# Dominique Verhelle

> Dominique Verhelle is a French-born scientist and biotech entrepreneur who co-founded and leads NextRNA Therapeutics, a Boston company building small-molecule drugs that target long non-coding RNA to treat cancers and neurological disorders. With a PhD in life sciences and an MBA in entrepreneurship, she has spent more than two decades across big pharma, venture capital, and startups - including Celgene, Pfizer, Third Rock Ventures, and Takeda - and helped launch Fulcrum Therapeutics and Cedilla Therapeutics before starting NextRNA. She is also an outspoken advocate for women founders in biotech.

- **Role:** Co-Founder, President & CEO at NextRNA Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** NextRNA Therapeutics, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Third Rock Ventures, Pfizer, Celgene, Bridge Medicines
- **From:** France
- **Nationality:** French
- **Education:** Ph.D. in Life Sciences, Universite Cote d'Azur, France, MBA in Entrepreneurship, UC San Diego, Rady School of Management
- **Known for:** Co-founded NextRNA Therapeutics and built its platform for targeting non-coding RNA-protein interactions with small molecules, Raised a $56 million Series A financing for NextRNA, Helped launch Fulcrum Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FULC) and Cedilla Therapeutics while a Principal at Third Rock Ventures

## Career timeline

- **2000s** — Held several positions at Celgene, contributing to understanding the mechanism of action of IMiDs and establishing the company's internal epigenetics group
- **2010s** — Director of Epigenetics at Pfizer within the Oncology Research Unit
- **2010s** — Principal at Third Rock Ventures, playing an instrumental role in launching Fulcrum Therapeutics and Cedilla Therapeutics
- **2019** — Head of Academic Innovation at Takeda's Center for External Innovation, and board director of Bridge Medicines
- **2021** — Co-founded NextRNA Therapeutics to develop small-molecule drugs targeting non-coding RNA
- **2022** — NextRNA closed a $56 million Series A financing; Verhelle named Chief Executive Officer in August

## Achievements

- Co-founded NextRNA Therapeutics and built its platform for targeting non-coding RNA-protein interactions with small molecules
- Raised a $56 million Series A financing for NextRNA
- Helped launch Fulcrum Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FULC) and Cedilla Therapeutics while a Principal at Third Rock Ventures
- Established internal epigenetics drug-discovery groups at both Celgene and Pfizer
- Contributed to the scientific understanding of the mechanism of action of IMiDs at Celgene
- More than 20 years of R&D, company-building, and management experience across biopharma and venture capital

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Featured in GBH News' 'Women in Biotech' series, discussing NextRNA's long non-coding RNA approach and the role of women founders in the industry.
- **2022-08** — Named CEO of NextRNA Therapeutics as the company expanded its leadership team following its Series A financing.

## Links

- Website: https://nextrnatx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiqueverhelle
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7twPa7AbA4

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dominique-verhelle
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-17