NEW YORK, NY -- IKONA, a New-York-based, patient-focused learning company, and Lifeliqe, a San Francisco-based workforce training and simulation company, have announced a partnership to bring virtual reality (VR) and online learning solutions to the US kidney care market. This collaboration is in response to market demand from healthcare provider organizations and strategic partners across the care delivery ecosystem for more effective educational tools in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).

This collaboration represents the first of its kind approach to comprehensive, immersive education and training in the kidney care sector. By combining IKONA's expertise in patient education and kidney care with Lifeliqe's advanced workforce training and simulation capabilities, including Patient Care Technician (PCT) training, the partnership is poised to address a broad range of top priorities across healthcare settings, from doctor’s offices and dialysis centers into patients’ homes.

What It’s About

The partnership will initially focus on deploying select elements of Lifeliqe's VR and online learning solutions to meet the needs of IKONA’s end users, tailored specifically for high-priority use cases such as cannulation training for patients and frontline dialysis staff. This strategic approach allows both companies to quickly address immediate needs in the market while gathering valuable feedback to refine and expand their offerings, including areas where critical gaps exist across multiple stakeholders such as vascular access, machine use and safety.

As this partnership unfolds, IKONA and Lifeliqe are excited to contribute to the transformation of kidney care education and training, leveraging the power of XR to create more engaging, effective, and accessible learning experiences.

”This is an exciting moment for IKONA and our partners who see the power of having effective, accessible learning tools available for their patients and care teams. This partnership with Lifeliqe arrives at a critical time in our industry, as we explore new ways to support high-quality care delivery in clinics and homes. Lifeliqe is a best in class workforce training platform, we're confident they will play a vital role in helping us reshape kidney care in the US and beyond,” said Tim Fitzpatrick, CEO of IKONA.

"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with IKONA, a leader in the healthcare education field, known for their extensive collaborations with patients, clinics, and other kidney care stakeholders. This partnership marks a pivotal moment where cutting-edge simulation technology meets exceptional instructional design and market understanding. Our combined expertise ensures that our products are not only technically advanced but also perfectly tailored to the needs of potential customers who have been facing these training challenges for years." added Matouš Tlapák, CEO of Lifeliqe.

Why It Matters For Kidney Care

This partnership aims to address key barriers in kidney care’s ongoing shift to value-based and in-home care delivery. Despite early progress following several regulatory and payment tailwinds in recent years, adoption of home-based therapies remains well below national goals and international peers. A lack of access to effective, scalable education and training solutions continues to stand in the way of this effort. 

An all-in-one learning platform opens up several near-term opportunities to tackle some of kidney care’s toughest challenge from staff training to home adoption and retention:

By focusing on these critical areas, IKONA and Lifeliqe are committed to transforming kidney care education, empowering patients and professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate and succeed across kidney care settings, scenarios and machines.

References

About IKONA

IKONA, Inc. is a learning platform trusted by over 250 clinics to improve outcomes for people with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) using virtual reality and analytics. The company's expert team of clinicians, patients, scientists, and technologists are building a pipeline of evidence-based learning products across complex chronic areas, including End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Transplantation, Diabetes and more. IKONA is funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, StartUp Health, On Deck, NVIDIA and was named a Top 200 EdTech Startup globally in the 2022 and 2023 GSV Cups. To learn more about the company's mission to launch 10 million personalized learning journeys by 2030, please visit http://www.ikona.health.

About Lifeliqe

Lifeliqe is the world’s leading workforce development and education tool for learning experiences in interactive 3D, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). Following its merger with 3D content publisher Corinth in 2023, the company is setting a new global standard for upskilling, reskilling, and workforce training across classrooms and clinics in more than 100 countries. Lifeliqe has partnered with leading nephrology vocational schools and nonprofits to create and scale dialysis and clinical staff training through a hybrid in-person and VR curriculum. For information about Lifeliqe, visit http://www.lifeliqe.com.

IKONA Press

Michal Mizerak