Scientific Advisory Board
Merit Cudkowicz, MD
Mohammad Ebrahimzadeh, PhD
Merit Cudkowicz, MD
- Drug Development Advisor
Dr. Cudkowicz is the Director of the Healey Center for ALS, Chief of Neurology at Mass General, and the Julieanne Dorn Professor at Harvard Medical School. On this advisory role at RockGen, Dr. Cudkowicz leverages over three decades of research and clinical activities in taking care of ALS patients and running clinical trials, therapeutic studies to stop ALS. She is one of the founders of the Northeast ALS Consortium and brought innovations to accelerate the development of treatments for people with ALS, including the first antisense oligonucleotide treatment for ALS and adaptive platform trial designs. Dr. Cudkowicz is Principal Investigator of the Clinical Coordination Center for the NINDS Neurology Network of Excellence in Clinical Trials. She is a member of AAP, NAM, and received the American Academy of Neurology Sheila Essay ALS award, the Pinnacle Award from the Boston Chamber of Commerce.
Brydon Bennett, PhD
Mohammad Ebrahimzadeh, PhD
Merit Cudkowicz, MD
- Pharmaceutical Advisor
Dr. Bennett is a drug discovery consultant and biotech entrepreneur with a focus on preclinical drug optimization and development, inflammation and autoimmunity, and cell and molecular biology. He worked for the Upjohn Company, and then Signal Pharmaceuticals, later Celgene, for 20 years and was involved in multiple projects including several currently active in the 3 phases of clinical assessment.
Mohammad Ebrahimzadeh, PhD
Mohammad Ebrahimzadeh, PhD
Mohammad Ebrahimzadeh, PhD
- Drug Development Advisor
Dr. Ebrahimzadeh is the Director of Business Development at RockGen. With a background in business development, complemented by extensive experience in both the pharmaceutical industry and academia (PhD, MSc), Mohammad offers a unique blend of financial acumen, a nuanced understanding of the biomedical industry, and academic rigour.
As part of his business development background, Mohammad has forged key strategic partnerships and contributed to regulatory strategies, particularly focusing on FDA requirements. In addition, he has led early-stage business development activities, conducting thorough market analysis and competitive intelligence to inform growth strategies.
He has collaborated with prominent pharmaceutical companies headquartered in the US and Europe. He has contributed to developing multiple drug candidates, with experience spanning preclinical efficacy and toxicity studies (FDA IND-enabling) and human clinical trials.
His research in prominent academic institutions including, Penn State University, and high-profile national research initiatives have been published in the top 10 psychiatry journals, and recognised in the broader scientific community including citations in review articles, textbooks, and by the New York State Department of Financial Services.