Lyfebulb and CVS Kidney Care®, a CVS Health® (NYSE:CVS) company, are pleased to announce 10 finalists for the 2022 Innovation Challenge: Accelerating Innovations in Kidney Disease to Improve Health Equity and Outcomes.

Lyfebulb and CVS Kidney Care

“Treatment options for those with the most advanced stages of chronic kidney disease haven’t changed in decades, and the ideas brought forward as a result of this challenge are energizing,” said Jesse Roach, MD, Senior Medical Director, Health Equity at CVS Kidney Care. “For too long, outdated treatments have failed to meet the needs of many, and we look forward to hearing from entrepreneurs on how we can improve kidney health for everyone, especially historically underrepresented populations.”

The finalists, who were co-selected by the Lyfebulb and CVS Kidney Care® teams, brought forward an array of strategic, creative, and scalable concepts to make kidney care more understandable, accessible, and equitable. The potential impact on patients and their care partners, as well as the feasibility and sustainability of innovations in the market, were considerations in the selection of the following finalists:

­­”We are very excited by this inspirational group of finalists who are not only committed to improving health outcomes for kidney-disease patients, but also to improving their access to high-quality care,” said Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO at Lyfebulb. “They demonstrate a high degree of creativity and the potential to successfully break down the barriers kidney-disease patients face so that they may receive the care they need and deserve.”

The finalists will be joined by industry leaders spanning business, venture capital, technology, and health care industries, as well as public officials driving change for a two-day summit in Austin, Texas. Each finalist will present their solutions to an expert panel of judges on May 18-19, 2022, and one winner will be awarded a $25,000 prize to further the growth of their company.

To learn more about the Lyfebulb-CVS Kidney Care® Innovation Challenge, visit Lyfebulb.com.

About CVS Kidney Care®
CVS Kidney Care® is reimagining the future of kidney health – because patients deserve care that helps them live on their own terms. Our unmatched patient insights, grounded in the connectivity of CVS Health ®, link data and clinical knowledge to create a personalized approach that breaks down barriers to care, including systemic barriers that have led to disparities in kidney health. Our end-to-end approach is flexible and customizable to help support a truly patient-centered experience. No matter where people are in their kidney-health journey, we help them connect to an integrated network of options that make care easier to understand, more accessible, and suited to their needs. 

We are changing kidney care as we know it, because the more than 37 million Americans living with chronic kidney disease deserve more than twentieth-century solutions. Learn more at cvskidneycare.com.

About Lyfebulb
Lyfebulb is an innovation accelerator that bridges the gap between patient communities and the healthcare industry by working directly with patients and care partners to generate insights and build new solutions to reduce the burden of living with chronic disease. Lyfebulb operates across 12 disease states and counting. For more information, see Lyfebulb.com, TransplantLyfe.com, and IBDLyfe.com, as well as Lyfebulb’s Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Karin Hehenberger’s LinkedIn.

Written by Ella Balasa

This is a recap of the first webinar – “Living with Chronic Kidney Disease: What are My Options? – in the Lyfebulb-Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Hospital patient information and education series, which is sponsored by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals. 

Panelists and moderators included: 

  • Mark A. Hardy, MD, PhD (Hon), FACS – Auchincloss Professor of Surgery, Director Emeritus and Founder of the Transplantation Program at Columbia University Medical Center
  • Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD – Founder and CEO of Lyfebulb and visiting associate researcher at Columbia University
  • David J. Cohen, MD, MA – Professor of Medicine (in Nephrology) and Medical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital
  • Hilda Fernandez, MD – Assistant Professor of Medicine (in Pediatrics) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital and Vanderbilt Clinic
  • Lloyd E. Ratner, MD, MPH, FACS, FICS (Hon) – Professor of Surgery and Director of Renal and Pancreatic Transplantation at Columbia University
  • Carly Rebecca McNulty, RN, BSN, CCTC – Senior Pre-Transplant Coordinator at the Columbia Kidney and Pancreatic Transplant program

This session’s discussion centered on end-stage renal disease (ESRD) management before dialysis and transplant, what it’s like living with kidney disease and what can be done to prevent further progression, as well as treating the patient in the disease journey.  

The kidney has several roles – one being regulating fluid balance. The human body takes in more salt and water than it needs, and whatever isn’t utilized is excreted in the form of urine. The kidney also regulates mineral content in the blood, such as potassium, phosphorus, and calcium levels and clears waste products of metabolism like proteins and nitrogen. Lastly, it regulates blood counts, preventing anemia. If any of these functions aren’t properly regulated, one reason may be that a person has kidney disease.

In adults, the cause of kidney disease is primarily diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), or other autoimmune diseases that cause nephritis, which is inflammation of the kidney. Function can be preserved by maintaining healthy blood pressure and blood glucose levels and monitoring other body functions. In children, the primary cause of kidney disease is congenital issues, which are primarily determined before birth or at infancy due to infections, proteins, or blood found in the urine. A kidney biopsy is the best way to determine the presence and source of kidney disease. Sometimes an ultrasound or a CAT scan can determine the disease as well. 

If a patient is showing symptoms of severe kidney disease such as nausea, severe fatigue, and other complications, even with modified medications and diet, then proceeding with dialysis until a kidney transplant is available is the appropriate course of action. 

Evaluation for transplant begins when kidney function (measured by “Glomerular Filtration Rate or GFR”) is around 15-20% of normal kidney function, and most people receive a transplant with around 10-15% of GFR. 

A kidney transplant can either come from a deceased or living donor. In 2019, 41,000 people in the United States were newly placed on the waiting list for kidney transplants, and there were only about 23,000 kidney transplants done. This means that nearly 20,000 individuals who need transplants are not able to get them each year. The wait time for a deceased donor can be years, and there is a great need for more living donors.

In the last few years, research into genetically engineered organs from animals has advanced. In the first of its kind, a pig kidney was recently transplanted into a human with success, albeit very short term success. This was a temporary experiment, however, and there is still much to learn and advance in this field. Nevertheless, many clinicians and researchers continue to research advancements to make transplants more accessible and successful for patients. 

Listen to the full webinar on our YouTube channel here to learn more about innovations and research involving dialysis and kidney transplants! You can also register for future webinars and view all past webinars on TransplantLyfe. 

Kevin Longino has been Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Kidney Foundation since 2015. He first became involved with the organization in 2008 as a volunteer advocate, and in 2012 he joined the national Board of Directors. As CEO, Kevin leads a team headquartered in New York, NY, and field offices around the country. NKF is supported by thousands of volunteers nationwide and serves millions of patients and healthcare providers seeking support and education every year.

Before his tenure at NKF, Kevin held executive positions at Compaq Computer Corporation. from 1987-2000. After his own diagnosis with kidney disease, he became an entrepreneur, an angel investor, and mentor to several startup technology companies, including the successful start-up ClearFactr. Kevin served on the Board of Directors for Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. and was member of its Audit Committee and Special Committee.

In 2004, Kevin received a life-saving kidney transplant after at-home peritoneal dialysis and is now 17 years “kidney strong”. He readily shares his story and uses his experience to help other kidney disease patients.

Kevin earned a post-graduate diploma in Financial Strategy from Oxford University, England. He holds a BS in Marketing and MBA from Louisiana Tech University. He lives in Greenwich, CT, with his wife.

Jonathan Politzki is a senior at the University of Illinois studying engineering and finance. Growing up, his grandfather suffered from CKD and this left a lasting impression on him. His passion for healthcare and solving problems led him to work in healthcare M&A with SVB Leerink and to ultimately found Nephra, a startup focused on providing peace of mind for patients with CKD. Nephra is an early-stage med-tech startup that is developing predictive, non-invasive electrolyte monitoring software that can be utilized to alert dialysis patients and their physicians about abnormal electrolyte values so that emergency dialysis sessions or appropriate medication intervention can be initiated before it’s too late. By increasing the rate of monitoring of these key electrolytes from once a month to once a day, Nephra will play a vital role in working to reduce cardiac-related mortality for dialysis patients but is also pioneering personalized care and wellness-oriented technology in the dialysis field. Jonathan has also founded an algorithmic trading fund called Quant, which is now partnered with Meta, Robinhood, DE Shaw, and Citadel.

Chet Alan Bennett aka Chef Bennet; Licensed Cosmetologist; School Owner; Salon Owner; Radio Host; Conference Host; Instructor; Motivational Speaker; Author; Executive Producer; and Founder of a non-profit. These are some of the many titles that Mr. Chet A. Bennett has held over the years while being a successful businessman. He is a proud graduate of Morehouse College with a BA in Religion and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Howard University. From holding contracts for the Correctional Corporation of America and the DC Department of Corrections, to coordinating conferences, producing the documentary, “Don’t Put Down the Clippers,” writing the book “My Business is the Beauty Business,” and owning 6 salons, two daycare centers, and a beauty school, Mr. Bennett has achieved great heights in all his endeavors. Although he has held a strong role in the beauty industry for over 29 years, C. Alan Bennett has been cooking and catering since 1992.

It wasn’t until he received a kidney transplant that he decided to spend the rest of his life dedicated to the culinary industry. He created The C. Alan Foundation to not only bring awareness to the kidney disease community, but to educate the community on how to create a healthy lifestyle. Under the foundation, The Kidney Kafe’ with Chef Benne’, and the Kidney Conversations Talk Show was created. C. Alan has become a sought-after caterer at the Bennett Career Institute, The Kidney Kafe Pop-ups; a personal Chef; an inspiring Chef host on a progressive cooking show that airs on The Urban Television Network; his YouTube channel, and his website kidney-kafe.com.

He is now partnering with Access Housing Inc., a Southeast DC Veteran’s Service Center catering meals for the homeless, and is set to air his cooking show this spring on DCTV. He also has a book about a healthy eating lifestyle coming out in April “From the Ground to the Gut.” Chef Benne’ started the Kidney Kafe Garden in Washington DC’s most economically challenged community growing spices and sustainable food for the local area. There is much more to come from C. Alan Bennett, as his impact in the culinary community has just begun.

Sathya Elumalai is a healthcare executive with over 15 years of experience working with payers, providers, pharmaceuticals, and patients. At Aidar Health, Inc., Mr. Elumalai has developed a revolutionary tricorder-style health assessment device, MouthLab, which measures 10+ health parameters in 30 seconds, and an AI-enabled enterprise platform, which leverages data science and AI technology, to create a new kind of personalized experience for people with chronic conditions.

In addition to his efforts at Aidar, Mr. Elumalai also serves as an Advisory Board Member at George Washington University, Scientific Merit Reviewer at the National Science Foundation, Executive Member of Forbes Business Council, and an Ambassador & Merit Reviewer at the Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute. 

Mr. Elumalai holds a dual master’s degree, a Master’s in Public Health, and an MBA in Healthcare Management, from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University. He is also a certified professional in healthcare quality and safety with over 10 years of diverse leadership experience at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.

Mr. Elumalai is a proven leader recognized for building scalable processes, integrating analytics into decision making, improving customer satisfaction, and driving large-scale digital transformations in healthcare.

This is a virtual education series in partnership with Columbia New York Presbyterian, sponsored by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, that will address key topics of living through late-stage disease through the transplantation process and beyond.

This session discusses the preparation after dialysis and starting the transplant process to get listed, as well as recruiting a potential living donor.  

Choosing a Transplant Center

To begin conversations with a transplant center as a potential kidney transplant recipient, a patient usually gets referred from a dialysis program or nephrologist. A patient can also do research on their own regarding transplant centers, they contact them directly. A few things to keep in mind when choosing a transplant center are the proximity of the center to the recipient’s residence and the ease of traveling for follow-up care consistently. Logistics play a role in the optimal choice. Choosing a transplant center that the patient has good communication and rapport with is very important. A patient will spend a lot of time with their transplant center through the process of transplant. It is important to evaluate how responsive and helpful a particular transplant center is. Don’t forget, a potential recipient can change transplant centers at any time if they chose to do so. There is also a public database called SRTR where anyone can log on and see the clinical outcomes of various transplant centers. This also could be an important factor when choosing a center to go to. 

Evaluating Good Candidacy for Receiving a Transplant

When it comes to evaluating whether someone is a good candidate to receive a transplant, a potential recipient undergoes a day-long evaluation that consists of various tests and meetings with the transplant coordinator, the surgeon, the physician, the social worker, and others that may be involved in your treatment. There will be a lot of information to absorb so it is important for candidates to bring a support person with them to help remember details and provide care if needed to the potential recipient. 

During evaluation day as well as subsequently, there will be an abundance of educational materials and discussions with the coordinator, physician, and social worker about what to expect after the transplant. After evaluation, the team meets to discuss candidacy for the patient and if they are ready for the patient to be listed, then there are additional education classes. For any patient, the first source of information is the transplant coordinator. 

What Happens Once I am Eligible for a Transplant?

After someone is deemed eligible for a transplant, they are placed on the waitlist. The list is the United network of organ sharing (UNOS) waiting list. 

If someone has an unusual or difficult problem, not all transplant centers will be equipped to provide care, but even if someone is turned down by one transplant center, they can be accepted for a different one. You are also able to be on more than one transplant center’s list at one time.

How Would Someone Get Taken off the Transplant Waitlist?

Someone can get taken off the list if their condition worsens and the risk of doing the transplant outweigh the benefits. Additionally, if a patient is abusive to the staff or if they are noncompliant in their care and refuse to take care of themselves this could also lead to removal. Other underlying conditions could be a reason someone gets taken off the list for example due to a cancer diagnosis. This person would have to wait a certain time before getting back on, but it depends on the type of cancer, size, and malignancy. 

Kind of Donor

Individuals can be on the transplant list waiting for a deceased donor and still also be looking for a living donor. Live donor kidneys work better over the long term, they last about twice as long – 15 to 20 years. This option should be considered as the optimal treatment. If a patient hasn’t had time to find a living donor, they can get listed on the deceased donor list and begin searching for a living donor. Donor age limit does matter when it comes to how much longevity the donated kidney has. if its from an old donor the lifetime of that donated kidney won’t be as long. The oldest donor recorded was 83 years old. With that, donor safety is paramount and extensive evaluation will be undergone to ensure the surgery is safe and the donor will be ok with one kidney and both are normally functioning. 

Listen to the webinar and learn more about these conversations and other kinds of support and educational resources for potential kidney transplant recipients. This, and future webinars can be found on transplantLyfe.com. 

Panelists:

  • Lloyd Ratner,  MD, MPH, FACS, FICS (Hon), professor of surgery and Director of Transplantation at Columbia University
  • Mr. Brian Runge, RN, BSN, CCTC, chief coordinator for donors at Columbia University
  • Geoffery Dube, MD, assistant professor of medicine and senior nephrologist on transplant service at Columbia University
  • Gretchen Boyd, RN, MSN, CCTC, chief coordinator of renal and pancreas transplant program at Columbia University

Moderators:

  • Mark Hardy, MD, PhD (Hon), FACS professor of surgery at Columbia University
  • Dr. Karin Hehenberger, CEO of Lyfebulb and visiting associate researcher at Columbia University

Mr. Kushnick started a thirty  plus year career in film and video production in 1979 having moved to Los Angeles upon graduating college.  His involvement included various roles in production for TV commercials and early music videos. In the mid 1980’s he returned to New York to work for Sony Music specializing in video marketing tools including commercials, music videos, and marketing videos.

Questioning the countries environmental crisis and limited energy resources Daniel made a career change in 2010.  He began working for Honeywell’s energy saving division, working as a manager, for a New York State energy program, to help low-income individuals save on their energy bills.

Daniel was diagnosed with Poly-cystic kidney disease in his late twenties. The disease progressed and in 2018 was diagnosed with stage five chronic kidney disease.  Preparing for dialysis he signed up with the Rogisin Institute’s program to train for home hemodialysis.  Six weeks into the training, after a social  media campaign to find a donor, someone stepped forward and in March of 2019 he had a successful transplant operation.

Since the operation, having retired due to the transplant and COVID, he has been seeking volunteer opportunities including becoming a mentor for the National Kidney Foundation’s Peer Mentoring Program and joining a local government environmental committee.

It is Mr. Kushnick’s desire to help other kidney disease patients deal with the issues of dialysis and those in need of a transplant to navigate the process.  Daniel is looking too expand his volunteer platform to a wider audience to increase awareness of the needs of those afflicted with kidney disease.

This is a virtual education series in partnership with Columbia New York Presbyterian, sponsored by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, that will address key topics of living through late-stage disease through the transplantation process and beyond.

This session covered topics such as living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), how to prepare for dialysis and transplant, and how dialysis and transplant affect the quality of a kidney disease patient’s life. 

ESRD and Chronic Kidney Disease

As much as 15% of adults have chronic kidney disease, which is roughly one in every seven people. Just last year, 150,000 patients started treatment for kidney disease. 

It is important for patients with kidney disease to begin discussing and learning about the possibility of dialysis and transplant as early as possible. The progression of the disease is variable between patients, but when someone begins to show symptoms of high potassium levels and fluid retention, it is time to consider starting dialysis. At this time, the kidney is functioning at about 20% or less capacity. 

Dialysis for Kidney Disease

Dialysis helps those with kidney disease by cleaning or filtering the blood artificially when the kidneys are not able to perform the function properly. There are different types of dialysis – hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Hemodialysis is done at a center, where blood is removed from the body and clean blood is returned through the veins. This is the default method of dialysis, even though most people would prefer the convenience of home care when receiving dialysis. 

Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis allows for that convenience. During peritoneal dialysis, fluid is filtered into the body through the stomach which circulates and cleans the body of toxins, Then, the fluid is extracted along with the toxins. This method allows for flexibility with travel and daily functions and can be done at home during the night. However, this dialysis does require some training and assistance from a caregiver so the patient must have a certain level of responsibility and independence. Furthermore, it is completed seven days a week. This type of dialysis is only done for about 10% of patients in the United States, while in other countries, it is the primary modality. There is no evidence to support one type over the other, but peritoneal dialysis is gentler on the body and does not cause low blood pressure or fatigue. 

Normal life can be sustained while on dialysis. That being said, children and busy adults may not be the best candidates, because hemodialysis can interfere with school and work.

Dialysis and Transplantation

When it comes to transplantation, about one-third of patients are listed for a transplant before dialysis. It is important for medical professionals to begin asking patients early if they have potential donors and for patients to begin considering all avenues. 

Educating patients about both transplantation and dialysis at the same time helps minimize the sense of feeling overwhelmed and/or potential denial when the patient is facing difficult decisions in their care, but transplantation is the ultimate goal for those with end stage renal disease. 

In the long run, transplantation is the best option for quality and extension of life for any patient that is eligible. The long-term effects of dialysis aren’t great – especially for those in kidney failure due to diabetes. These patients have a particularly negative experience and benefit greatly from transplantation. For patients who are hesitant, education is extremely important.

Advancing the Treatment for Kidney Disease

The good news is that the future of kidney disease is bright as there are a number of new drugs available to slow kidney disease. This is an exciting time for research into wearables, as well as stem cell therapies. Thankfully, there is a lot of hope for the nephrology community. 

View past webinars in this series and register for future webinars at transplantlyfe.com/webinars. 

Panelists:

Syed Ali Husain, MD – Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia Vagelos College of P&S 
Maya K. Rao, MD – Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia Vagelos College of P&S, Director of Chronic Kidney Disease Program 
Gerald Appel, MD – Professor (Tenured) of Medicine at Columbia Vagelos College of P&S, Director of Glomerular Disease Center

Moderators:

Mark A. Hardy, MD, PhD (Hon), FACS – Auchincloss Professor of Surgery, Director Emeritus and Founder of the Transplantation Program at Columbia University Medical Center
Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD – Founder and CEO of Lyfebulb and visiting associate researcher at Columbia University

Just a dude with dialysis problems. End Stage Renal Disease survivor, TWO time transplant recipient and FORMER NxStage Home Hemodialysis Patient. Second transplant occurred on July 23rd, 2011. Returned to dialysis, October 2018. Third transplant on November 7th, 2020. I talk about my experiences with dialysis and transplants all while trying to live a “normal” life. From a young man to a middle aged dad, insight and thoughts on life, love and living with ESRD – tinged with humor.