NKF publishes panel-developed strategies for increasing access to transplantation
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The National Kidney Foundation has released a position paper consisting of recommendations for expanding access to transplantation for individuals with kidney failure.
The recommendations within the paper — published as an open-access article in The American Journal of Kidney Diseases — were developed by an expert panel including nephrologists, surgeons, NKF leadership and patients, according to a press release from the organization.
“One of our top priorities at NKF is to make transplantation available to everyone who needs or wants a transplant,” Kevin Longino, CEO for NKF and co-author on the paper, said in the release. “These recommendations will help frame our research and funding initiatives to accelerate innovation and create the solutions we need to make transplantation a reality for all.”
In total, the paper provides seven priority areas that warrant further investigation and 23 specific recommendations that could help improve transplantation access, according to the authors. The key areas of focus include the following:
- expand opportunities for safe living donation and, subsequently, expand access to living donor transplant;
- improve waitlist procedures and pre-transplant readiness;
- reducing organ discard and expanding organ acceptance through clinician and patient education;
- reduce organ discard through utilization of novel tools (such as machine learning or AI) that assess kidney quality;
- develop strategies to preserve or resuscitate kidney allografts before implantation;
- develop ways to “sustain one transplant for life” through personalized immunosuppression regimens; and
- optimize kidney transplantation for pediatric patients.
“While kidney transplantation provides the best treatment option for kidney failure to thousands of patients each year, the goal of universal access to this treatment remains elusive,” lead author Krista L. Lentine, MD, PhD, of Saint Louis University Center for Abdominal Transplantation, said. “Addressing the priorities outlined in this research agenda has the potential to transform kidney patient care by expanding opportunities for safe living donation, improving waitlist access and transplant readiness, maximizing use of available deceased donor organs, and extending graft longevity.”
The full paper can be found here.
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