Several barriers determine a lack of technological transfer between adult and pediatric care. In particular, this has been the case in the field of critical care nephrology where adequate devices and machinery for neonatal dialysis were completely missing. Where industry and large hospital centers do not provide sufficient advancement in pediatric and neonatal care, the academic world must take the lead even though in some cases adequate funding or resources are lacking. Then, the role of charity events and non-profit institutions and organizations may represent the correct approach to move the field forward. This has been the case for the development of CARPEDIEM (Cardio, Renal, pediatric, Dialysis, Emergency, Machine), where a combination of charity events and academic effort led to the most modern and unique neonatal dialysis machine. This is a nice example of how technological gaps in neonatal care can be overcome.

What is Known:

• The CARPEDIEM machine was specifically designed to provide renal replacement therapy (RRT) to patients weighting less than 10 Kg.

• While CARPEDIEM has the potential to save lives, it also raises significant bioethical concerns related to technology development in the context of short economic earning, resource allocation, patient autonomy, consent, the risks of prolonging life in cases of limited prognosis, and the role of parental decision-making in highly uncertain contexts.

What is New:

• Through charity, CARPEDIEM has been made accessible to hospitals, especially in settings where there were no allowed extracorporeal treatments in patients weighting less than 10 kg, ensuring that life-saving treatments are available to the most critically ill neonates, including those born prematurely or with congenital anomalies.

• Academic institutions and charitable organizations can work together to ensure that innovations, like CARPEDIEM, are not just driven by commercial interests but are created with a deep commitment to improving public health and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable through the principle of beneficence.