Facilitated in collaboration with multiple universities, including Vanderbilt University, The Kidney Project is a long-term study of an alternative to dialysis treatment for renal failure. Dean Buescher is following the study with each new development.
For a patient with end-stage kidney disease, dialysis treatments are part of the routine. Three times a week, patients battling renal failure receive dialysis in three to four hour sessions. The treatments are costly; with patients in the US spending upwards $32 billion annually on the facilitation of this care. Without these treatments, dialysis patients are nearly guaranteed to experience a viciously fast decline in health… But the toll the treatments take on the patient is insurmountable. In fact, it’s often so much of a burden, due to hospitalizations, infections and cardiac problems developed from treatment, that many patients discontinue care and take the ultimate risk of rapid decline.
Dialysis treatment costs a fortune to maintain, while still leaving many patients sick. The Kidney Project is setting out to offer an alternative to dialysis — and potentially even organ donations as a whole. More than just an alternative, the researchers involved hope that this effort will result in a total replacement for dialysis.
What is The Kidney Project?
The Kidney Project is a long-term research study on the development of an alternative to dialysis. The effort, which has been a collaborative effort amongst numerous universities, including Vanderbilt University, takes on a completely revolutionary approach. Setting out to effectively change how end-stage kidney disease is cared for, The Kidney Project is more than just an alternative to dialysis — it’s a potential solution to so many kidney problems and ailments.
The Kidney Project involves engineering an implantable artificial kidney, which replaces a kidney receiving dialysis treatment. This could, in effect, drastically improve quality of life for individuals diagnosed with renal failure.
Kidney Health Blog Series
Dean Buescher has been following developments on The Kidney Project closely from day one. Now, he’s even preparing to potentially participate in the study. The revolutionary medical research effort has even inspired him to launch his own awareness raising efforts — including an informative blog series on kidney health. In the series, Buescher offers commentary on the most recent updates from The Kidney Project. He hopes that this series will educate the general public about kidney health and answer critical questions on treatment options for renal failure.