Francesco G. Salituro

Francesco G. Salituro, Ph.D., currently the Founder and sole proprietor of Salituro MedChem Solutions, LLC, has been a scientific leader in pharmaceutical industry for over 34 years and has successfully driven drug discovery programs across multiple therapeutic areas. His work has resulted in 20 small molecule clinical candidates, including Zuranolone (SAGE-217), SAGE-718, SAGE-324, SAGE-904, Mitapivat, Neflamopimod, Decernotinib, Pimodivir, and three marketed drugs, Zulresso®, IDHIFA® and TIBSOVO®. Most recently, Francesco held the position of Vice President of Chemistry at Sage Therapeutics, from 2012 through 2020. Prior to Sage, Francesco held leadership positions at Agios Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Research and Vertex Pharmaceuticals after initially joining Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals in 1986. Francesco’s research has led to over 60 scientific publications and over 80 issued US Patents. Additionally, Francesco has been active within the Gordon Research Conferences, serving as Chairman of the prestigious GRC on Medicinal Chemistry in 2011.

Since September of 2014, Francesco has been serving on the Board of Directors for the Epilepsy Foundation of New England (EFNE). He is also the co-founder of Joseph’s HOPE Scholarship Fund, and more recently the Joseph’s HOPE Emergency Fund, both of which are within the EFNE umbrella. Francesco received his B.S. Degree in Life Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 1980 and his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1984; he additionally held a postdoctoral position at University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana from 1984-1986.

Outside of career and EFNE, Francesco pursues several passions including cooking, oenology, gardening, art collecting, and music. He has played in several rock bands over the past 18 years, including his current band Almost the Cure, all in support of his Joseph’s HOPE charities. Francesco is also co-owner of AudioArt, a state-of-the-art audio theater store located in Sudbury, MA.