Envisagenics names Dr. Kalpana Merchant to its Board of Directors

USA—Envisagenics, an AI-driven RNA splicing therapeutics company, has announced the appointment of Kalpana Merchant, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors.

This announcement follows the company’s recent Series B financing round, which saw participation from existing investors Third Kind Venture Capital, Empire State Development, and Red Cell Partners, along with new strategic investor Bristol Myers Squibb.

Dr. Merchant brings three decades of experience in drug discovery and development, with specialized expertise in translational approaches to de-risk drug development for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Her advisory and operational experience spans private startups to publicly traded biopharmaceutical firms, making her a valuable addition to Envisagenics.

Previously, as Chief Scientific Officer for Tailored Therapeutics-Neuroscience at Eli Lilly, Dr. Merchant led a team developing personalized therapies and associated biomarkers for the neuroscience portfolio.

Currently, she serves as CSO at Retromer Therapeutics, pioneering a new class of disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

Additionally, she is the President and Chief Scientific Officer of TransThera Consulting, an advisory and investment firm she founded.

 In this capacity, Dr. Merchant collaborates with several privately funded biopharmaceutical companies to develop drugs for ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Her extensive involvement as a senior advisor with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research for more than twenty years highlights her dedication to the field.

She has also been appointed to the governor-sanctioned Oregon Innovation Council to spur innovation in the state.

She has served on the council and advisory boards at the National Institutes of Health and is an Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

Welcoming her to the new role, Maria Luisa Pineda, Ph.D., Envisagenics co-founder and CEO, noted that Dr. Merchant’s advisory, operational, and drug discovery experience would provide invaluable insight as Envisagenics advances its first asset into the clinic.

She also emphasized that Dr. Merchant’s addition to the board supports the planned expansion of the company’s developmental pipeline, including disease-modifying antisense oligonucleotides for neurodegenerative diseases.

In response, Dr. Merchant expressed her delight in joining the Envisagenics Board and working with the leadership team as the company continues to advance its innovative medicines for patients with serious neurodegenerative disorders.

She looks forward to sharing her insights and supporting the company as it leads the field of AI-informed personalized therapies.

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