SAN FRANCISCO– Today, Pendulum Therapeutics, the leading microbiome biotech company pioneering the next frontier of metabolic health, announced that former Mayo Clinic Medical Director and Executive Director for Integrative Medicine at Duke University, Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, FACP, has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Perlman is board-certified in Internal Medicine and specializes in both integrative and functional medicine, and has been a practicing clinician for over 25 years – most recently as the Director of Integrative Health and Wellbeing at the Mayo Clinic. He is a nationally recognized expert in the connection between gut health and overall health, and the prevention of chronic disease.
As Chief Medical Officer at Pendulum, he will oversee the company’s clinical research portfolio, working internally and with academic collaborators to uncover new insights and inform the development of new products that will deliver strong clinical efficacy and outcomes for consumers. Dr. Perlman will also interpret and present the latest in microbiome science and health to both healthcare providers and the public.
Dr. Perlman saw first hand the efficacy of Pendulum probiotics in his practice, observing benefits in his patients with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. This led him to launch a collaboration between the Mayo Clinic and Pendulum to perform a clinical trial measuring the efficacy of Pendulum Glucose Control (PGC) in lowering A1C levels in people with diabetes. Dr. Perlman received Investigator-Initiated Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the FDA for this study and the corresponding clinical trial is targeted to launch later this year.
“It is critical to educate people on how a targeted approach to a healthy gut microbiome can positively affect overall health and wellbeing to help them improve vitality and live their best lives,” says Dr. Perlman, Chief Medical Officer at Pendulum Therapeutics. “Pendulum is at the forefront of microbiome research and I look forward to working with the experts at Pendulum to share my knowledge, present clinical trial results, and explore emerging therapies and medical advancements in metabolic health.”
Dr. Perlman brings an expert perspective to the Pendulum team to support leaders, clinicians, patient advocacy groups, and consumers about the power of Pendulum products on the gut microbiome. At Pendulum, he joins a team of experts who specialize in microbiology, biochemistry, medicine and nutrition from renowned research institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, and Stanford University.
“Dr. Perlman has been a key opinion leader in medicine and built successful integrative practices at both the Mayo Clinic and Duke University,” says Colleen Cutcliffe, Ph.D., CEO and Co-founder at Pendulum. “We are honored and excited to have him join our team’s mission to help improve millions of lives through microbiome products.”
Before joining Pendulum, Dr. Perlman was Director of Integrative Health and Wellbeing for Mayo Clinic. Prior to that, he served as the Associate Vice President for Health and Wellness for the Duke University Health System, Executive Director for Duke Integrative Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Perlman is the founder and former Director of the Leadership Program in Integrative Healthcare at Duke University.
“Research and innovation in the gut microbiome and metabolic health space has expanded tremendously over recent decades, and it has been an honor leading Pendulum’s clinical research and academic teams through this inflection point,” says Dr. Orville Kolterman, who is retiring and led the selection of Dr. Perlman as his successor. “With the appointment of Dr. Perlman, Pendulum is well positioned to lead innovation and scientific advancement during this next phase of growth.”
In 2023, Halle Berry, Academy Award® winning actress, director and longtime user of Pendulum products, also joined the Pendulum team as an equity owner, investor and Chief Communications Officer. Berry joined Pendulum’s all-star lineup of investors, including Sequoia Capital, Meritech Capital, True Ventures, Khosla Ventures and the Mayo Clinic.
