Why investors are taking another look at kidney disease

October 22, 2026 |

1 min read |

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker, BioSpace Insights

In this episode of Denatured, you’ll hear from Bruce Culleton, CEO at ProKidney and Demetri Maxim, CEO at Nephrogen. We discuss why kidney disease has long been a hard target for cell and gene therapies, and what new delivery strategies, therapeutic approaches and regulatory clarity mean for commercially viable products.

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In this episode of Denatured, you’ll listen to Bruce Culleton, CEO at ProKidney and Demetri Maxim, CEO at Nephrogen. We explore why kidney disease has historically been a difficult target for cell and gene therapies, and how advances in delivery, therapeutic modalities and evolving regulatory frameworks are shaping the path to commercially viable treatments.

Host

⁠Jennifer C. Smith-Parker, Director of Insights, BioSpace

Guests

Bruce Culleton, CEO, ProKidney

Demetri Maxim, CEO, Nephrogen

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this discussion by guests are their own and do not represent those of their organizations.

Podcasts BioSpace Insights Denatured Clinical research Cell therapy Gene therapy Kidney disease Funding FDA Regulatory Commercialization

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker is Director of Insights at BioSpace. She has been been immersed for 20 years in healthcare, first as a journalist and editor before pivoting to corporate, brand, and product communications. A skilled storyteller, she is adept at creating diverse content across platforms and crafting narratives that drive engagement, strengthen reputation, and deliver measurable growth. You can reach her at Jennifer.Smith-Parker@BioSpace.com.

BioSpace Insights

The BioSpace Insights teams performs research and analysis on industry trends for BioSpace and clients, producing industry reports, podcasts, events and articles.