Dr. Morimoto is a drug development consultant currently helping several biotech companies move their programs through clinical development and drug registration. He is also VP of Drug Development for Cerecin, a biopharmaceutical company focused on brain therapeutics. He has nearly 25 years of experience leading project teams in the development of innovative medicines, having previously held leadership roles at Alkahest, Celerion, Allon Therapeutics, MDS Pharma Services, and NeuroMed Technologies. Dr. Morimoto uses his extensive knowledge of translational medicine, CNS indications, and early-stage clinical research to provide guidance in the design and execution of nonclinical, clinical, and regulatory strategies. He also serves as a scientific advisor to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, chairing one of their scientific review panels.
Dr. Morimoto has published dozens of peer-reviewed papers on topics such as Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. He started his career on the faculty in the Chemistry Department at Purdue University where his independent research focused on neuronal signal transduction. He earned his doctorate in biochemistry from UCLA and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley.