CLIMB AGAINST TIME
CLIMB AGAINST TIME
Our team is truly interdisciplinary, uniting specialists from nephrology, biomedical engineering, and biology, all driven to end reliance on dialysis. We are close to the dialysis ward, indeed our project leader Dr. Gerritsen, works there. We see the suffering every day. We have real skin in the game to try our hardest to end dialysis.
Our effort bridges across the University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMCU) and the University of Utrecht (UU). At the UMCU we are mainly developing the the blood filtration component of the artificial kidney, the hemofilter device. At the UU we are developing the biology and ascertaining its interraction with artificial substates and how to best obtain function. We have the ambition of bringing these two components together in a clinically meaningful prototype.
‘I am dedicated to advancing the implantable artificial kidney to replace dialysis since dialysis is more about surviving than truly living.
I've seen incredibly resilient people who managed to combine the intensive treatment with a relatively normal life, even undergoing pregnancy, or finding peace in a life with many limitations. But I've also seen young people struggle deeply, some losing hope entirely.
Without alternatives like a kidney transplant, this degenerative condition leads to declining health, harmful substance buildup, and overwhelming challenges.
For many, life on dialysis is incredibly difficult, and we must strive to offer better options.’
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
For more than 80 years, dialysis has kept people with kidney failure alive. Now, our team is working on the next big step: an implantable artificial kidney that can truly replace dialysis. Over the last two years, we’ve made significant progress, but with additional researchers, engineers, and resources, we can develop faster. We have real skin in the game to make this happen.
Accelerate Research & Development
Our primary goal is to develop a fully implantable artificial kidney
that mimics the body’s own filtering and reabsorption processes.
Your contribution will help bring on board the talent, technology,
and materials we need to push towards a future without dialysis.
Focus on Two Core Components
Harness Latest Advances
We believe that leveraging recent developments in membrane science,
nanotechnology, and 3D-(bio)printing makes the artificial kidney feasible.
With your help, we can speed up development, refine our designs, and
continue towards achieving our target of a full-scale artificial kidney
by 2031.
Clear Path to Certification
Bringing any medical device to market requires rigorous testing and
certification. With your donation, we can scale our small team and
navigate these critical steps more efficiently—ultimately bringing this
life-changing device to patients sooner.
