November 2025 CKD Insider Newsletter
- one track health
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Welcome to the Chronic Kidney Disease Insider Newsletter. If you are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis, have had a kidney transplant or are helping care for someone who is, this newsletter was created for you! The CKD Insider Newsletter provides actionable information for you and your family to help you manage your health in consultation with your doctor.
In this month’s CKD Insider:
Dial-Assist: a voice-guided app for safer at-home dialysis
A new tool can predict individual CKD outcomes for conservative management vs. dialysis
UCLA clinical trial could eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppressive drugs
Scientists reverse organ transplant rejection of a pig kidney for the first time
Your Fun Tip of the Day
Fun(ish) Tip of the Day for Caregivers & Care Partners
Caring for someone you love is meaningful, get often exhausting endeavor. It is important to remember to take care of yourself as well as your loved one and when things don't go according to plan please be gentle with yourself and the people who are trying to help you. Remember, you’re often making decisions under stress or without enough sleep, so forgiveness—of yourself and others—is essential. And remind yourself of this: you are making a real difference. Even on the days you feel tired or cranky, you’re still contributing in important ways.
Here are some simple, sanity-saving tips for caregivers and care partners:
1. Create a “Care Folder”
A shared Google Doc or digital folder keeps everything in one place: meds, appointments, notes, quirks, routines etc., it makes it easy to loop in backup helpers.
2. Have a Backup Care Buddy
Someone else should know the plan — meds, schedule, what “a good day” looks like, what a “watch closely” day looks like. You shouldn’t be the only one carrying the whole map. If you already have a care partner, make sure you have a solid hand-off between care partners by sharing the latest information about your loved one when you leave.
3. Make a List of What You Actually Do
Daily, weekly, monthly. Why? Because when someone asks, “How can I help?” you can actually tell them.(People really do want to help, but they need direction.)
4. Set a Timer to Feel Your Feelings
15–30 minutes. Let it out. Cry, yell into a pillow, journal, stomp around, whatever works for you. Feel it fully… and then let yourself move forward. Sometimes saying out loud what feels “too ugly” to say is exactly what helps you release it. Anger, sadness, exhaustion, they’re all normal. Feel them… but don’t set up permanent residence there, move yourself forward once the timer rings.
5. Share With Other Caregivers
There are amazing caregiver communities out there — online, in local groups, support networks for many diseases. In this newsletter we often share information about these groups for people with chronic kidney disease, but you can also get good ideas from other support groups like those for dementia, Alzheimer’s and more.People in the same boat often have tested survival strategies.
6. Understand “Ambiguous Grief”
You can grieve changes in your loved one while still loving them, still laughing with them, still finding moments of joy even when they have mental challenges. This “new normal” can hold grief, gratitude and joy and laughter all at the same time. you just need to meet your loved one where they are and accept where you both are.
7. Find time for Fun and Joy in Your Life
Get out, meet friends new and old and change your surroundings by going outdoors even if it is just a walk in a local park. All of these can help you view your circumstances from a different lens and make the challenges you face not as big.
Most of All: Don’t Forget How Important You Are
Caregivers often burn out, get sick earlier, or simply run on empty because they forget they matter. YOU DO MATTER. A LOT!
Dial-Assist: a voice-guided app for safer at-home dialysis
What it is: Dial-Assist is a voice-guided, hands-free app that helps individuals perform at-home dialysis safely, ensuring no critical details or safety steps are overlooked. It uses a checklist protocol—like those used in high-stakes fields such as surgery, aviation, and nuclear safety—to prevent missed or mishandled steps. Dial-Assist can be customized by the dialysis center or healthcare provider for each patient, and it also allows patients to record themselves performing the procedure with their specific setup. This feature reinforces memory and builds confidence.
Why it’s important: At-home dialysis offers greater flexibility, control, and independence. However, at-home hemodialysis requires careful sterile technique and attention to detail to ensure safety. Over time, slight variations in behavior or skipped steps can occur as people become complacent. Dial-Assist helps address these challenges by reinforcing proper procedure and reducing the risk of errors.
A new tool can predict individual CKD outcomes for conservative management vs. dialysis
What it is: At the American Society of Nephrology meeting in early November, Dr. Connie Rhee and her team presented findings from a study evaluating a new tool designed to predict disease outcomes for patients receiving either dialysis or conservative (non-dialysis) management. The tool aims to help providers determine which patients should begin dialysis immediately and which could safely delay treatment in favor of conservative care. The study analyzed data from more than 60,000 patients treated within the VA system and validated the results using OptumLabs data representing over 75,000 additional patients. The findings showed that the tool was highly effective.
Why it’s important: Delaying or avoiding dialysis for patients who do not yet require it can significantly reduce treatment costs and resource use for both individuals and society, especially as kidney disease becomes more prevalent and healthcare resources grow strained. Additionally, conservative management for patients who are well-suited to this approach can help newly diagnosed individuals gradually adapt to the lifestyle changes associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Developing a tool to identify patients most likely to benefit from conservative management would support this process and prevent unnecessary or premature dialysis.
UCLA clinical trial could eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppressive drugs
What it is: A UCLA clinical trial recently tested the use of stem cells derived from the blood of organ donors as a treatment to eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppressive medication for transplant recipients. In this Phase I/II trial, three of the six participants have been able to come off immunosuppressive drugs entirely, while the other three have reduced their doses. Importantly, unlike previous similar approaches that required simultaneous treatment with donor stem cells along with the transplant, this trial was performed in patients who had received organ transplants months to years prior. They are now working to expand this trial, enrolling an additional 10 participants, thanks to new grant funding.
Why it’s important: Traditionally, after an organ transplant, patients must take immunosuppressive drugs to prevent their immune system from attacking the donor organ and causing rejection. While essential, these lifelong medications carry significant side effects, including an increased risk of infection. Innovative approaches, such as the UCLA Tolerance Program, may eliminate the need for immunosuppression and its associated complications.
If you have had a kidney transplant and are interested in learning more about the clinical trial of the delayed immunosuppression-free kidney transplant protocol for well-matched siblings, please visit the program website, call (310) 267-7727 or email ImmuneToleranceProgram@mednet.ucla.edu.
Scientists reverse organ transplant rejection of a pig kidney for the first time
What it is: This month, scientists reported in Nature the first successful prevention of pig kidney rejection in a human body. Researchers transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a brain-dead donor who had donated their body to science, where it functioned for 61 days without dialysis, maintaining stable blood pressure and chemistry. When rejection occurred twice, targeted immunosuppressive treatments reversed it. This study is the first to show that a minimally modified pig kidney can sustain essential functions in a human for an extended period. However, there is far to go to overcome the immune responses that cause rejection.
Why it’s important: There are far fewer donor organs available than the number of patients waiting for transplants. One potential solution is to use genetically modified pig organs. However, without intervention, the human immune system quickly rejects pig organs. Scientists have explored several strategies to prevent this rejection, but this marks the first reported success in stopping rejection after it has begun.
Read more from the Smithsonian here.
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