“We’ve come full circle. It all started here.”
On June 24, 2025, the city of Kampen was once again the focal point of kidney innovation. In the same town where Dr. Willem Kolff built the world’s first dialysis machine during World War II, top scientists and clinicians from around the world gathered for the international symposium “Past, Present & Future of Kidney Replacement Therapy – It Started in Kampen.”
The event commemorates 80 years since Kolff’s first successful hemodialysis, as well as 65 years since the invention of the Scribner shunt that enabled chronic treatment — both milestones that revolutionized kidney care.
“This is a celebration of science, but also of perseverance and humanity,” said Prof. Fokko Wieringa, one of the organizers, in an interview with RTV Oost. “To realize the implantable artificial kidney we need streamlined international collaboration.”
Artificial Kidney Innovation lab at the old hospital in Kampen, where the first successful hemodialysis treatment was performed by Dr. Willem Kolff. From left to right: Tadeo Alcerreca, Dian Bolhuis, Karin Gerritsen, Jeroen Vollenbroek, and João Brás
A Living Legacy
The symposium began by looking back. Attendees heard history come to live from Prof. Joop Offerman who talked about that very first patient, and from Prof. Jonathan Himmelfarb who described the early dialysis efforts in post-war Seattle. Prof. Buddy Ratner recounted the invention of the Scribner shunt, a device that transformed acute dialysis treatment into a long-term, life-sustaining therapy.
These stories were brought to life with archival video, historical commentary, and perspectives from patient organizations in Poland, the UK, Canada, and the U.S.
And through it all, the voice of Kolff will be present — not just in memory, but in words. In one of his final interviews, Kolff urged future generations to hold on to determination and “never quit”.
The first hemodialysis machine consisted of parts from an old sewing machine, a T-ford, a German bomber plane and artificial sausage skin.
Innovation on the Horizon
From history to cutting-edge science, the second half of the symposium focused on the technologies reshaping dialysis today.
Prof. Karin Gerritsen from UMC Utrecht and Dr. Christian Bluechel from NextKidney presented a new generation of portable dialysis systems:
“We owe it to our patients to reduce their burden,” she says. “We strive to make dialysis portable so they can take it on the plane.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Ash, known, among others, for his contributions to vascular access and sorbent systems, will reflect on decades of challenges and opportunities.
Prof. Shuvo Roy (UCSF), leading efforts toward an implantable artificial kidney, outlined what’s next:
“With all the knowledge that we have, the implantable artificial kidney is within reach.”
Other talks featured developments in dialysate regeneration, wearable peritoneal dialysis, and vascular access with insights from the NXTGEN and KIDNEW projects, NextKidney, and regulators like the FDA.
Honoring Visionaries
In the afternoon, the Kolff Prize was awarded to Dr. Ash on stage by Kampen’s mayor and Derk Meulman, recognizing a leading contributor to the field of vascular access and kidney replacement therapy.
Afterwards, guests walked to the historic Engelenberg hospital, where Kolff’s preserved office still stands. A moment of quiet reflection in the space where so much began.