Will McLean

Will McLean is a co-founder and the vice president of biology and regenerative medicine at Frequency Therapeutics. As an undergraduate, McLean studied biology at Tufts University before going on to attain a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology within the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. While at MIT, his doctoral research elucidated the distinct progenitor cell types that exist within the inner ear and their capacity to form sensory cells and neural cell types. As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, Will investigated the use of small-molecule drugs to manipulate molecular signaling pathways to promote regeneration of inner ear sensory cells. Frequency Therapeutics is now using insights from Will’s work to develop drugs to drive regeneration throughout the body, with a lead program in treating hearing loss by regenerating lost sensory cells. Beyond an application in hearing loss, Frequency is developing a pipeline of regenerative products for applications in multiple sclerosis, diabetes, alopecia, and gastrointestinal diseases. Will’s work has led to over 17 patent filings, and he has been recognized as an IDEA2 awardee by Harvard-MIT, a leader in Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy by Sartorius and Science, a 40 Under Forty Business Leader by the Hartford Business Journal, and one of the top 35 Innovators Under 35 by MIT Technology Review.