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NC Kidney Technology Incubator

 

The North Carolina Kidney Technology Incubator selects science and engineering undergraduates and immerses them in a program that includes:

  • kidney conversations to provide baseline information about kidney disease
  • clinical exposures including visits to the dialysis and transplant units, ICUs, and Endovascular Center to identify potential gaps in care
  • visits to linked kidney and vascular focused laboratories
  • creation of student groups for development of a collaborative (2-3 student) capstone project

Our vision for this program is that program alumni will gravitate in their future careers (in medicine, academia, industry, business, or federal work) towards trying to address kidney or kidney-related issues.

Ongoing Projects:

Dialysis vascular access dysfunction (fistulae, grafts and catheters) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality at a significant economic cost. One important gap in the process of care pathway for vascular access is a lack of education and awareness about the types of vascular access and the complications associated with vascular access.

This project will focus on converting available ultrasound data into 3D models describing the different types of vascular access, and also develop interactive models that describe cannulation complications and endovascular and surgical procedures for vascular access dysfunction.

There could be potential to convert this project into a small company.

At the heart of the push for wearable and implantable dialysis is the need for more effective membranes to filter out the waste products of metabolism in the setting of kidney failure.

The polymer-graphene oxide nanocomposites developed by the Dingemans group in Applied Physical Sciences offer several advantages over existing dialysis membranes especially with regard to future miniaturization and the removal of specific uremic toxins.

Trainees will be involved in all aspects of the project from membrane development to the use of microfluidic models to assess clearance.

Course Curriculum:

  1. Vascular Access with Dr. Roy-Chaudhury
  2. Kidneys 101 with Dr. Jain
  3. Kidney Care in Different Communities with Dr. Gibson
  4. Dialysis with Dr. Kshirsagar
  5. Animal Facilities with Dr. Shipley
  6. Glomerular Diseases with Dr. Derebail
  7. Pediatric Kidney Care with Dr. Sanderson
  8. Membranes are Us with Dr. Dingemans
  9. Diabetes and the Kidney with Dr. Mottl
  10. Microfluids with Dr. Polacheck
  11. Ultrasonics with Dr. Gallippi
  12. Kidney Transplant with Dr. True
  13. Tech. Transfer with Dr. Moore and Dr. Kant
  14. Career Pathways with Dr. Zeitler
  15. UNCKC Science: B cells ++ with Dr. Bunch and Dr. Ciavatta
  16. Climate and Kidneys with Dr. Chang
  17. Hypertension with Dr. Voora
  18. Patients First with Dr. Flythe
  19. Clinical Research & Trials with Caroline Poulton

Past Cohorts: