More than one in seven American adults are living with kidney disease and the U.S. government spends $100 billion annually on kidney care for Medicare patients. The Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX), a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Society of Nephrology, presents an opportunity to challenge assumptions and spark rapid, disruptive, and much-needed innovation in kidney health.

Today we’re delighted to announce that Luminary Labs has been awarded a contract to support prize competitions and innovation accelerators, including KidneyX, on behalf of HHS.

Established in April 2018, KidneyX aims to use prize competitions to accelerate the development of innovative solutions that can prevent, diagnose, or treat kidney diseases. KidneyX’s third prize competition, Redesign Dialysis Phase 2, challenges participants to build and test early prototypes that can replicate normal kidney functions or improve dialysis access. Submissions will open in November 2019, and up to three winners will each be awarded $500,000.

The number of Americans with kidney disease is increasing — partly due to diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and an aging U.S. population. Our own friends and families have been touched by kidney disease, and it’s an honor to support KidneyX’s use of open innovation to spur innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases.