A Sneak Peek Into the Future of Kidney Transplant Technologies
- Staff
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Right now, around 1 in 5 donated kidneys don't make it to a recipient due to delays in transportation, damage, or other problems. Every lost kidney is a missed chance to save a life. The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is working to fix this. Through our Innovation Fund, we are investing in new, cutting-edge technologies that give hope to the thousands still waiting for a second chance.
Why Do So Many Donated Kidneys Go to Waste?
Every year, transplant centers reject thousands of donated kidneys because of:
Quality Concerns: Age, damage, or disease can make a kidney unusable.
Transportation Delays: Kidneys survive 24 to 36 hours outside the body. Delays in transportation and storage issues can lead to discarded kidneys.
Matching Difficulties: Finding the correct recipient for a kidney can be time-consuming.
NKF's Innovation Fund is investing in companies that solve these problems.
What is NKF's Innovation Fund?
There has always been a lack of traditional investment for kidney disease and transplant start-up companies. Many promising companies can't raise the early and mid-stage funding needed to advance new therapies through development. The NKF Innovation Fund helps bridge that gap by supporting groundbreaking ideas and technologies that improve kidney care.
Our goal is to:
Develop better kidney disease treatments
Make more kidneys available for transplant
Improve the organ transportation system
Help patients live longer, healthier lives
Improving Kidney Transport with Better Cold Storage
Most OPOs transport kidneys in ice coolers. Stable, cold temperatures can preserve kidneys in the short term but often lead to long-term damage. NKF invested in two companies working on better cold storage options–the more innovation in the space, the better.
Designing Next-Gen Cold Storage for Kidney Transplants
Northernmost is developing the NoMo™ Kidney Pump, a new hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) system. HMPs keep donor kidneys cool but not too cold, oxygenated, and healthy during transport. Many HMPs are too large or expensive to use. NoMo™ will be different. Northernmost's team is creating a small, portable machine that can fit under a plane seat. NKF invested in Northernmost in February 2025 to help them share their innovation with the transplantation community during the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations’ 2025 Annual Meeting. They also recently partnered with the Mayo Clinic to test and improve their design.
Transplanting Donor Kidneys at the Perfect Temperature
Diatiro created the Kidney Pod to keep kidneys at the correct cold temperature throughout a transplant surgery. NKF invested in Diatiro in September 2023 after the FDA gave the Kidney Pod a breakthrough designation. This allows the product to get to market quicker.
After the investment, the FDA approved Diatiro's design and passed its safety protocols. Diatiro is now working on its application for an FDA-approved clinical trial. They hope to release the Kidney Pod within two years.
Extending Kidney Viability with Normothermic Storage
Cold storage isn't the only option for preserving donor kidneys. Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) technology maintains kidneys at body temperature while delivering oxygen, blood, and vital nutrients. NKF Innovation Fund also supports companies innovating in this space.
Reducing Kidney Discards
When 34 Lives created an advanced NMP system, NKF was among the first investors to recognize how this new technology could help reduce kidney discards. The Innovation Fund invested in this project in October 2022 to help them realize their concept.
Just two years later, 34 Lives received a five-year grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) for their "No Kidney Left Behind" project. The team plans to use the grant to create a process that rehabilitates around 50% of discarded donor kidneys.
Keeping Donor Kidneys Healthier for Longer
ZeitLife is developing cutting-edge kidney transplant storage devices and NMP fluids that keep donor kidneys functioning as if they were still inside the body. ZeitLife's perfusion fluids may also reduce complications and improve long-term patient outcomes.
NKF invested in ZeitLife in October 2024, recognizing the opportunity to improve organ preservation and increase transplant success rates. With NKF's support, ZeitLife aims to bring its products to market within the next 2 to 5 years.
Comments