FRANCESCO G. SALITURO, Ph.D.
Francesco G. Salituro, Ph.D., currently the founder of Salituro MedChem Solutions, LLC, and has
been a scientific leader in pharmaceutical industry since 1986 and has successfully driven drug
discovery programs across multiple therapeutic areas. His work has resulted in 20 small
molecule clinical candidates, including Dalzanemdor (SAGE-718), SAGE-324, SAGE-904,
Neflamopimod, Decernotinib, Pimodivir, and 5 marketed drugs, Zulresso®, IDHIFA®,TIBSOVO®,
Pyrukynd® and Zurzuvae®.
Most recently, Francesco held the position of Sr Vice President of Discovery at Asteroid
Therapeutics and prior to that held consulting/advisory positions at several early new
companies such as FogPharma, Empress, Rectify, Vigil and Riva. Prior to that, he held the
position of VP 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.
From September of 2014 through June 2023, Francesco served 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.