Bolden Therapeutics is developing first-in-class therapeutics to increase neurogenesis (the formation of new brain cells) and improve outcomes in neurological disease.
Bolden has established proof-of-concept of this approach to increase neurogenesis and enhance hippocampal-dependent memory in a proprietary mouse model targeting a novel and specific signaling pathway.
Bolden is developing multiple therapeutic modalities in parallel, leading with exon-skipping antisense oligonucleotides.
Due to the fundamental nature of neurogenesis, there are several potential clinical applications for neurogenesis-promoting therapies, such as those we aim to develop.
Bolden has a strong and growing team with complementary expertise.
Dr. Valat completed a double MSc program from the Université Grenoble Alpes (France), one in Bioengineering, biomedical instrumentation and implantable biomaterials, and the other in Nanosciences and nanobiotechnology. She also completed her PhD in biomaterials and biomechanics also from the Université Grenoble Alpes. She carried out her postdoctoral research at in the Kaplan Lab at Tufts University, working on combining cellular therapy and silk-based materials for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Webb is a Scientific Founder of Bolden Therapeutics. She completed her undergraduate degree with honors in Biology at McGill University in and her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology at University of Washington and postdoctoral work at Stanford. Dr. Webb now holds the Richard and Edna Salomon Assistant Endowed Professorship of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry at Brown University. Dr. Webb’s expertise is in neural stem cell homeostasis and cellular mechanisms of aging.
Dr. Polsky is the Executive Chairman of Bolden Therapeutics, Inc. He is an experienced investor and proven business leader in the life science spectrum. Most recently, as CEO of William Harris Investors, Dr. Polsky oversaw and managed a $1B family office. He has spent the past 18 years investing in everything from early-stage venture biotech through international large-cap vertically-integrated pharmaceutical companies. In addition to Dr. Polsky’s oversight and investing activities, he has also been a corporate board member of nearly a dozen companies and a member of the Investment Committee for the University of Chicago’s Innovation Fund. Dr. Polsky provides critical guidance for Bolden Therapeutics as it continues to advance its mission of addressing cognitive dysfunction in neurological diseases through the development of novel therapeutic drugs.
Dayshalis completed her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience from Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). She was a technician for various labs across different fields but most recently served as the lab manager at Columbia University under Dr. Kevin Bath. During her four years in the Bath Lab, she focused on the effects of Early Life Adversity (ELA) in mice on various behavioral outcomes related to depression, anxiety, and other pathologies. Here, she also developed her own project on social fear learning. Dayshalis is very excited to be part of the Bolden team as the In Vivo Research Scientist to investigate our candidate therapeutics.
Emma is currently a 3rd year biomedical engineering major at Tufts University. Before coming to Bolden, Emma took the year off from school to do Tufts' co-op program. Her first co-op was at Insulet working as a systems engineer, and she just finished her second co-op at Moderna working on the Lipid Nanoparticle Process Development team. Back at school, she is a member in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), a group leader for Tufts Engineering Ambassadors, a Girls in STEM mentor, an LCS tutor, and a member of Tufts Mountain Club. Additionally, Emma was recently inducted into the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and was the 2021 recipient of the Lt. Commander Robert James Manning Memorial Prize. Now Emma is looking forward to trying her hand at research and contributing to the efforts surrounding neurodegenerative disease.
Joel Richter is a Professor of Molecular Medicine and the Arthur F. Koskinas Professor in Neuroscience the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. He obtained his PhD from Arizona State University and performed postdoctoral work at Purdue University. Dr. Richter has studied mRNA translation and processing for over four decades, held a MERIT award from the NIH, and was the founding director of the UMass Medical School’s NIH Center for Collaborative Research on Fragile X. Dr. Richter currently studies the molecular biology of Fragile X Syndrome and other neurological disorders.
Johnny Page is a Co-Founder and CEO of Bolden Therapeutics. He received his A.B. in Music, Sc.B. in Neuroscience, and Sc.M. in Biotechnology, all from Brown University. He has completed two years of medical school at Alpert Medical School. Johnny has also completed additional entrepreneurship training as part of the I-Corps Spark Program at MIT. Johnny leads Bolden’s effort to develop novel compounds to help treat neurological diseases.
Julia Hecking is an Associate Scientist at Bolden Therapeutics, having recently graduated from Brown University with a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology. Prior to joining Bolden, she worked as a clinical research associate at Yale University School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, and as a bioethics research intern at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is also a 2019 graduate of Mount Holyoke College where she majored in Neuroscience.
Dr. Fallon is a Scientific Founder of and the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Bolden Therapeutics. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at Colgate University in and his PhD in Cell Biology at University of Pennsylvania with further training at University College London and Stanford. Throughout his career, Dr. Fallon has performed basic and translational research for many diseases, including muscular dystrophies, Fragile X syndrome, ALS, and Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, Dr. Fallon developed a recombinant protein therapeutic for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and founded Tivorsan Pharmaceuticals. For the past two decades, Dr. Fallon has been a full Professor of Neuroscience at Brown University.
Dr. Maria Lopez-Bresnahan is a senior biopharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of industry experience developing new treatments for neurologic diseases, including rare genetic neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders, from early phases through post-approval lifecycle management. She is currently Head of Clinical Development for Neuroscience at Bristol Myers Squibb. Previously she served as SVP for Translational Medicine and Clinical Development at Voyager Therapeutics, VP of Clinical Research, Neuroscience at Alkermes, Inc. and VP of Neurology Clinical Development at Vertex Pharmaceuticals where she led clinical teams developing drugs across CNS indications from Phase 1 through registration. At Pfizer Inc. she was Head of Neuromuscular Clinical Research in the Rare Disease Research Unit, and Therapeutic Area Head for Neuroscience in the Medicines Development Group leading a team responsible for strategy and planning of drug development in neurology and psychiatry. Dr. Lopez-Bresnahan held leadership positions at Merck Serono, where she was responsible for late phase development of CNS drugs for immunologic and neurodegenerative disorders. She was SVP and Global Head for Medical and Scientific Affairs at inVentiv Health Clinical (now Syneos), where she led subspecialty medical teams executing drug development programs for pharmaceutical clients.
Dr. Lopez-Bresnahan received her MD degree from New York University School of Medicine, an MBA from Northeastern University, and a BA from Yale University. A Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, she completed her neurology residency and fellowship in neuroimmunology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School, where she served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology.
Sarah Twinney began a research co-op at Bolden Therapeutics after earning a Master of Science in biotechnology from Brown University. During her time in Providence, she completed her thesis research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in the Wharton Lab. Before attending Brown, she earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2019 and then worked as an Associate Product Manager in the Operating Room Division of Medline Industries. Sarah is thrilled to be a part of the Bolden team and to have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of people suffering from neurodegenerative disease.
Dr. Salloway received his MD from Stanford Medical School and completed residencies in neurology and psychiatry at Yale University. He is the Martin M. Zucker Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and Professor of Neurology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Chief of Neurology and Director of the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital. Dr. Salloway is an internationally recognized leader in clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). His program has conducted more than 100 clinical trials for AD and related disorders. He has chaired the Steering Committees for major AD pivotal trials and he has been a lead author for key publications in AD research in the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature and other top-tiered journals. He is the Past President of the American Neuropsychiatric Association, a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and a member of the American Neurological Association. He serves as a consultant for drug development to the NIH, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and many other groups working on AD therapeutics. He has published more than 400 scientific articles and abstracts and edited 3 books and he lectures widely about the early diagnosis and prevention of AD.
Sudhir Agrawal, D. Phil, FRSC, is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Medicine at The University of Massachusetts Medical School, and a member of the Business Advisory Board of the Harvard Medical School’s Initiative for RNA Medicine. He is founder and member of ARNAY Sciences LLC. He is also a founder of Idera Pharmaceuticals and has had held various leadership roles within the company, including Chairman, CEO, President of Research, and Chief Scientific Officer. Over the last three decades, his research has been focused on the discovery and development of nucleic acid therapeutics, including antisense technology. He has published over 300 research papers and is listed as a co-inventor of more than 400 patents worldwide. He has edited four books on oligonucleotides and antisense technology, including a recent book on ‘Advances in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics’ published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Neurogenesis is the formation of new neurons from neural stem cells (NSCs). It is an endogenous process that has been observed throughout life into advanced age. NSCs reside in at least two regions of the adult brain: the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone, which lines the lateral ventricles. Additional information about neurogenesis, Alzheimer's disease, and drug development can be found in our team’s publications.
PROVIDENCE, RI. Bolden Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to promote neurogenesis for the potential treatment of central nervous system illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, today announced the closing of their $1.5M pre-seed convertible note financing. This financing provides important support to enable Bolden to advance its preclinical development of antisense oligonucleotides to promote neurogenesis. The round was led by Resolute Venture Partners, and included investments from Slater Technology Fund, Lifespan Vision Ventures, and multiple angel investors.
PROVIDENCE, RI and BOSTON, MA. Bolden Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to promote neurogenesis for the potential treatment of CNS illnesses, today announced their invitation to present at the 3rd Annual Oligonucleotides for CNS Summit on June 6th-8th in Boston, MA.
PROVIDENCE, RI and BOSTON, MA. Bolden Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to promote neurogenesis for the potential treatment of CNS illnesses, today announced their upcoming presentation at the BIO International Convention during Jun 5th-8th in Boston, MA.
CAMBRIDGE, MA. Bolden Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to promote neurogenesis for the potential treatment of CNS illnesses, today announced being awarded a Research and Entrepreneurial Development Immersion (REDI) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant for $406,466 from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health.
CAMBRIDGE, MA. Bolden Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to promote neurogenesis for the potential treatment of CNS illnesses, today announced being awarded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant for $497,500 from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health.
PROVIDENCE, RI & CAMBRIDGE, MA. Bolden Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to promote neurogenesis for potential treatment ofCNS diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, today announced receiving a $500,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.
PROVIDENCE, RI. Bolden Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to promote neurogenesis for potential treatment of CNS diseases such as Alzheimer’s and ischemic stroke, today announced being awarded the Biogen-LabCentral Golden Ticket.
