NKF's Innovation Fund Invests in ZeitLife to Modernize Kidney Preservation and Logistics

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Nov 16, 2023, 11:58 ET

~ Collaboration aims to improve kidney transplantation and enhance health equity ~

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is proud to announce its latest investment through the NKF Innovation Fund. ZeitLife™ Transplant Innovations, Inc., is a global medical device company specializing in advancing technologies to modernize kidney preservation and logistics.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is proud to announce its latest investment through the NKF's Innovation Fund in Klinrisk, an artificial intelligence-based medical device company.

Led by industry veterans deeply committed to the organ procurement and transplantation community, ZeitLife brings specialized engineering, industrial design, clinical insights, scaled manufacturing, and commercial expertise to address the most pressing challenges and the most ambitious promises in kidney transplantation. The company is at the forefront of advancing preservation fluid and machine perfusion technologies, with a relentless focus on the urgent challenges in organ transportation and logistics. Their specialized expertise and commitment to serial entrepreneurship in the field position them to drive the sharing of organs over longer distances, ensuring universal compliance with solidly established clinical evidence.

By introducing efficient new business models and routine workflows, ZeitLife is accelerating the modernization of the procurement and transplant system. This strategic investment with NKF's Innovation Fund will further empower ZeitLife in their mission to serve as a key player in the promising future of supplying organs on demand.

"We're honored to have NKF's support and encouragement," said Ron Mills, CEO of ZeitLife. "Nobody knows more about the tough challenges our customers face and the bold innovations our company offers."

This collaboration signifies the NKF's ongoing commitment to investing in innovative solutions that will improve the lives of kidney disease patients and advance kidney health. The NKF's Innovation Fund has a track record of supporting groundbreaking companies, including Klinrisk, and Diatiro, to enhance health equity through cutting-edge technology.

"We are thrilled to invest in ZeitLife's quest to modernize kidney preservation and logistics," said Kevin Longino, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. "ZeitLife's dedication to advancing technologies and their commitment to the betterment of kidney transplantation align perfectly with NKF's core values. With the support of the Innovation Fund, we look forward to accelerating the transformation of kidney preservation and logistics, ultimately improving the lives of countless patients waiting for kidney transplants."

Launched in 2021, the NKF Innovation Fund works to accelerate funding, development, and commercialization of therapies that kidney patients need and deserve. The fund invests in early to mid-stage companies that are developing innovative, patient-centric kidney therapies. The long-term goals of the NKF Innovation fund are to prevent kidney disease, eliminate the transplant wait list, and provide better, safer treatments for dialysis patients so they can live fuller and more productive lives. For more information about the NKF Innovation Fund, please visit kidney.org/innovationfund.

To learn more about kidney disease and how to maintain optimal kidney health, visit www.kidney.org/.

About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease—and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. About 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are almost 4 times more likely than White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people.

About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.

About ZeitLife
ZeitLife Transplant Innovations, Inc., is a global medical device company advancing technologies to modernize kidney preservation and logistics. Founded in collaboration with Fresenius Medical Care and Mayo Clinic, and led by industry veterans in service to the organ procurement and transplantation community, ZeitLife brings unique clinical insights, specialized engineering, industrial design, scaled manufacturing, and relevant commercial experience to address today's toughest challenges and tomorrow's boldest promises.

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SOURCE The National Kidney Foundation