Will you help us find cures for kidney disease?
“Twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with a kidney disorder called minimal change disease, which over a short period of time evolved into a serious kidney malady known as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). When I received the news, I turned to Dr. Vito M. Campese, then chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. There wasn’t a known cause of this disease and dialysis was my only treatment option.
At that time, Dr. Campese described chronic kidney disease as a growing health crisis with no end in sight. Yet, very little kidney disease research was underway. How could it be that no major kidney disease center existed in Los Angeles or on the West Coast?
Together we embarked on a project to create a nonprofit organization solely devoted to funding kidney disease research—University Kidney Research Organization (UKRO). In 2012, UKRO partnered with USC to establish the USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center (KRC) on USC’s Health Sciences Campus. The KRC aspires to become a premier center in the United States.
As a former dialysis patient and kidney transplant recipient, My Kidney Wish is to build on what we have already accomplished at the KRC and create a world-class kidney institute, bringing together the brightest minds working in a variety of disciplines to find new treatments and cures for kidney disease. During Kidney Month, I invite you to make a gift to support vital research. Together, we can help to alleviate the horrendous suffering that so many millions of adults and children experience who are afflicted with kidney disease. This must be something we do in our time, not in the future.”
Ken Kleinberg
About UKRO and the USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center
UKRO is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit charity founded in 2002 by entertainment lawyer Kenneth Kleinberg with the help of Dr. Vito M. Campese, then Professor and Chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Our mission is fundraising to support medical research and education related to the causes, treatment, and eradication of all forms of kidney disease.
Since 2002, UKRO has raised significant dollars to fund cutting-edge research at the earliest stage of development, in addition to educational symposia and fellowships. Our special project grants have been awarded to nationally recognized experts from interdisciplinary labs at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, City of Hope, and UCLA.
We believe that collaboration among scientists working in a variety of fields is the key to understanding chronic kidney disease, discovering improved therapies, and finding a much-needed cure. To that end, in September 2012, UKRO entered into an agreement with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California to establish what we envision as a premier center nationally for kidney research—the USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center (KRC). We have made an initial $3.5 million pledge to support the establishment of the KRC, which officially opened in 2015. UKRO’s gift will be matched by equivalent contributions from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Led by Kenneth Hallows, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.S.N., the research team at the KRC is exploring kidney regeneration and stem cell therapies, acute kidney injury, hypertension, polycystic kidney disease, acid regulation, kidney cancer, and more.
UKRO Remembers Ron Taubman
UKRO mourns the loss of our dear friend and former board member and Chief Financial Officer, Ronald Taubman, who passed away on September 10, 2019 at the age of 74. Ron was a kind, courageous, special man with a generous heart. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at a…
Keck School of Medicine of USC Hosts World Kidney Day Health Fair
Bravo to the USC School of Pharmacy, members of KDSAP (Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program), the Internal Medicine Residency Program and the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the Keck School of Medicine, and all involved in the 2nd Annual World Kidney Day Health Fair, which took place on…
USC Researchers Use Nanoparticles to Target Kidneys
In an exciting cross-collaboration, researchers from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the Keck School of Medicine have created tiny nanoparticles, known as micelles, to target diseased kidney cells. Made with an ingenious kidney-targeting peptide, these biocompatible and biodegradable micelles can pass into the kidney and remain there, with…
Kidney Research Center Welcomes Eugene Lin
This month the USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center (KRC) welcomed Eugene Lin, M.D., M.S., to the team. Dr. Lin is an Assistant Professor of Medicine with a joint appointment at the KRC and the Department of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology and the Saul Price School of Public Policy and the USC…
The Chronic Kidney Disease Crisis
Chronic kidney disease affects the general population, but is particularly prevalent among African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans. Diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of kidney disease. Left untreated, kidney disease can lead to permanent damage and kidney failure. It is imperative that we protect our kidney health.