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Kidney Research Organization to Honor Three Major Figures at Benefit Dinner December 13, 2005, at the Beverly Hills Hotel to Support Creation of Southern California Kidney Institute at the Keck School of Medicine at USC

Posted on: Monday, 24 October 2005, 12:00 CDT

University Kidney Disease Research Associates (UKDRA), an organization dedicated to research that will create improved treatments and cures for and the prevention of kidney disease, will honor three noted figures from the worlds of kidney disease medicine and biotechnology at its first-ever benefit dinner to be held Tuesday, December 13, 2005, at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Honorees are Dr. Vito M. Campese, Chief of the Division of Nephrology and the Hypertension Center at the Keck School of Medicine at USC; Dr. Richard Glassock, one of the most eminent physicians in the field of nephrology and the Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; and Dr. George Rathmann, one of the giants in the field of biotechnology, co-founder and one of the former Chairman of Amgen, former Chairman of ICOS, and currently Chairman of Nuvelo.

The program for the evening features the multi-platinum recording and successful touring artist Deana Carter. Also appearing will be popular comedienne Carla Collins. Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be John Schneider, star of the hit WB network series "Smallville" and previously in the classic TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard" and an accomplished Broadway star and recording artist.

Kidney disease is a major component of health care expenditures in the United States. Yearly, over $15 billion is spent by the American public to treat kidney disease, and this number is expected to more than double in the next five years. In spite of the magnitude of the problem, annual expenditures on kidney disease in the form of public and private grants are remarkably small.

The goal of UKDRA is to support basic and clinical research in kidney disease leading to improved treatments and cures for, and the prevention of, all forms of kidney disease. UKDRA is committed to creating the Southern California Kidney Institute in association with the Keck School of Medicine at USC, which will be a pre-eminent center for research and treatment relating to kidney disease.

The Board of Directors of UKDRA consists of Kenneth Kleinberg, President; Benjamin Barbour, M.D., Vice President/Chief Financial Officer; Leslie Chotiner, Secretary; Bruce Corwin; Sohan Dua, M.D.; Richard Glassock, M.D.; Dennis L. Kogod; Manfred Mosk, Ph.D.; Sheldon Saltman; and Alan Steigrod.

The Medical and Scientific Advisory Board is chaired by Vito M. Campese, M.D., and includes Mohammed Akmal, M.D.; David Lee, M.D.; Alicia McDonough, M.D.; Mitra Nadim, M.D.; Saeid Nasrati, M.D.; Isidro Salusky, M.D.; Miroslaw Smogorzewski, M.D.; Joseph P. Van Der Meulen, M.D.; Nick Vaziri, M.D.; and Alan Yu, M.D.

UKDRA has engaged Corrinne Mann of Mann Productions to act as event planner for this event. A tribute book as well as special packages are being arranged.

Please contact Mann Productions, 323-314-7000, for tickets and more information. For photos of the honorees please contact: Al Newman Newman & Company Telephone: 310-278-1560 Email: asn@newman-co.com Event Information, including sponsorships, tribute pages, tables and/or individual tickets: Mann Productions Telephone: 323-314-7000 Background information regarding companies associated with Dr. Rathmann: NUVELO: 675 Almanor Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Phone: 408-215-4000 Chairman of the Board: George B. Rathmann, Ph.D. Nuvelo, Inc. is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics that improve life. ICOS CORP: 22021 20th Avenue SE, Bothell, WA 98021 Phone: 425-485-1900 Chairman, President and CEO: Paul N. Clark ICOS addresses serious unmet medical needs by bringing effective drugs to market, including the development of Cialis(R). ICOS has spent more than a decade building a world-class research and development organization. AMGEN: One Amgen Center Dr., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-1799 Phone: 805-447-1000 Chief Executive Officer and President: Kevin Sharer Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company, pioneered the development of novel products based on advances in recombinant DNA and molecular biology, and launched the biotechnology industry's first blockbuster, Epogen, an engineered form of a human protein that stimulates red blood cell production.

Source: Business Wire

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