Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase I

People with chronic kidney disease that completely lose kidney function require dialysis to keep them alive; dialysis acts as an artificial kidney and removes waste and water from the body. There are two forms of dialysis: hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). PD uses special fluid placed in the abdomen multiple times per day and filters waste and water through the stomach lining called the peritoneal membrane. HD uses a machine in the hospital attached to the patient's blood system to clean the blood thrice per week. PD has many advantages over HD: PD can be administered independently by patients in the comfort of their own homes. Adult and pediatric patients on PD do better when they receive a kidney transplant and can be less careful about their dietary restrictions while on dialysis. These factors greatly improve the quality-of life of PD patients and PD costs tens of thousands of dollars less per patient annually resulting in reduced healthcare costs. In PD, glucose (sugar) is the main molecule used to remove water through the peritoneal membrane. Sugar causes many long-term problems for PD patients; it scars the stomach lining and eventually damages peritoneal membrane making patients unable to receive PD. Furthermore, too much sugar causes diseases such as diabetes and leads to heart disease and death of PD patients. Our research group has designed a new molecule as a substitute for glucose in PD fluid which contains no sugar and has many proven advantages. Preliminary results demonstrate that this novel polymer is safer and more efficacious than the conventional PD fluid in many different experiments. We are continuing to test the safety and efficacy this exciting new polymer in long-term studies that better approximate the human condition. We are a multidisciplinary team of doctors and scientists working together to develop a new PD fluid that will help many people with chronic kidney disease in Canada and around the world.