$4 MILLION APPROVED TO FUND RESEARCH
FOR MOST COMMON LIFE-THREATENING GENETIC DISEASE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

PKD Foundation awards grants and fellowships for 2008 

(Kansas City, MO) February 8, 2008 — 12.5 million patients living with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) now have new hope for a treatment or cure. The PKD Foundation announced plans to fund approximately $4 million in PKD research this year.

PKD is one of the most common, life-threatening, genetic diseases. For people living with PKD, cysts grow throughout the kidneys and eventually cause the kidneys to fail. Dialysis and transplantation are the only treatment options for kidney failure. There is no cure for PKD.

“The PKD Foundation is grateful to generous donors who strengthen our ability to fund cutting-edge research projects in 17 states and 10 countries this year. This reflects a synergistic partnership, whereby public support and our capacity to impact PKD research, increases both the number and quality of projects we support,” said PKD Foundation President and CEO, Dan Larson.

"The scientific progress generated by these projects provides real help and hope for the 12.5 million people around the globe who suffer from this devastating disease. There is no cure for polycystic kidney disease (PKD), but every new PKD research project we support brings us one step closer to a PKD treatment and cure,” he added.

Among the projects is a clinical trial in France, using the drug Roscovitine, which may provide a long-term fix for PKD without frequent dosing. Roscovitine is an anti-proliferative drug which is already in clinical trials in that country for use by cancer patients.

A complete list of the funded projects for 2008 is available online at www.pkdcure.org. The not-for-profit PKD Foundation leads the fight against PKD through research funding and patient education and support. For more information, call 1-800-PKD-CURE.