A highly diverse team imagining the undiscovered

RENAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

A highly diverse
team imagining
the undiscovered

ABOUT THE RENAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The heart of RRI’s capacity for innovation is our ability to examine complex problems through multiple lenses.

The Renal Research Institute (RRI) is an internationally recognized incubator of ideas, treatment processes, and technologies to improve the lives of kidney patients. RRI’s leadership in computational biomedicine and data analytics, as well as our access to a large patient population, accelerates the pace of scientific discoveries and their translation into applied medicine. Our team includes some of the brightest minds from around the world, who, along with their disciplinary expertise, bring a deep understanding of global healthcare issues and challenges.

Our Research

RRI’s pioneering leadership in computational biomedicine and data analytics drives breakthroughs, including the introduction of virtual clinical trials and smartphone-based diagnostics. Not only does our interdisciplinary approach foster wide-ranging research within the global framework of Fresenius Medical Care, it encourages collaboration with academic institutions in the United States, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

Latest Research & News

Latest Research

  • Fansan Zhu, Laura Rosales Merlo, Lela Tisdale, Maricar Villarama, Jun Yi, Zahin Haq, Xiaoling Wang, Nadja Grobe, Karsten Fischer, Kulwinder Plahey, Richard A Lasher, Paul Chamney, Brigitte Schiller, Peter Kotanko

    Monitoring intraperitoneal pressure (IPP) offers valuable insights into changes of intraperitoneal volume (IPV) during peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study aims to investigate the relationship between IPV and IPP during a PD dwell. Thirteen patients were studied during a 2-h dwell using 2 L of dialysate containing 2.5% dextrose. IPP was measured using a pressure sensor integrated into an automated PD cycler. IPV was monitored concurrently by segmental bioimpedance (Hydra 4200). The density (ρ) of the PD dialysate was measured using a meter, and the creatinine and glucose concentrations in both dialysate (D) and serum (P) were measured pre- and post-PD dwell. A physical model (IPP = ρ × g × h), was used to describe the relationship between IPP and IPV, where h is the apparent dialysate height and g is the gravitational acceleration. The change in IPP (ΔIPP, -21.2 ± 18%) was mainly determined by the change of h (Δh, -20.9 ± 18.5%), while the change ρ (Δρ, -0.34 ± 0.06%), was minor. The study demonstrated an association between ΔIPP and the ratio of D/P creatinine and D/D0 glucose, suggesting that ΔIPP may reflect membrane transport characteristics. Due to its noninvasive and seamless nature, the clinical utility of PD cycler-based measurement of IPP warrants further exploration.

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Education

LATEST EPISODE

The Gift of Life & Its Impact

March 13, 2025

In this special World Kidney Day episode of Frontiers in Kidney Medicine & Biology, we explore the life-changing power of kidney donation. Dr. Maria E. Ferris, a pediatric nephrologist and kidney donor, shares her personal story alongside her son, Ted Ferris, a three-time kidney transplant recipient, and Chris Ivimey, an altruistic kidney donor.

Join us as we discuss the urgent need for living donors, the impact of transplantation on families, and the power of giving the Gift of Life.