Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects an estimated one in seven Americans. Approximately 10% of these cases are due to inherited disorders such as Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). Nephrogen is an exciting biotech company taking on an important health challenge. With their groundbreaking new delivery mechanism that marries artificial intelligence with gene therapy, they are on the cusp of reversing kidney disease. We’re excited this cutting-edge technology will be featured on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.
Nephrogen co-founder Demetri Maxim has a personal connection to PKD, having inherited the condition from his mother. From a young age, he saw the human impact of kidney disease — at seven years old, he watched his mom struggle as her kidneys failed. As a result, she had to do dialysis four times a week, and after two years, she was lucky enough to get a kidney transplant. These experiences stoked Maxim’s desire to find a cure for PKD, an obsession he’s had since high school.
It’s not so much about the disease as the lifestyle changes disease expects you to make, added Maxim. “You get a lot of back pain. That means having to visit the hospital repeatedly. So you are on this drug that’s supposed to slow the progression, but it doesn’t work. Just makes you pee all the time.”
Nephrogen’s research is informed by a study published in Nature Magazine in 2021, which demonstrated that PKD is reversible in mice using CRISPR technology. The company is more than happy to crow about its technical breakthrough in delivery. Their novel mechanism of action delivers medicine directly to the kidneys with 100-fold greater efficiency than other FDA-approved delivery vehicles.
Nephrogen is excited to move our novel delivery mechanism into clinical studies. Unless something changes soon, these important studies don’t have authorization to begin until 2027. The company is currently out to raise a $4 million seed round. This funding will enable the development of its delivery mechanism to advance the drug into clinical trials.
Maxim is committed to finding a solution for PKD. He intends to continue participating in their clinical study by himself, to have the most tangible effect possible. He joined the Office as a financial analyst, coming to the role with a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Today, he’s a new kind of biotech entrepreneur, propelled by the uncommon desire to completely transform the way we treat kidney disease.
The impact of Nephrogen’s work goes past any one patient. Especially with about 37 million Americans impacted by CKD, the need for new and innovative treatments has never been more important. Nephrogen’s novel approach may help discover new therapies. These therapies have the potential to dramatically improve the lives of millions of people with kidney disease.