The University of Utah and RenalytixAI Partner to Drive Innovation in Kidney Health
Innovative partnership to enable health system-wide approach to help delay or prevent progression in the earliest stages while advancing genetics research for detection, prognosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease
NEW YORK and SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Renalytix AI plc (LSE: RENX) (NASDAQ: RNLX), an artificial intelligence-enabled in vitro diagnostics company, and the University of Utah, one of the top research institutions in the United States, today announced a partnership to improve kidney health and reduce the risk of kidney failure for large scale populations in the earliest stages of kidney disease.
The partnership intends to implement RenalytixAI’s in vitro diagnostic platform, KidneyIntelX, in combination with a range of advanced clinical management solutions to optimize patient care and drive towards improved outcomes system-wide at University of Utah Health, which serves millions of patients in six states. KidneyIntelX is designed for the identification of adults with early-stage chronic kidney disease and diabetes who are at risk for progressive kidney function decline or kidney failure.
Core to this partnership is the implementation of care navigation and pharmacy programs, behavioral and health economic assessments, together with data-driven analytics. KidneyIntelX will be deployed directly into the electronic health records (EHR) system at University of Utah Health, enabling access to more than 1,700 clinicians for seamless test ordering and patient risk score reporting as part of the standard clinical workflow.
The RenalytixAI and University of Utah partnership was facilitated by the University’s designated office for industry relations, The Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center.
“Working with RenalytixAI to improve kidney disease management yields the University of Utah new avenues to innovate approaches to translational research, health informatics, and clinical care,” said John Inadomi, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine. “This partnership is exciting because it is so forward looking. It also demonstrates the value of having a resource like the PIVOT Center which is able to drive complicated relations for our exceptional health enterprise.”
“RenalytixAI is a unique and ideal partner to engage in a multi-dimensional collaboration like this, in real-time and at scale,” said Keith Marmer, chief innovation and economic engagement officer, University of Utah. “The University of Utah’s PIVOT Center is focused on catalyzing the innovation ecosystem in Utah by integrating technology commercialization, economic development and corporate engagement, and this partnership with RenalytixAI serves as a terrific example of how we’ve come together to do just that.”
“University of Utah’s clinical and translational expertise presents an ideal opportunity to interrupt the devastating and costly effects of progressive chronic kidney disease from its earliest stages to help prevent irreversible late-stage kidney disease and dialysis,” said James McCullough, chief executive officer, RenalytixAI. “This partnership is enabling RenalytixAI to address a major health problem, help build the life sciences sector in Utah and show the economic value of such a robust public private collaboration. We look forward to being able to announce additional innovative partnerships of this type in the near future.”
Integral to the partnership, RenalytixAI and the University of Utah are supporting continued research and development in: 1) understanding kidney disease progression and improving clinical management in underserved minority communities; 2) novel care delivery and treatment models in early-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) across all populations; and 3) identifying genetic biomarkers for incorporation into KidneyIntelX and other machine learning-driven algorithms to enhance diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of patients in the earliest disease stages. RenalytixAI will be providing financial support to the University of Utah over a five-year period in the form of sponsored research, software and education program development, and third-party resources in each of these critical areas.
“The growing partnership between RenalytixAI and the University of Utah is an ideal example of the great innovation possible within Utah’s rich life sciences ecosystem,” said Katelin Roberts, interim director of BioHive, a thriving collective of more than 1,100 companies representing the life science and healthcare innovation ecosystem of Utah’s economy. “The entrepreneurial, can-do spirit of the partners, coupled with unique technology and research capacities, will potentially enable new advances in patient care and disease management throughout the state.”
This partnership follows RenalytixAI’s establishment of a new commercial laboratory in the University of Utah’s Research Park in 2020 and demonstrates the continued growth of RenalytixAI’s operations for the western United States. RenalytixAI intends to rapidly expand employees and infrastructure in the state and accelerate the availability of advanced precision medicine diagnostics for Utah diabetes and kidney disease patients.
About Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is now recognized as a public health epidemic affecting over 850 million people globally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 15% of US adults, or 37 million people, currently have chronic kidney disease (CKD). Further, the CDC reports that 9 out of 10 adults with CKD do not know they have it and 1 out of 2 people with very low kidney function who are not on dialysis do not know they have CKD*. Kidney disease is referred to as a “silent killer” because it often has no symptoms and can go undetected until a very advanced stage. Each year, kidney disease kills more people than breast and prostate cancer. Every day, 13 patients in the United States die while waiting for a kidney transplant.
* https://www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease/publications-resources/2019-national-facts.html
About the Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center
The Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center leads the University of Utah’s centralized and integrated strategy and operation for technology commercialization, corporate engagement, and economic development. In doing so, PIVOT Center serves as a hub for the U to foster partnerships between industry, university, and government entities. The center formalizes the U’s commitment to broaden its impact on Utah’s economy by enhancing local and global collaborations to catalyze innovation. The center’s mission is to generate economic returns for the university and the state of Utah, expand the university’s reputation for innovation, and positively impact society. The University of Utah was recently ranked 2nd among large research universities for “innovation productivity impact.”
About RenalytixAI
RenalytixAI (LSE: RENX) (NASDAQ: RNLX) is a developer of artificial intelligence-enabled clinical in vitro diagnostic solutions for kidney disease, one of the most common and costly chronic medical conditions globally. The Company’s lead product is KidneyIntelX.com (visit www.kidneyintelx.com) which is being designed to help make significant improvements in kidney health through early risk prognosis and optimal clinical care to reduce the incidence of advanced kidney disease and kidney failure. For more information, visit www.renalytixai.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Examples of these forward-looking statements include statements concerning: the commercial prospects of KidneyIntelX, the success of our partnership with the University of Utah, our ability to enter into and maintain agreements with laboratory service providers and logistics providers across multiple territories in the United States to ensure secure and efficient delivery of patient samples to our laboratories, and the ability of KidneyIntelX to curtail costs of CKD and end-stage kidney disease and improve patient outcomes. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the plans and objectives disclosed in the forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: that KidneyIntelX is based on novel artificial intelligence technologies that are rapidly evolving and potential acceptance, utility and clinical practice remains uncertain; we have only recently commercially launched KidneyIntelX; and risks relating to the impact on our business of the COVID-19 pandemic or similar public health crises. These and other risks are described more fully in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report, and other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Media Contacts:
United States:
Jennifer Moritz
Zer0 to 5ive for RenalytixAI
(917) 748-4006
jmoritz@0to5.com
Outside of the United States:
Walbrook PR Limited
Paul McManus / Lianne Cawthorne
Tel: 020 7933 8780 or renalytix@walbrookpr.com
Mob: 07980 541 893 / 07584 391 303
For the University of Utah:
Theresa Gubler
Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center
(801) 213-3571 or Theresa.Gubler@utah.edu
