Dr. Janet Chollet
Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Procyrn LLC
Dr. Janet A. Chollet is a board-certified obstetrician–gynecologist, biotech co-founder, and translational medicine leader in Boston. She is also the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Procyrn LLC, where she directs programs focused on sustained-release hydrogel immune therapeutics and reformulated antivirals. Her work targets critical areas, including maternal–fetal health, neuroinflammation, and HPV-related cervical disease.
For more than thirty years, Dr. Chollet has built a career at the intersection of patient care, innovation, and translational research. She has served in clinical and academic roles at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh. She has guided early-stage clinical programs alongside patient care and teaching and holds three U.S. patents in women’s health drug delivery, underscoring her commitment to advancing therapies.
Her academic journey began at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience in 1986. Motivated by the links between science and medicine, she continued her training at New York Medical College, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1991. From there, she entered a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at LAC/USC Women’s Hospital, where she trained from 1991 to 1995. These foundational years shaped her dedication to improving healthcare for women, children, and families.
Following residency, Dr. Janet Chollet joined Magee-Women’s Hospital, affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, as a staff physician and instructor. Between 2000 and 2007, she balanced patient care with clinical teaching, while developing her focus on translational medicine as a bridge between bedside observations and therapeutic innovation. In 2007, she joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where she continues to practice obstetrics and gynecology while contributing to academic training.
In 2005, she co-founded Pear Tree Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to site-targeted therapies for women’s health. The company emphasized treatments for breast cancer survivors and women experiencing vulvovaginal atrophy. Serving as Vice President of Clinical Affairs until 2018, she worked on vaginal delivery technologies designed to treat localized symptoms while reducing systemic exposure. Her contributions resulted in three U.S. patents:
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US 9,693,953 — Method of treating atrophic vaginitis US 9,675,546 — Method of treating atrophic vaginitis with triphenylethylene derivatives US 9,480,662 — Compositions and methods for topical tamoxifen citrate therapy
This intellectual property later became central to Pear Tree’s merger with Dare Bioscience (NASDAQ: DARE), a company advancing innovative therapies for women’s health.
In 2023, Janet Chollet, MD, co-founded Procyrn LLC, a biotechnology company applying drug delivery science to areas of longstanding unmet need. As Chief Medical Officer, she directs translational strategy, clinical development, and regulatory planning. Procyrn’s therapeutic programs include maternal–fetal health, neuroinflammation, and HPV-driven cervical disease.
The company’s lead program, Maternal–Fetal Health (PC101), targets preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, pregnancy complications that often require preterm delivery. PC101 is a sustained-release hydrogel biologic designed to stabilize maternal–fetal health and reduce the need for early delivery. Preclinical validation has been completed, and the program is advancing with collaborators including Northeastern University and Charles River Laboratories. The therapeutic approach aims to extend gestation safely and improve outcomes for mothers and infants.
A second program focuses on Neuroinflammation and ALS. While Dr. Chollet’s expertise is rooted in obstetrics and gynecology, her work in immune-modulating therapeutics has led to collaboration with Jackson Laboratory on C9orf72-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS's most common genetic form. This program seeks to target inflammatory pathways implicated in disease progression.
A third therapeutic effort addresses HPV-Driven Cervical Dysplasia. Surgical procedures remain the mainstay of treatment, yet they carry risks of recurrence and obstetric complications. Procyrn is advancing a localized antiviral delivery system designed for the cervicovaginal environment. In partnership with Charles River Laboratories, current work is focused on in vitro validation studies to establish proof of concept for this nonsurgical approach.
In addition to these core programs, Janet Chollet is exploring Autism Prevention Through Maternal–Fetal Immune Therapeutics. Research suggests maternal immune activation and placental inflammation can disrupt fetal brain development. Building on preclinical studies, including Zika virus models, she envisions pregnancy-compatible immune therapeutics that stabilize the intrauterine environment and reduce oxidative stress. While still in early stages, this program reflects her broader goal of preventive strategies in maternal–fetal medicine.
Her leadership also extends into regulatory and development expertise. She focuses on reproducibility in preclinical models, clear definition of go/no-go criteria, and alignment of development milestones with funding cycles. This disciplined approach ensures that scientific progress is translated into patient care with rigor and accountability.
Beyond science and medicine, Dr. Janet Chollet has a creative side. Earlier in her career, she co-wrote the Emmy-winning ER episode “Love’s Labor Lost,” which received five awards. Though Warner Bros. offered her a staff writing position, she chose to continue her path in medicine, demonstrating both her dedication to healthcare and her ability to bring a narrative perspective to complex issues.
