Proceedings of a membrane update symposium: advancements, scientific insights, and future trends for dialysis membranes for enhanced clinical outcomes in end stage kidney disease patients

Christoph Wanner; Raymond Vanholder; Alberto Ortiz; Andrew Davenport; Bernard Canaud; Peter J Blankestijn; Rosalinde Masereeuw; Jeroen Peter Kooman; Giuseppe Castellano; Dimitrios Stamatialis; Sandip Mitra; Muriel Grooteman; Viktoria Weber; Thomas Ebert; Amira Abdelrasoul; Sonja Steppan; Anna Rebecca Scheiwe; Peter Stenvinkel

doi:10.3389/fneph.2024.1455260

Proceedings of a membrane update symposium: advancements, scientific insights, and future trends for dialysis membranes for enhanced clinical outcomes in end stage kidney disease patients

Front Nephrol. 2024 Oct 15:4:1455260. doi: 10.3389/fneph.2024.1455260. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Christoph Wanner^{1

2}, Raymond Vanholder^{3

4}, Alberto Ortiz^{5

6}, Andrew Davenport⁷, Bernard Canaud⁸, Peter J Blankestijn⁹, Rosalinde Masereeuw¹⁰, Jeroen Peter Kooman^{11

12}, Giuseppe Castellano^{13

14}, Dimitrios Stamatialis^{15

16}, Sandip Mitra¹⁷, Muriel Grooteman^{18

19}, Viktoria Weber²⁰, Thomas Ebert²¹, Amira Abdelrasoul²², Sonja Steppan²³, Anna Rebecca Scheiwe²³, Peter Stenvinkel²⁴

Affiliations

¹ Renal Research Unit, Department of Clinical Research and Epidemiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
² Clinical Trial Service and Epidemiology Studies Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
³ Nephrology Section, Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
⁴ European Kidney Health Alliance, Brussels, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz UAM, Madrid, Spain.
⁶ Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
⁷ UCL Department of Nephrology, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
⁸ School of Medicine, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
⁹ Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
¹⁰ Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
¹¹ Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, Netherlands.
¹² Department of Internal Medicine, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
¹³ Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Renal Transplantation, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
¹⁴ Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
¹⁵ Advanced Organ Bioengineering and Therapeutics-Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands.
¹⁶ Department of Nephrology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
¹⁷ Manchester Academy of Health Sciences Centre, Manchester University Hospitals, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
¹⁸ Department of Nephrology, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Nephrology, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
¹⁹ Department of Nephrology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Diabetes & Metabolism, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
²⁰ Department for Biomedical Research, University for Continuing Education Krems, Krem, Austria.
²¹ Medical Department III - Endocrinology, Nephrology, Rheumatology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
²² Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
²³ Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, Bad Homburg, Germany.
²⁴ Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

Purpose of symposium: From September 6 - 8 2022, the Life/2022 Membrane Symposium was held in Frankfurt, Germany, and transmitted live to a worldwide internet audience. The event was part of the Life/Nephrology Campus initiative, a continuous educational platform for the nephrology community to expand knowledge and share expertise on contemporary topics in chronic kidney disease. We describe recent questions and advances in the field, and we underline challenges in the care of dialysis patients and opportunities for integration of new findings into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes in end stage kidney disease patients.

Topics: Most patients with kidney failure are on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). The scientific program of the symposium was developed around topics about the role, functional determinants, technical aspects, limitations, and clinical implications of membranes presently in use. International experts with clinical or technical expertise as well as scientific recognition within the nephrology community were asked to prepare their presentations based on their own experiences, perceptions, opinions, and sources of information. The symposium devoted a major portion to discussing novel approaches for improving membranes and treatment quality, including updates on innovative concepts that may could potentially transform the landscape of kidney replacement therapy for chronic kidney disease patients in the future.

Implications: The intent was to provide insights into current attention points for healthcare professionals new to the field of MHD, and to test a unique forum for continuing medical education integrating physician and patient experiences to promote changes in clinical practice. Furthermore, the symposium premiered a specifically developed mixed reality holographic 3D model to demonstrate recent dialyzer innovation diminishing protein fouling on membrane surfaces. As a continuous online educational platform for scientific exchange, this Life/2022 event provided online learning opportunities with on-demand content, with all symposium lectures freely available on nephrologycampus.com.

Keywords: biocompatibility; chronic kidney disease; clinical impact; dialysis membranes; innovation; science; technology.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. DS acknowledges the financial support of: (i) the Strategic alliance of the University of Twente, University of Utrecht, and University Medical Center Utrecht (2018-2023) (ii) the “European Uremic Toxin Working Group” (EUTox) of the “European Society for Artificial Organs” (ESAO) endorsed by the “European Renal Association-European Dialysis Transplantation Association” (ERA-EDTA). (iii) New-generation high-tech technology (NXTGEN HIGHTECH) growth fund program of the Dutch government (2023-27). RM acknowledges the financial support of: (i) the Strategic alliance of the University of Twente, University of Utrecht, and University Medical Center Utrecht (2018-2023) (ii) the “European Uremic Toxin Working Group” (EUTox) of the “European Society for Artificial Organs” (ESAO) endorsed by the “European Renal Association-European Dialysis Transplantation Association” (ERA-EDTA). (iii) the European Commission (KIDNEW, HORIZON-EIC-2022 Pathfinder program grant agreement no. 101099092). TE was supported by a Novo Nordisk postdoctoral fellowship run in partnership with Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, a Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation grant, the Stiftelsen Stig och Gunborg Westman, the Swedish Kidney Foundation (Njurfonden), the German Diabetes Association (DDG), as well as by the Team Award Nephrology+ 2023 by Otsuka Pharma. T.E. was further funded through the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) Mentorship Program supported by AstraZeneca. SM is supported by NIHR Health Technology Centre, Devices for Dignity, Sheffield, UK.