In this episode of Dialogues, we talk with two of the world’s leading authorities on chronic kidney disease, Drs. Bernard Canaud and Allan Collins, Senior Chief Scientists at Fresenius Medical Care. We discuss how addressing common, manageable complications through personalized renal replacement therapy can improve cardiac outcomes in hemodialysis patients.

Nephrology has been under-represented in clinical research, even as rapid progress in gene sequencing and analysis has led to precision medicine advances in other medical areas like oncology and cardiology. Ali Gharavi, MD, Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, discusses how genomic and phenotypic research can help scientists better understand how genetic variations in patients with chronic kidney disease can lead to more precise diagnoses and therapies that help improve outcomes by individualizing care.

The evidence for genetic drivers in kidney diseases is substantial, but much larger data sets will be needed to untangle the complex interactions that lead to kidney injury. Kurt Mussina, President of Frenova Renal Research, talks about Frenova’s efforts to develop the largest renal-focused genomic registry in the world. Containing genetic sequencing data from chronic kidney disease patients around the globe, data from the registry will be used by researchers to improve understanding of kidney disease.

In part two of our exploration of Food Is Medicine, veteran health and wellness expert Allison Hess, Vice President of Health Innovations at Geisinger, discusses the company’s successful Fresh Foods Farmacy.  By providing fresh, healthy food to those most in need, Allison and team are shining a light on the vital role healthy foods play in improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Amir Sapkota, professor at the University of Maryland, talks about the effects climate change has on health outcomes.  He discusses the relationships between frequency of extreme events, changes in plant phenology, and increased risk of respiratory diseases.  Dr. Sapkota is developing public health strategies to combat the effects of a changing climate.


Biochemist Nadja Grobe, supervisor of lab research at the Renal Research Institute, discusses how metabolomic signatures can be used to deliver more personal, precise care for patients living with kidney disease.  By learning from these unique biomarkers, researchers are at the forefront of developing the future of personalized medicine.

We continue our look at Translating Science Into Medicine by talking with Dr. Doris Fuertinger, Director of Biomathematical Modeling and Simulation at Fresenius Medical Care.  Dr. Fuertinger and her team are using complex mathematics and real-life data to create patient Avatars that can help predict an individual’s physiological response to a certain treatment.  These realistic simulations of clinical trials can help overcome the limitations of traditional approaches and lead to new improvements in patient outcomes.

Phenomena such as extreme heat events are increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity and the trend is projected to continue.  Dr. Peter Kotanko, research director at the Renal Research Institute, talks about how extreme climate events might affect vulnerable patient populations, such as those with end stage kidney disease.

Scientists at the Renal Research Institute have created a mobile app using vascular access images to identify and classify aneurysms that may pose a risk to patients. Hanjie Zhang, biostatistician at RRI and an expert in artificial intelligence and machine learning, tells us about the app and how artificial intelligence can help recognize patterns in data, automatically flag potential problems, and improve personalized patient care.

Translational research is an effort to build on scientific advances to create new therapies and diagnostics that advance patient care.  Dr. Peter Kotanko, research director at the Renal Research Institute, talks about the quest to reimagine the future of kidney care by both seeing and focusing on new and evolving science that can benefit patients.