Nov. 2025 Newsletter
Help More Families Ensure a PKD-Free Future
Since launching PKD-Free Alliance, our mission has been clear: Help families stop Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) from being passed to future generations. Together, we’re turning that vision into reality faster than we ever imagined.
Here’s what we’ve collectively accomplished since the launch of our PKD-Free Babies Grant Program:
Received 200+ applications from families ready to end PKD in their family, with the pace of new applications increasing each month
Supported 100+ families with PGT-M and/or IVF grants
Celebrated the births of 20 PKD-Free Babies
Right now, we have the resources to support 300 families, but so many more are waiting for their chance to start a PKD-Free future.
That’s why our 2025 Year-End Campaign aims to raise enough funds to reach 500 families and EVERY SINGLE GIFT MADE WILL BE MATCHED DOLLAR-FOR-DOLLAR.
With our matching gift policy in place, each $5,000 of donations funds another healthy baby who never inherits PKD and can never pass it down to the next generation.
Donations of all sizes are meaningful.
PLEASE click on any of the purple “Share” buttons on our Donate Now page to tell others why our Mission matters to you and spread word about our matching gift campaign. By doing so, you’ll help us reach new people and grow awareness.
Thank you for being part of this growing community of hope and change.
Alliance Staff Attend Largest Annual Nephrology Conference
Earlier this month, PKD-Free Alliance was represented at the single largest international gathering of kidney professionals, ASN Kidney Week.
Held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX, the five-day event organized by the American Society of Nephrology brought together 12,000 nephrologists, researchers, trainees, industry representatives, and other key stakeholders in the larger kidney space.
Alliance CIOO Kevin Schnurr and Community Outreach Manager Melinna Sanchez interacted with dozens of kidney care providers, including Center of Excellence Directors, nephrology fellows, genetics experts, and dietitians, educating them about our services.
Staff were especially honored to meet Steve Sammons, MD, who serves at the new PKD Specialty Clinic at University of Utah Health and discuss the importance of dietary choices and generational health options with the Santa Barbara Nutrients team. Thank you to all those who visited booth #1642 to learn about assisted reproductive technology, our grant program, and how we can collectively achieve a PKD-Free future.
Click here to watch a video slideshow highlighting our time at ASN Kidney Week.
PKD Research Roundup
The results of a pilot study published in Kidney360 indicate that composition of the gut microbiota could potentially contribute to disease progression of ADPKD and the individual disease variability.
A new article in Kidney International Reports outlines liver cyst infection outcomes in ADPKD, including antibiotic therapy durations and their impact on treatment efficacy.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have proposed a target therapy that stops the growth of fluid-filled cysts in PKD patients. Thomas Weimbs, PhD, interviewed in our October newsletter, is senior author of the published study.
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