CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Quiver Bioscience has appointed its co-founder, Graham Dempsey, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer as the company prepares to advance its lead therapeutic program into clinical development. Dr. Dempsey, who previously served as Chief Scientific Officer, will now lead the scaling of Quiver’s AI-driven drug discovery platform focused on central nervous system (CNS) disorders and chronic pain.
Quiver is developing a pipeline of precision therapeutics aimed at difficult-to-treat CNS conditions. Its lead asset is an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) targeting the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7, a genetically validated pain target with long-standing potential that has proven difficult for drug developers to effectively target. The company aims to begin IND-enabling studies for the ASO program later this year, with a development candidate expected to be selected in 2025.
Under Dr. Dempsey’s leadership, Quiver will focus on pushing the Nav1.7 program through clinical development while further expanding its AI-enabled platform, which uses in silico models to predict drug efficacy, safety, and target engagement. “Despite the longstanding promise of Nav1.7 as a target for pain, it has remained elusive for drug developers,” said Dr. Dempsey. “We’re excited by the potential of our genetic medicine strategy and platform to unlock this important target and create a transformative product for patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain.”
Dr. Dempsey has played a central role in shaping Quiver’s scientific and operational direction since its inception. He has overseen the development of the company’s small molecule and ASO programs and led numerous pharma collaborations and non-dilutive funding initiatives, including grants from the NIH SBIR programs and CNS-focused foundations. A biophysics Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School and a recognized expert in imaging and molecular diagnostics, Dr. Dempsey co-invented STORM (stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy), a super-resolution imaging technique now commercialized by Nikon Instruments.
Quiver’s Nav1.7 ASO has demonstrated strong efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo models of neuropathic pain, with favorable CNS tolerability, positioning it as a potential breakthrough for durable pain relief. The company believes its approach will overcome key limitations seen with small molecule Nav-targeting therapies currently under development or recently approved.
In addition to the lead program, Quiver is advancing other candidates within its AI-driven CNS platform. This includes an ASO targeting UBE3A for chromosome 15q duplication syndrome (Dup15q), a neurodevelopmental disorder. The company is also working on fast-follower programs across pain and broader CNS indications.
As Quiver enters this next phase of growth, Paul Roma, Quiver’s co-founder and former interim CEO, will transition to Chairman of the Board. The company is showcasing its technology and pipeline at the BIO International Convention in Boston this week.
