HHS launches $7.25 million KidneyX Sustainability Prize.
The connections between kidney care and the environment are multidimensional: Heat stress can cause kidney injuries; some research has shown that chronic kidney disease cases are rising along with global temperatures. Life-sustaining dialysis technology, which consumes large amounts of water and power, contributes to climate problems — and when natural disasters and other disruptions strain access to electricity and clean water, patients’ lives are at risk.
In the longer term, innovations like artificial kidneys and regenerative cell therapies hold tremendous promise. But right now, the hundreds of thousands of American people living with kidney failure urgently need solutions that address the kidney care system’s vulnerabilities. New efforts to make dialysis more sustainable are climate actions of both mitigation and resilience.
This month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched the KidneyX Sustainability Prize, a $7.25 million challenge to drive meaningful change in the sustainability of kidney care. The prize, designed and produced by Luminary Labs, invites proposals from a diverse community of innovators — including patients, healthcare providers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Solutions may involve technological or process approaches, and should reduce water or power usage during dialysis and promote equitable access to care.
A multidisciplinary group of judges will review eligible submissions and recommend up to seven winners, who will each receive an equal share of up to $7.25 million in early 2025. Attend the virtual information session on September 25 and submit solution summaries and technical proposals by October 30.
Through the KidneyX public-private partnership, HHS and American Society of Nephrology (ASN) are transforming treatment for the more than 850 million people worldwide — including 37 million Americans — living with kidney diseases. KidneyX brings together patients, caregivers, researchers, innovators, and investors to transform the future of kidney treatment and care. KidneyX has awarded more than $17 million in prizes across six prize competitions such as Redesign Dialysis and the Artificial Kidney Prize, accelerating the development of breakthrough innovations that could improve living quality and treatment.