Welcome to the Kidney Disease Center, a component of the Cardiovascular Center , in the Department of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Twenty million Americans have chronic renal disease and another 20 million are at risk but don't know it. For many, this condition will develop into end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Currently, there are approximately 400,000 Americans on dialysis. The cost of this treatment to the Federal Government is staggering; 20 billion a year and the number of patients and costs are projected to increase exponentially over the next ten years.
Our mission is two-fold; to identify the genetic basis of the major kidney diseases and to create better treatment options. Using a multidisciplinary approach fostered by having investigators contribute their varied expertise in a shared facility, the Kidney Disease Center focuses on finding the cause and new treatments for the development of hypertension and diabetes induced renal disease as well as the development of polycystic kidney disease and the of renal injury following organ transplant. Assembling these top researchers together in one facility nurtures the collaborative effort it takes to make cross disciplinary discoveries that will collectively lead to new therapeutic pathways.
The KDC researchers are currently members of the departments of Physiology, Nephrology, Transplant Surgery, Pediatrics and Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin with clinical practices at Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital. Also, members of the Cardiovascular Center.
Our website provides an overview to both the public and the scientific community of our investigators, research, publications, current events and educational links.