Media Advisory: UCSF to Present Artificial Kidney Update at Conference
WHAT: UCSF bioengineer Shuvo Roy, PhD, will be presenting an update on the status of the Implantable Artificial Kidney device during the 58th Annual Conference of The American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) in San Francisco. The artificial kidney project, for which Roy is leading a team of 40 scientists in nine laboratories nationwide, has achieved several scientific milestones in the past two years in the effort to create an implantable solution to replace kidney dialysis, and has been selected among three projects nationwide for a new, streamlined approval process through the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Members of Roy’s team also will present new developments during the conference.
Media are welcome to attend the presentation and to speak with Dr. Roy independently.
WHEN:
Saturday, June 16, 2012
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
WHERE:
The Fairmont San Francisco Hotel
950 Mason Street, San Francisco
California Room Lobby, Mezzanine Level
WHO: Shuvo Roy, PhD, is an associate professor of bioengineering and therapeutic sciences in the UCSF School of Pharmacy. A specialist in micro-electromagnetic sensors (MEMS) and former aerospace engineer, Roy is applying silicon technologies used in the computer industry to solve some of the most intractable and costly health issues, including end-stage renal failure, diabetes (through an artificial pancreas) and child-focused devices.
WHY: UCSF is leading a national project to create the world’s first implantable, artificial kidney eliminating the need for dialysis for patients suffering from acute kidney failure. Nearly 2 million people worldwide suffer from kidney failure. Most rely on kidney dialysis, at a huge cost: dialysis typically requires three, three-hour sessions per week connected to a machine, and replaces only 13 percent of kidney function, with a five-year survival rate of 35 percent. Treatment for kidney failure costs $35 billion/year in the United States alone. The device is expected to enter clinical trials in four to six years.
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.