GREENSBORO, N.C. — Biotech company ProKidney will no longer be coming to Greensboro, according to the City of Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.
The President and CEO of ProKidney, Brent Christensen, issued the following statement:
"We understand that ProKidney’s new leadership has refocused the company and will no longer pursue its planned manufacturing facility in Greensboro at this time. We certainly wish ProKidney well in the future, and we will work with company officials to find a new buyer for their Greensboro building. No incentives have been paid to the company by any government entity."
A property in Greensboro owned by the Winston-Salem-based biotech company recently went up for sale recently, according to a real estate listing by commercial agency CBRE.
ProKidney, which works to treat chronic kidney disease, had previously announced plans to expand its operation into Greensboro, a move that the company said would have created 330 jobs.
"Our current focus is to expand our manufacturing capabilities in Winston-Salem, which is where our existing operations are," a company spokesperson told WFMY News 2 via email. "We remain committed to bringing jobs to North Carolina.”
The plan for the new facility was to prepare for future commercial manufacturing of Renal Autologous Cell Therapy. The company had announced plans to invest nearly half a billion dollars into the project.
ProKidney announced a proposed expansion into Greensboro in the summer of 2023, but the company had to pause manufacturing altogether later in the year after an audit revealed some flaws with the company's plan to distribute a new treatment.
Both Greensboro City Council and the Guilford County Commission had approved incentive packages to entice the company to expand into Guilford County.
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