ProKidney, which is developing therapies to repair and restore diseased kidneys using a patient's own cells, has appointed veteran biotech attorney Todd Girolamo as its first general counsel.

The appointment comes as the Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based company prepares to go public by merging with publicly traded Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp. III. Under the deal, announced in January, the combined company would have an equity value of $2.6 billion.