KidneyX Summit scheduled on April 29-30, 2019 at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. Prize winners will present their solutions to an audience of industry leaders within government, mechanical and bioengineering, investment, and medical product development.

“Building an artificial kidney is going to be a highly collaborative process, and Redesign Dialysis is one step in building the community of innovators. We are excited with the initial response, which tells us we’re only scratching the surface so far,” said Dr. Sandeep Patel, HHS KidneyX Director.

For more information about the prize-winning solutions and future KidneyX prize competitions, please visit www.kidneyx.org and follow @Kidney_X on Twitter.

Prize Winners

Access for Life, Inc. – JEM™ - Sensor Enabled Hemodialysis

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and BioSurfaces, Inc. – Drug-Eluting Electrospun Hemodialysis Graft

Binnovate Digital Health BV – RenalTracker

Curion Research Corporation, University of California Los Angeles, and University of Arkansas – Development of a Dialysate- and Cell-Free Renal Replacement Technology

Miromatrix Medical, Inc. – New Kidney Grafts

Mount Sinai Renal Research Institute – Improving Intra-Dialytic Removal of Protein-Bound Uremic Toxin Removal Using Binding Competitors

Outset Medical, Inc – Development of an Automated Multimodal Sensor to Improve Patient Outcomes in Hemodialysis

Qidni Labs, Inc. – Air Removal System for a Wearable Renal Therapy Device

Stanford University, Fluo Medical – A Non-Invasive Device for Monitoring Fistula Maturation

Stanford University – Utilizing Optical Interrogation Methods for Early Diagnosis of Peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Temple University – Atomically Precise Membranes (APM) for High-Flux and Selective Removal of Blood Toxins

University of Alabama at Birmingham – A Non-Invasive, Wearable Telehealth Device to Detect Thrombosis and Monitor Vascular Access Health of Arteriovenous Fistulas and Grafts in Hemodialysis Patients

University of California San Francisco, Vanderbilt University, and Silicon Kidney – Intracorporeal Ultrafiltration System & Intracorporeal Hemodialysis System

University of Michigan – Nitric Oxide-Eluting, Disposable Hemodialysis Catheter Insert to Prevent Infection and Thrombosis

University of Washington, Center for Dialysis Innovation – The Ambulatory Kidney to Improve Vitality (AKTIV) & Rethinking Dialysis Vascular Access