Working together for a better life for kidney patients
Kidney dialysis has a huge impact on patients' lives. That is why researchers are working on innovations in all sorts of areas. These can be big ideas like a portable artificial kidney, where the patient no longer has to go to hospital for dialysis, but also much simpler improvements that contribute to the patient's well-being. 'Making life a little easier for the patient is really important: they have enough to deal with as it is.
Kidneys have an important function: they filter toxins from your blood. They do this with the help of millions of filters, nephrons. They 'sieve' the blood, recognise toxins and push these toxins into your urine through which they leave the body. If your kidney function is reduced, for example due to kidney failure, the toxins remain in your body and slowly poison it.
If the kidneys function is less than fifteen percent, there are two options to replace it: a kidney transplant or dialysis. The latter can be done via the peritoneum, peritoneal dialysis, or via haemodialysis, using an artificial kidney in a machine. More than 80% of patients with kidney failure are dependent on haemodialysis. This means being connected to a large machine for four hours, three to four times a week. Besides great fatigue afterwards, the machine can only replace ten to fifteen per cent of the kidney function: not all toxins are removed by a long shot. This often results in other health problems. Patients often refer to living on dialysis as survival. 'And that motivates me enormously to work on improving the treatment,' says Karin Gerritsen, internist-nephrologist at UMC Utrecht.
Living with dialysis is actually just surviving.
Innovating together
Gerritsen received funding from NWO in 2015 for the development of new materials that should contribute to a wearable artificial kidney. In this project, she cooperates with several companies but also with the kidney patient association. The goal of the research is therefore to work on solutions that improve the quality of life for kidney patients. The input of the patients themselves is therefore of enormous value.
Jasper Boomker, programme manager of the Dutch Kidney Foundation, acknowledges this: 'There is a lot of research going on, but it is still difficult to translate this into actual treatment for patients.' To accelerate this step, meetings are organised where companies, scientists, doctors, investors and patients can meet. Such as the matchmaking meeting 'Pioneers maken kennis', two years ago. 'Technology can never be a goal in itself', said Professor of Kidney Diseases Luuk Hilbrands of Radboudumc at the time. 'Technology is a means of helping people. It is always about the human factor first.'
Kidney patients are helped by large but also small innovations that can offer them just a little more freedom. For example, a dialysis chair that allows a heart image to be made without the patient having to deal with cords and stickers. At Imec, Fokko Wieringa works on new membranes for dialysis. These can remove toxins that current dialysis machines do not yet recognise - another step towards replacing the kidney function.
But also in the field of prevention and analysis, a lot of work is being done. For example, a screening tool for the early detection of kidney damage is in development. A smartphone app for the detection of cardiac arrhythmias, which kidney patients unfortunately often suffer from, is under development. Treatment can be improved by an ultrasound device that makes the shunt more visible and thus makes it easier to puncture. There are also major developments internationally, such as a method that makes stem cell therapy accessible to broad patient groups worldwide.
Many developments, in which scientists and companies work together with patients to find innovative solutions. Because no matter how big or small: they can all contribute to a better life for kidney patients.
Find out more
On 31 May 2022 Fokko Wieringa from Imec and Jasper Boomker from the Dutch Kidney Foundation will be present at the Innovation Market at TEKNOWLOGY. They would like to tell you more about the developments in nephrology. They also show the latest innovations, such as the dialysis chair. Join us!
