-- Dr. Bolen has an established track record advancing disruptive medicines from the clinic through approval --
WATERTOWN, Mass., March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Orna Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to engineering immune cells in vivo to treat oncology and autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Joseph Bolen, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Bolen most recently served as Orna’s Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and succeeds Amit Munshi who is stepping aside for personal reasons.
Orna expects to initiate clinical studies in 2026 for its two wholly owned, potentially best-in-class in vivo panCAR assets, including its CD19 program for B cell-driven autoimmune diseases and a BCMA program for multiple myeloma. In addition to its wholly owned pipeline, Orna has secured two major, potentially multi-billion-dollar pharma partnerships with Merck for the development of vaccines and therapeutics in infectious disease and oncology and with Vertex for next generation approaches to sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia.
“At its core, Orna is a science driven organization that has greatly benefited from Joe’s breadth and depth of drug development expertise,” said Ansbert Gadicke, M.D., Chairman of Orna and Managing Partner of MPM BioImpact. “This is the perfect time for Joe to take the helm as Orna advances both its proprietary programs in autoimmune and oncology to the clinic. Joe’s scientific expertise and organizational leadership capabilities, in conjunction with the Company’s strong cash position, will enable us to achieve key milestones across our wholly owned and partnered programs.”
Dr. Gadicke continued, “Amit leaves Orna in a strong position and we would like to express our deep appreciation for his commitment and contributions.”
Dr. Bolen joined Orna through its acquisition of ReNAgade Therapeutics and has served as CSO since November 2024, concurrent to his role as an Entrepreneur Partner at MPM BioImpact. Prior to Orna, Dr. Bolen served in leadership roles at ReNAgade Therapeutics. Previously, he oversaw all aspects of R&D for Moderna Therapeutics as CSO and President of Research and Development. Before Moderna, Dr. Bolen was CSO at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Global Head of Oncology Research at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. Earlier in his career, he held senior R&D positions at Hoechst Marion Roussel, Schering-Plough (DNAX) and Bristol Myers Squibb. Dr. Bolen began his career at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He earned a Ph.D. in Immunology and conducted his postdoctoral training in molecular virology at Kansas State University Cancer Center. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.S. in Microbiology and Chemistry.
“I am excited to lead our world-class team, as we advance some of the most transformative science I’ve seen in my 35-year career in this industry. Our leading circular RNA paired with our potentially best-in-class delivery technologies hold the potential to overcome the limitations of existing ex-vivo technologies and deliver large-scale impact to patients across a range of diseases,” said Dr. Bolen. “With robust data in hand demonstrating our ability to deliver and engineer immune cells in vivo, our focus is now on advancing our first two panCAR programs into the clinic in 2026 and continuing to progress our pharma partnerships. I look forward to leading our team through this next exciting chapter of the Company’s growth as we unlock the potential of RNA medicines.”
About Orna Therapeutics
Orna Therapeutics is dedicated to designing and delivering a new class of fully engineered circular RNA (oRNA®) therapeutics to unlock the potential of RNA medicine to treat diseases anywhere in the body. Orna’s circular RNA transcripts have advantages over traditional mRNA approaches, including simplified production, improved formulation into lipid nanoparticles, and superior protein expression. Its industry-leading LNP-based delivery systems and comprehensive editing programs position Orna to advance novel RNA medicines with vast potential to transform patient care. To learn more, visit www.ornatx.com and follow Orna Therapeutics on X and LinkedIn.Orna Therapeutics Investor Contact:
Alex Lobo
Precision AQ
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SOURCE Orna Therapeutics
