Experienced biotech legal executive strengthens leadership team as Aspen advances clinical development and prepares for Phase 3 growth
SAN DIEGO, June 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a clinical-stage regenerative medicine biotechnology company developing personalized, autologous cell therapies, today announced the appointment of Jeff Boerneke as General Counsel and Secretary.
"Jeff joins Aspen at an important time for the company as we advance sasineprocel into Phase 3," said Damien McDevitt, Ph.D., president and CEO of Aspen Neuroscience. "His experience with other leading biotech companies and distinguished leadership experience across corporate governance, financings, partnerships and compliance will be valuable as we continue to execute on our mission and scale the organization."
"I am excited to join Aspen Neuroscience at such a pivotal stage," said Jeff Boerneke. "The company's approach to developing personalized therapies for patients with Parkinson's disease is compelling, and I look forward to supporting its continued growth and advancement."
Mr. Boerneke most recently served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Gossamer Bio, where he was a member of the executive team and led all legal matters spanning corporate governance, public company reporting, financings, licensing and partnerships, intellectual property, and clinical and commercial contracting. He led Gossamer Bio's 2019 initial public offering and most recently its global partnership with Chiesi.
Prior to Gossamer Bio, Mr. Boerneke served as Corporate Counsel at Amgen, where he supported debt transactions, public company reporting, global subsidiary management and board governance. Earlier in his career, he was a corporate associate at Latham & Watkins LLP, advising on capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and licensing and commercial arrangements.
Mr. Boerneke earned a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law and a B.S. in Chemistry from Point Loma Nazarene University.
About Aspen Neuroscience
Aspen Neuroscience is a leading, clinical-stage regenerative medicine biotechnology company developing autologous induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (iPSC) therapies beginning with neurodegenerative diseases of high unmet need including Parkinson's disease (PD).
Its lead product candidate is sasineprocel (ANPD001), the most advanced autologous investigational cell therapy in the United States for treating PD.
About Sasineprocel
Sasineprocel is a single-dose, autologous iPSC-based cell therapy being evaluated for the treatment of PD. We believe sasineprocel has the potential to be disease-modifying by replacing a patient's lost dopaminergic (DA) neurons with DANPCs cells and aiming to reconstruct the underlying neural circuitry lost in the progression of disease.
Specifically, sasineprocel is created from a patient's own cells via skin biopsy, reprogrammed to iPSCs (turning back the biological clock of the cells to a pre-disease state), and differentiated into DANPCs. Our proprietary cell composition is then delivered via image-guided administration to the putamen, the part of the brain where restoration of dopamine signaling is needed.
This approach is designed to establish a biologically active cellular microenvironment that supports engraftment, survival and functional integration of the transplanted cells to achieve durable clinical benefits for PD patients with the goal of slowing or halting disease progression.
Since it is autologous (using a patient's own cells), immunosuppression, which is required for donor-derived (allogeneic) cell therapies, is not needed.
Sasineprocel has received Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
For more information, visit www.aspenneuroscience.com.
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SOURCE Aspen Neuroscience, Inc.
