As a Marine Raider in Afghanistan, Derek Herrera’s life changed forever when a bullet struck his spine during a mission, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Initially, he thought learning to walk again would be his greatest challenge. But he discovered an even more personal battle: bladder management. These experiences led him to found Bright Uro. Drawing from his own journey as a patient, Derek Herrera, Founder and CEO of Bright Uro, is driven by the belief that there’s a better way. By combining innovation with compassion, he is leading the company’s mission to revolutionize urodynamics care and ensure every patient receives the dignity and respect they deserve.

Founded from a deeply personal understanding of patient challenges, Bright Uro is focused on revolutionizing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) care by building the next generation of diagnostic devices for Urology. The company developed the Glean™ Urodynamics System to disrupt outdated urodynamics approaches with wireless, catheter-free monitoring designed to improve patient comfort and optimize clinical outcomes.

Utilizing advanced hardware, software, and data science, Bright Uro’s goal is to develop accurate, comfortable, and efficient tools designed to unlock new data streams and offer actionable insights for clinicians.

Technology

The Glean™ Urodynamics System reimagines the traditional testing process by combining advanced sensing, intuitive software, and a patient-friendly experience. The system’s wireless Glean sensors collect real-life bladder function data while patients are ambulatory and void in private, capturing highly accurate tracing data to help physicians make more informed treatment decisions.

Each component of the Glean™ Urodynamics System works together to capture real-world bladder behavior, simplify clinic workflows, and support confident, data-driven decisions across any office, exam room, or clinical setting.

The system includes wireless, single-use sensors that capture high-fidelity pressure data during natural filling and voiding of the bladder; a Uroflowmeter that provides accurate, real-time uroflowmetry without the bulk and complexity of conventional equipment; and software that includes a mobile app for patients and clinicians, along with a web app for reviewing tracing results and supporting informed clinical decisions.

For Clinicians

Glean™ provides a smarter way to diagnose lower urinary tract disorders by simplifying urodynamics testing, improving patient comfort, and delivering valuable clinical insights. Designed for busy clinics, the system brings a modern approach to urodynamics with a flexible and efficient workflow that supports confident, data-driven decision-making.

The process begins with the insertion of Glean’s single-use bladder and abdominal sensors, which enable quick placement without the need for a specialized procedure room or bulky equipment. During physiological monitoring, the patient’s bladder fills and empties under everyday conditions as they leave the exam room, move freely, and void in private. Once the study is complete, the sensors are removed, and data is securely transferred to the cloud for rapid processing.

Glean combines pressure and uroflowmetry data with patient-reported events to generate a comprehensive report of real physiological bladder function. Available in both male and female configurations, the system supports patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), including stress urinary incontinence (SUI), overactive bladder (OAB), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and neurogenic bladder (NLUTD).

A Better Way to Perform Urodynamics

Traditional urodynamics often relies on equipment-heavy testing environments that can create patient discomfort, anxiety, and altered bladder behavior, potentially limiting the accuracy of clinical assessments. Glean offers a simpler, more natural approach by enabling patients to void comfortably and privately while capturing high-quality data that reflects true bladder function.

Unlike conventional setups that require dedicated urodynamics rooms, specialized nurses, catheter-based testing, extensive training, and significant capital investment, Glean is designed for use in any exam room, by any clinician, at any time. Its wire-free and catheter-free design, intuitive workflow, and patient-centered experience help simplify testing while supporting more confident diagnoses.

For Patients

Glean™ provides a more comfortable way to understand bladder health by offering a simpler, more natural approach to urodynamics testing. Bladder issues such as frequent urination, urgency, unexpected leaks, difficulty emptying the bladder, or unexplained bladder pressure and pain can affect daily life. Glean helps clinicians gain a clearer understanding of bladder function to support accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment decisions.

By capturing bladder activity in a natural environment rather than during a short artificial test, Glean provides clinical teams with insights into how the bladder functions during everyday conditions. This allows patients and clinicians to better understand symptoms and determine the next steps toward effective care.

Glean replaces the discomfort and stress associated with traditional urodynamics testing with a simple, private, and more natural experience. Using a small, flexible sensor, the system enables clinicians to evaluate bladder function while patients continue normal activities, helping ensure care decisions are based on real-world bladder behavior rather than limited exam-room observations.

DEREK HERRERA | FOUNDER & CEO

Derek Herrera is the founder and CEO of Bright Uro, a medical device company focused on revolutionizing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) care through next-generation diagnostic devices for Urology. A former Marine Raider, Derek’s personal experience with bladder management challenges following a spinal cord injury sustained during a mission in Afghanistan inspired his commitment to improving urodynamics care and developing more patient-centered solutions.

Before founding Bright Uro, Derek founded UroDev Medical, a medical device company focused on advancing bladder management solutions, and has built a career around developing technologies that address unmet clinical needs. He previously served as a Special Operations Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and has held leadership roles in the medical technology sector.

Derek holds a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. Through Bright Uro, he continues to combine his experience as a patient, entrepreneur, and leader to advance innovative diagnostic solutions designed to improve care for patients and clinicians.