PKD PATIENT CREATES COMPUTER PROGRAM TO HELP OTHER PATIENTS FIND KIDNEY DONORS

Bay Area hospital performs its first transplant from computer match on Valentine’s Day.

(San Francisco, CA) February 14, 2007— David Jacobs knows the devastation of polycystic kidney disease. He lost his father and his younger brother to PKD. Dave and his sister both underwent transplant surgery to survive. Now David raises his own children and his brother’s son, knowing all four boys have a 50% chance of having inherited the disease.

PKD is the most common life-threatening genetic disease, affecting 12.5 million people worldwide. PKD causes cysts to form on the kidneys, limiting their ability to filter toxins from the blood. Dialysis and transplantation are the only treatments for kidney failure. There is no cure for PKD.

David struggled to find a kidney donor, since most of his family was ravaged by the disease. Many friends offered, but they weren’t matches for David. Finally a family friend was tested and found to be a match. David received a kidney transplant in 2004. But he knew others would not be so lucky. He couldn’t lose another family member to PKD, while they waited on the transplant list.

The former Microsoft engineer set out to create a computer program to match living donors and patients. The first transplant as a result of Dave’s computer matching system will be performed at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) on Valentine’s Day.

“This software could be life-saving for people facing kidney failure from diseases like PKD. Until a treatment and cure are found, dialysis and kidney transplants are their only options,” said PKD Foundation President & CEO, Dan Larson. “This program brings the hope of receiving a living donor kidney before PKD takes its toll.”

CPMC is the first hospital to use David’s software program. They expect the program to help a large number of patients on the waiting list who initially present with an incompatible donor. David is already talking to other hospitals and hopes to help patients nationwide.

To arrange interviews with David Jacobs, PKD patients, doctors or PKD Foundation staff; contact Media Manager, Jennifer Robinson at (816) 268-8493 or jenniferr@pkdcure.org.

Related Web Sites and Contact Information:

Silverstone Solutions Matchmaker: http://www.silverstonesolutions.com/. Interested hospitals send email to info@silverstonesolutions.com

Paired Kidney Transplant Program at CPMC:
www.cpmc.org/advanced/kidney/patients/topics/paired_kidney.html

Kidney transplant patients interested in CPMC’s program call 1-877-427-6289 or email kidneypair@sutterhealth.org