Research is at the heart of preventing kidney disease and improving the lives of people suffering from kidney disease. Without new knowledge, we will never reach our goal of a world without kidney failure. The National Kidney Foundation of Georgia funds clinical and basic research at both the local and national level. The goal of clinical research is to give practicing physicians and allied health professionals the tools they need to provide the best care possible with the technology available today. Basic research holds out the hope for finding the cures for kidney diseases.

Since its founding in June 1970, the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia has contributed $1,200,000 to the NKF national research program and provided grants to local researchers totaling $560,040.  Successes of the NKF national program include advances in the understanding and treatment of edema, hypertension, diabetic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease, genetic and childhood kidney diseases, and improvements in dialysis and transplantation. The national program also funds urology research in areas such as urological causes of kidney failure and treatment for kidney and prostate cancer.

Here in the State of Georgia, research and grants have underwritten research fellowships and young investigator awards to help scientists start and maintain careers studying kidney disease. We have helped investigators who teach in our four Medical Schools and in major Universities and whose laboratories today study the whole range of kidney disorders, including kidney growth, hypertension, nutrition and kidney disease, salt and water excretion, acidosis, edema formation, systemic lupus and the kidney, glomerulonephritis, hemodialysis vascular access, transplant immunology, and the growth and well-being of children with kidney disease.


Our research budget for the 2000-2001 fiscal year is $160,000: $60,000 for the local program and $100,000 for the national program.  We support two researchers at Emory University--Dr. Sira Sooparb's study of diabetes and kidney failure, and Dr. Sira Raissi's study of the loss of muscle mass in kidney failure patients.  Georgia applications to the national grant program are automatically reviewed for funding by the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia Medical Advisory Board. For information on the types of awards and for application procedures and dates, please refer to the NKF national web site by clicking here.

We consider funding proposals for all types of national awards, including the new research awards for allied health professionals. The Medical Advisory Board consists of representatives from all of the state's medical schools and most major universities as well as practicing physicians and allied medical professionals from all parts of the state. For further information on the local research program, please write Dr. Harold Franch, chair of the Medical Advisory Board, or Dr. Jeff Sands, chair of the Research Committee, at the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia address.

The foundation is committed to increasing financial support of research into the causes of kidney and urological diseases. The National Kidney Foundation of Georgia plans to increase its support of Georgia research over the next 5 years to $250,000 annually, while continuing its support of the national program.  The board of directors has created a special research fund which, in addition to contributions from the general operating fund, will be used to fund this expanded research program. We are excited about this opportunity to increase the chances to improve the treatment of kidney disease and to prevent and find cures for kidney disorders.