Our Vision and Accomplishments Transforming lives through innovation and discovery The Kidney Research Institute is a collaboration between Northwest Kidney Centers and UW Medicine OUR TRANSITIONING GOAL TO A NEW ERA To establish a leading clinical OF GROWTH research endeavor focusing on AND DISCOVERY early detection, prevention and As we come to the end of our startup phase, we continue to work to find better ways to treatment of kidney disease detect kidney disease, to slow its progression and its complications. and to create optimal treatments. Making every dollar count Thanks to generous donor support, our OUR interdisciplinary teams of top-notch scientists and clinical practitioners aggressively seek VISION new approaches to identifying, preventing and treating the kidney disease epidemic. For every eligible patient with kidney disease to be informed The need for research Dr. Jonathan Himmelfarb, first director about, participate in and benefit For millions of people with kidney disease, of the Kidney Research Institute and from our research. kidney failure is not the only concern. Kidney a University of Washington professor disease is linked to premature cardiovascular of medicine, also holds the Joseph W. disease, fractures, infections and diminished Eschbach, M.D. Endowed Chair in physical and mental functioning. Kidney Research at UW Medicine. OUR Carrying out our mission Dr. Himmelfarb has been a leader in clinical trials in the kidney disease Ultimately, we aim to translate our population, serves on expert panels for MISSION discoveries into direct and improved care for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration To conduct research that can the patient. We are guided by a Scientific Advisory Committee of top thought leaders, and Veterans Health Administration, has improve the lives of those with and a Council that keeps us in close touch leadership roles on National Institutes kidney disease. with patients, supporters and the Seattle of Health steering committees and is kidney community. a councilor of the American Society of Nephrology. 3 | MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR THE FOUNDATION FOR A KIDNEY A HISTORIC RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION INSTITUTE By providing seed money in 2006 to Through his leadership, form the KRI, nonprofit Northwest Kidney Dr. Belding H. Scribner forever Centers is furthering its own mission to changed the lives of patients promote the optimal health, quality of life and independence of people with kidney with kidney disease. disease through patient care, education and research. Committed to making a di!erence in the lives of kidney patients through the work of the KRI, Northwest Kidney Centers’ continued support has made it possible for us to hire top investigators, develop research facilities, purchase laboratory equipment and connect our patients with promising research studies. “Daily we care for thousands of dialysis patients — reminded that and new discoveries has hindered optimal A life-changing discovery they wish they didn’t need dialysis, medical care and treatments to a!ected In 1960, Scribner and his colleagues individuals. Dedicating the best science to wish it was less time–consuming and developed the Scribner shunt — a blood study the clinical problems related to kidney want their children and neighbors to access device for hemodialysis. Changing disease was needed to truly make a di!erence. learn how to avoid kidney disease even kidney failure from a death sentence to a if they cannot. treatable condition, the Scribner shunt allows patients to receive lifesaving dialysis on a An institute just for We are encouraged by the KRI’s early long-term basis. Scribner, a UW Medicine kidney research successes but know we have a long faculty member, then founded Northwest That concept was pioneered in 2003 way to go in our quest to stop or cure Kidney Centers, the first outpatient dialysis by leadership from the University of kidney disease.” program in the world. Washington, Northwest Kidney Centers and the community. After years of planning, Joyce F. Jackson A lack of research we opened our doors in 2008, proud to build President and CEO The prevalence of kidney disease has on 48 years of history. Northwest Kidney Centers continued to rise steadily. Lack of research 4 | OUR HISTORY 5 | A V ITAL COLLABORATOR MILESTONES THROUGHOUT OUR EARLY YEARS 2010 2006 JULY– 2012 JUNE SEPTEMBER APRIL 2012 2009 The FDA Innovations Pathway The Kidney Research First faculty recruits: JULY selects a team including Seattle Institute forms with SEPTEMBER Jeremy Stuart 2010 New faculty recruit 2011 and the KRI to test a wearable approximately We obtain over Du!eld, M.D., Dr. Rajnish Mehrotra arrives OCTOBER artificial kidney $6 million in seed $10 million in research Ph.D. and Maryam SEPTEMBER from Harbor-UCLA Medical Open house attracts more money provided funding primarily from Afkarian, M.D., Ph.D., First international We open 1,500 square feet of Center to join the KRI and become than 200 visitors, with in large part by the National Institutes arrive from Harvard scholar, Hanne van new clinical research space at Harborview Medical Center’s guests attending seminars Northwest Kidney of Health (NIH) Medical School to Ballegooijen, arrives Northwest Kidney Centers’ 700 nephrology section head about current studies Centers join the KRI from Amsterdam Broadway facility in Seattle 2008 2010 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 JULY JANUARY SEPTEMBER FEBRUARY OCTOBER JUNE SEPTEMBER Dr. Jonathan We open 6,000 square More than $20 million Our first Learn @ More than 1,000 research subjects More than $30 million Work begins on “Kidney Himmelfarb feet of clinical research in research funding Lunch seminar from the community have been in research funding on a Chip,” a tissue becomes and o!ce space at obtained since founding educates enrolled in our studies to date awarded to date engineered human kidney inaugural director Harborview Medical community microphysiological system Our patient registry and Center members about biorepository are now active kidney disease and kidney research 6 | MILESTONES 7 | MILESTONES STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES: THE PLATFORM FOR THE YANKEES OF DISCOVERY KIDNEY RESEARCH Located at Harborview Bill Peckham found out he had kidney Medical Center, Northwest disease in 1985. He was 22 years old. After a preemptive transplant failed and he was Kidney Centers, University told future transplants would probably of Washington Medical have the same result, he realized he’d need Center and VA Puget Sound to use dialysis for the duration. Medical Center. “I was angry. I didn’t want to talk about it or even think about it.” He worked to minimize his own burden of treatment, soon putting in his own dialysis needles and eventually moving to home investigators from Harvard, Vanderbilt Clinical research space dialysis. Supporting research has helped and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, “Seattle is the Yankees of Our research space allows investigators him keep up the fight against the disease among other facilities. kidney research. The city’s to work in multidisciplinary small teams. that turned his life upside down. Multiple examination rooms — complete with history of success in kidney Freezers equipment for cardiovascular physiologic Bill has now used dialysis for 21 years. He Our carefully inventoried freezers, innovation gives me faith that testing, body composition analyses was part of the original Northwest Kidney kept at -80°C, are capable of storing and supervised exercise programs — provide Centers task force that worked to create more discoveries will happen more than 300,000 biosamples. investigators space to work and meet the Kidney Research Institute. here. If we fund the Kidney with study participants. O"ce space Research Institute, we’ll get Core research laboratory A nearly 6,000-square-foot space at “I would sign up for anything. the results we need.” Harborview Medical Center includes our Our laboratory has equipment to measure I knew that I was benefiting concentrations of uremic toxins, metabolites, core laboratory as well as o"ces and Bill Peckham from people who volunteered growth factors, cytokines and kidney injury meeting rooms for research faculty, trainees, Living with kidney disease since 1985 biomarkers. As our mission is to collaborate statistical support sta!, administration, for research before me.” with others in the best interest of kidney laboratory personnel and clinical and research, we have shared our laboratory with translational research coordinators. 8 | RESEARCH FACILITIES 9 | BILL: A KIDNEY DISEASE SURVIVOR CLINICAL TRIALS These supplements are relatively safe, A long-time supporter of AND STUDIES inexpensive and widely available and thus kidney research may be a solution to reducing diabetic Highlights from four of Nancy Spaeth began dialysis in 1966 at the kidney disease. However, they also come age of 19. Dialysis was a scarce resource the more than 30 studies with potential harms: vitamin D could result then. As one of the lucky ones chosen currently in progress. in high blood calcium levels and kidney for dialysis by a 1960s committee, Spaeth stones while omega-3 fatty acids could give gave back by participating in research patients gastrointestinal discomfort and studies. Her participation furthered studies bleeding. Studying the risks and benefits of of the Scribner shunt, early dialyzers and these supplements in clinical trials is critical. erythropoietin, which produced the anemia drug Epogen. Role of diet and exercise in chronic kidney disease Lifestyle factors are root causes of chronic