With the establishment of a clinic of its own for the Department of Nephrology, the University Hospital of Frankfurt is placing a new focus on renal medicine. The Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Nephrology Research arose in conjunction with the German foundation Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS). EKFS is supporting this new founding with ten million euros over a period of ten years in order to decisively bring about progress in the researching of kidney diseases. Prof. Dr. Dr. Thimoteus Speer has taken over direction of the clinic for nephrology in his capacity as a specialist for internal medicine with an emphasis on nephrology. One focal point at the new EKFC will be fundamental research, yet the same is true for translational research to be able to identify new therapeutic approaches for patients and apply the findings and knowledge gained within clinical everyday work in the near term.
More than nine million people in Germany are afflicted with a chronic kidney ailment. 80,000 of them need dialysis treatment. 2,000 donor kidneys are transplanted here each year, whereby the demand for donor organs is much higher. The causes for kidney damage frequently result from other widespread diseases: In the case of diabetes mellitus, the probability of a kidney ailment is doubled, with hypertension (high blood pressure) the risk is even three times as high.
Further information can be found here.
You can find more information in the press release from September 15, 2022.