UVA Nephrology Hosts 2014 Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative

Division of Nephrology

At the Rotunda: Physicians and scientists attending the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative conference

The UVA Division of Nephrology hosted physicians and scientists from across the globe for the thirteenth annual Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) conference. The conference theme for 2014 was “Therapeutic Targets of Human Acute Kidney Injury: Harmonizing Human and Animal AKI,” and its goal was improving outcomes in acute kidney injury (AKI). Endorsed by the American Society of Nephrology, the meeting brought together physicians, scientists and representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Kidney Health Initiative, in order to identify meaningful targets for drug development and testing in human clinical trials by harmonizing animal models of AKI and human AKI.Mark Okusa and Mitchell Rosner co-organized the meeting, with assistance from John Kellum (University of Pittsburgh) and Claudio Ronco (San Bartolo Hospital, Italy). “Currently there are no FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of AKI. This meeting of AKI stakeholders is critical in identifying targets and setting the global research agenda that underpins therapeutics to improve outcomes in our patients,” says Okusa. Dr. Rosner noted that “UVA is a leader in understanding the mechanisms of AKI,” and that “this was a chance to highlight our institution on an international stage.”

– UVA Connect, Brian Murphy, May 2014