The proposed PKD Cures Act, introduced in the House this June by a bipartisan coalition including Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Carol Miller, serves as the centerpiece of this year's campaign. The legislation aims to formalize a federal research roadmap, accelerate clinical trials, and streamline the transition of laboratory discoveries into tangible patient therapies. Susan Bushnell, president and CEO of the PKD Foundation, described the current scientific landscape as an extraordinary moment that requires both legislative urgency and sustained private investment.
PKD Foundation Pushes for Federal Research Funding on Awareness Day
Half a million Americans currently navigate the reality of polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder where fluid-filled cysts gradually destroy kidney function. As the foundation marks PKD Awareness Day this September 4, it is pivoting from general advocacy toward a legislative push for the first federal mandate dedicated to the condition.
To bridge the funding gap, the foundation is mobilizing its annual Walk for PKD series, which has generated over $36 million since its inception in 2000. With more than 25 in-person events scheduled nationwide between September 12 and October 25, the organization hopes to maintain the momentum needed to combat a disease that currently lacks a cure and offers only a single approved treatment for slowing progression.
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