symposium2025-2

Trans-Atlantic Symposium:

Past, Present and Future of Kidney Replacement Therapy:

It started in Kampen

 

Date: June 24, 2025
Location: Feesthuys Hanze 1989, IJsseldijk 12, Kampen, the Netherlands

 

In 2025, it will be 80 years since the first patient in the world survived acute kidney failure thanks to Dr. Kolff's artificial kidney (Kampen, Netherlands, 1945). It will also be 65 years since a medical team led by Dr. Scribner developed the first dialysis shunt, making chronic dialysis possible (Seattle, USA, 1960). These inventions save millions of lives daily.

In 2025, we want to celebrate these medical breakthroughs by organizing a symposium that not only highlights the past but also focuses on the present (e.g., the portable artificial kidney made possible by the Dutch Kidney Foundation) and the future (e.g., the implantable artificial kidney). For this last topic, contributions will be made by Prof. Shuvo Roy of "The Kidney Project" in San Francisco, as well as Dr. Fokko Wieringa of the NXTGEN Hightech growth fund project and the EU project KIDNEW. Furthermore, we will highlight transatlantic collaboration between the Netherlands/Europe and the United States, with contributions from Seattle (where Scribner developed his dialysis shunt) and New York (where the first U.S. hemodialysis took place using a machine donated by Kolff). Representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will address international regulations. Additionally, the Kolff Prize will be awarded to a world-renowned innovator in dialysis and vascular access.

The symposium will take place on June 24, 2025, in Kampen, prior to the annual conference of the European Society for Artificial Organs (ESAO) in Enschede (June 25–28, 2025). Intended participants in Kampen include nephrologists, nephrology trainees, other professionals involved in dialysis patient care, as well as members of the European, American, Japanese, and International Societies for Artificial Organs, the European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA), and kidney patient organizations from the Netherlands, the UK, Poland, Canada, and the USA, along with policymakers from the Netherlands and other European countries. The symposium will be chaired by Tom Oostrom, Director of the Dutch Kidney Foundation.

The official language is English. Accreditation has been requested from the Dutch Federation of Internists.

Venue: Feesthuys Hanze 1898 (IJsseldijk 12, Kampen, Netherlands). This location is just a stone's throw from the former "Engelenberg" hospital, where the original Kolff room can be visited, featuring a replica of the first artificial kidney from 1943, as well as replicas of Kolff's Twin Coil Kidney and the Kolff Brigham Kidney.

The symposium is made possible with support from the Dutch Kidney Foundation, the European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA), NextKidney, the Kolff family, NXTGEN Hightech, and other supporters/sponsors.

  • Maximum number of participants: 200.
  • The participation fee is €65 per person (including coffee/tea and lunch).
  • To register for the symposium and make payment, go to the homepage and reserve tickets.
  • Free bus transport from Enschede to Kampen and back is available for ESAO participants attending the symposium.
  • Further details will be announced.