News

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. May 1, 2012 - The Bluefield Project to Cure Frontotemporal Dementia announces the appointment of Rodney Pearlman, Ph.D. as its new President.

“Dr. Pearlman brings to Bluefield a long history of scientific leadership and drug development experience across a wide breadth of therapeutic areas. We are delighted he will be leading The Bluefield Project’s quest to find a cure for frontotemporal dementia,” said Executive Director Megan Grether, Ph.D. Dr. Pearlman will succeed Dr. Grether, who is relocating to Europe this summer.

Prior to joining The Bluefield Project to Cure Frontotemporal Dementia, Dr. Pearlman served as the CEO of Bay Area start-ups Saegis Pharmaceuticals, Nuon Therapeutics and InCarda Therapeutics. At Saegis, which he also co-founded, Dr. Pearlman developed drug candidates to improve memory and cognition for a variety of indications, including Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Under Dr. Pearlman’s management, Saegis was acquired by Danish neuropharmaceutical powerhouse Lundbeck. Prior to co-founding Saegis, Dr. Pearlman held leadership positions at Valentis and Genentech and was on the faculty at the University of Texas, Austin.

At The Bluefield Project, Dr. Pearlman will be responsible for setting strategic direction, advancing Bluefield’s drug development portfolio and overseeing research efforts for the UCSF-based Consortium for Frontotemporal Dementia Research. Dr. Pearlman will report to the Board of Directors.

“Through a very effective and well managed research consortium, The Bluefield Project has supported significant advances in our understanding of the biology of the disease, “ said Dr. Pearlman. “Building on this knowledge, the next phase of the program is to identify therapeutic strategies to effect treatments for frontotemporal dementia. I am looking forward to being part of the Bluefield Project by contributing toward finding a cure for this devastating disease.”