Research

In the early 1960s, researchers in Seattle pioneered the first chronic dialysis program in the world, providing a lifeline to patients with irreversible kidney failure.

Today, Northwest Kidney Centers collaborates with UW Medicine in the Kidney Research Institute, which focuses on developing early detection, prevention and treatment of kidney disease and its complications.

The Kidney Research Institute brings together scientists in clinical medicine, pharmacology, genetics, pathology, psychology, education and physiology working closely with basic scientists in bioengineering, biochemistry, immunology, genomics, and other disciplines.

DID YOU

KNOW?

When the Seattle Artificial Kidney Center (later renamed Northwest Kidney Centers) opened its doors on January 1, 1962, it was the world’s first out-of-hospital dialysis treatment center.

Learn more about the Kidney Research Institute

Northwest Kidney Centers keeps people in the Seattle area alive with dialysis care, educates the public about kidney health, and collaborates with UW Medicine in the Kidney Research Institute. We are one of very few community-based, nonprofit dialysis providers in the country. Founded in 1962, ours was the first out-of-hospital dialysis program in the world and it is still a model in the field.