What’s in Store for 2026?
Transform Kidney Drug Development with Precision, Speed & Patient-Centered InnovationÂ
The 8th Annual CKD Summit stands as the leading forum for innovators navigating the complexities of kidney disease drug development. Bringing together a multidisciplinary community of experts, the summit addresses urgent unmet needs across both rare and common renal conditions, including autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), IgA nephropathy, C3 glomerulopathy, APOL1-associated nephropathy, cardiorenal syndromes, and transplant-related complications. With over 44 expert speakers and a program spanning discovery through to commercialization and access, attendees will gain strategic insights into target identification, adaptive trial design, regulatory alignment, and embedding the patient voice throughout the development lifecycle.Â
Agenda Focus
This year’s agenda dives deep into emerging therapeutic strategies such as miR-17 inhibition, gene and RNA-based modalities, and kidney-targeted delivery systems including LNPs and siRNA conjugates. Sessions explore the role of autophagy, and inflammation in disease progression, alongside the use of autoantibody biomarkers and transcriptomic profiling to stratify responders and optimize combination therapies. Industry leaders from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Apellis, Vera Therapeutics, ProKidney, Fauna Bio, Purespring Therapeutics, Helex, Maze Therapeutics, Otsuka, and Biogen will share cutting-edge data and perspectives. Enabling technologies from Natera, MediBeacon, Perspectum, Physiogenex, Antaros Medical, and George Clinical will also be showcased, while advocacy voices from the PKD Foundation and the National Kidney Foundation help guide the path to accelerated approvals and meaningful patient outcomes.Â
2026 Unmissable Highlights
Accelerating CKD & Rare Glomerular Disease Approvals
Explore how surrogate endpoints, patient-centered strategies, and real-world evidence are reshaping regulatory pathways for rare kidney diseases beyond IgA nephropathy, with insights from the Apellis Pharmaceuticals, and the National Kidney Foundation.Â
Harnessing Genomic & Transcriptomic Data to Drive Precision Medicine
Dive into how omics and clinico-genomic databases are being leveraged to identify responders vs non-responders, optimize combination therapies, and accelerate drug discovery with Natera, Purespring Therapeutics, and AstraZeneca.Â
Innovating Adaptive Platform Trials to Transform CKD Research
Discover how adaptive trial designs, hierarchical composite endpoints, and basket strategies are redefining CKD clinical development, enabling faster, more inclusive studies with Hiddo, Meg Jardine, University of Sydney, and The George Institute.Â
Translating Natural Resilience into Therapeutic Innovation
Uncover how hibernators, spiny mice, and camels are inspiring novel therapeutic modalities in cardiorenal and metabolic disease, with Fauna Bio and Eli Lilly leading the charge in biomimetic drug discovery.Â
What's New For 2026?
33+ New Speakers You Didn’t Hear from Last Year Including…
19+ New Presenting Companies Including…
1 Brand New ADPKD Focus Day:
7+ Returning KOLs You Loved Last Year…
6 Impactful Panel Discussions, Including….
Panel Discussion: How Can Novel Modalities be Used to Meet the Unmet Needs in CKD?Â
Moderator: Pablo Cabral, Executive Director, External Innovation, Eli LillyÂ
Speakers:Â
Alfica Sehgal, Chief Scientific Officer, Judo BioÂ
Bruce Culleton, Chief Executive Officer, ProKidneyÂ
Fredrik Erlandsson, CSO, Purespring TherapeuticsÂ
Iva Toudjarska, Founder & CEO, Zeal ThearpeuticsÂ
Maarten Hoek, Senior Vice President & Head of Research, Maze TherapeuticsÂ
Poulami Chaudhuri, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Helex BioÂ
Wayne Sakcett, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Estuary BiotherapeuticsÂ
Divide & Conquer
Pre-Conference Day:
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Focus Day
Designed for CSOs, preclinical researchers, discovery scientists, directors of biology and research, novel modality scientists, in vivo/in vitro modelling experts and many more focusing on the promise of PKD therapeutics; whether you're new to PKD or a veteran of PKD R&D, connect and learn more in an aerial view of PKD research
- Poulami Chaudhuri, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Helex
- Sorin Fedeles, Executive Director, Critical Path Institute (C-Path)
- Susan Bushnell, President & Chief Executive Officer, PKD Foundation
- Wayne Sakcett, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Estuary Biotherapeutics
Regulation, Access & Reimbursement Workshop Day
Tailor-made for medical directors, CMOs, clinical program leads, regulatory affairs professionals, access, reimbursement & HEOR colleagues, BD experts, clinicians and more; share expertise from diverse clinical challenges and innovation in CKD
- Ginny Collins, Senior Director, Strategy Heady of Global Regulatory, Apellis Pharmaceuticals
- Kerry Willis, Chief Scientific Officer, National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
- Leah Conley, Senior Vice President, Patient Access, Travere TherapeuticsÂ
Main Conference:
Discovery, Preclinical & Translational Track
Designed for CSOs, preclinical researchers, discovery scientists, directors of biology and research, novel modality scientists, in vivo/in vitro modelling experts and many more focusing on the promise of PKD therapeutics; whether you're new to PKD or a veteran of PKD R&D, connect and learn more in an aerial view of PKD research
- Alfica Sehgal, Chief Scientific Officer, Judo Bio
- Ashley Zehnder, Chief Executive Officer, Fauna Bio
- Maarten Hoek, Senior Vice President & Head of Research, Maze Therapeutics
- Shawn S. Badal, Director, Kidney Physiologist, Discovery Research, Eli Lilly
Clinical Innovation, Regulatory & Outcomes Track
Tailor-made for medical directors, CMOs, clinical program leads, regulatory affairs professionals, access, reimbursement & HEOR colleagues, BD experts, clinicians and more; share expertise from diverse clinical challenges and innovation in CKD
- Joseph Kupferman, Global Clinical Head, Renal, AstraZeneca
- Michelle Richardson, Associate Director, Patient-Centered Research & Clinical Outcomes Assessment, Otsuka
- Uptal Patel, Head, Biogen West Coast Hub, Biogen
Explore the Full Event Guide
- 150+ Global Attendees from Across the Renal LandscapeÂ
- 45+ World Class Speakers with Unique InsightsÂ
- 35+ Speaking CompaniesÂ
- 10+ Hours of Face-to-Face Networking OpportunitiesÂ
- 3 Days of Unmissable Data-Driven ContentÂ
- 2 Dedicated Tracks of Content for the Whole TeamÂ
Attending Companies Include
Explore the Agenda
Dive into 2 tracks, 1 Polycystic Kidney Focus Day, 2 Regulatory & Access Workshops and 44+ expert speakers shaping the future of CKDÂ
Partner With Us
Showcase your solutions, connect with decision makers, and position your company as the go-to provider in precision oncologyÂ
Join Biopharma Experts
Network with pharma, biotech, diagnostics, academia, consortia, and patient voices driving real-world adoption Â