Premium Research is responsible for the Communication and Dissemination Work Package of this European-scale project, which involves nephrology departments from three European hospitals and two companies, with the aim of clinically validating and developing a new portable peritoneal dialysis (PD) system for kidney patients, called WeaKid.

Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme under grant agreement No. 945207, the project began on 1 July 2021 and is scheduled to run until 30 September 2025. It has a total budget of €3,482,224.82, fully financed by the EU.

In traditional PD, the peritoneal cavity is filled with dialysis fluid for a set period and then drained, removing waste substances that the kidneys can no longer filter. The new system continuously circulates and regenerates the dialysis fluid by adsorbing toxins within the system, potentially improving clearance by two to three times.

Moreover, conventional PD uses very high concentrations of glucose, which can damage the peritoneal membrane. The new system releases glucose gradually, eliminating the need for such high concentrations and helping to preserve the membrane’s function.

The project Cordial includes clinical trials with patients to validate the clinical safety and performance of the WeaKid system.