INNOVATING FOR KIDNEY PATIENTS: THE PORTABLE ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY AND BEYOND..
Dr. Jasper Boomker
Recorded during: The 2020 TechMed Event | more info
Date recording: 20 October 2020
Abstract
Hemodialysis offers a life-saving treatment for people with failing kidneys. Since its invention by the Dutch doctor Willem Kolff in 1945, hemodialysis has developed into a sophisticated treatment that is saving the lives of more than 2 million patient worldwide. But the initial success of hemodialysis has stagnated: over the last couple of decades the technology has barely changed, nor has the survival and quality of life of patients receiving it. The inadequate removal of uremic waste products and the fact that patients have to visit the hospital every other day, profoundly impacts their daily life. The goal of the Dutch Kidney Foundation (DKF) is to stimulate disruptive innovations towards flexible, more effective and patient-friendly dialysis treatments. In this lecture Jasper Boomker, program manager at the DKF, will tell about NeoKidney, a social enterprise that develops a truly portable artificial kidney together with universities, medtech companies and healthcare insurers.