"Chronic kidney disease is world wide a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). 800.000 patients in Europe and in the US, respectively, require long-term treatment initially with peritoneal dialysis, followed by hemodialysis and kidney transplantation. Each ESRD patient on hemodialysis costs ≈€40000 to €80000 per year, has extremely poor quality of life and an average life expectancy of onl ...