Bennett Shapiro

Bio

Dr. Shapiro is a Senior Partner and Chairman of the Board at PureTech Ventures. He was most recently Executive Vice President, Worldwide Licensing and External Research for Merck. He joined Merck Research Laboratories in 1990 as Executive Vice President, Basic Research. In this position he was responsible for all basic and preclinical research activities at Merck worldwide. Dr. Shapiro led the research program that resulted in FDA registration of approximately 20 drugs and vaccines, including Vioxx, Arcoxia, and Emend, and stretching as far back as the A2 antagonist Cozaar, the hepatitis A vaccine VACQTA, and many others. From 1999-2003 Shapiro oversaw all in-licensing activities for Merck. Previously, he was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington. He is the author of over 120 papers on the molecular regulation of cellular behavior and the biochemical events that integrate the cascade of cellular activations at fertilization. He has served on many institutional advisory boards and scientific review panels, and is currently a member of the board of various life science companies, including VBL, Protein Forest, Celera, Momenta, Elixir, Satori, and Ikaria. He also sits on the boards of the Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative and the Mind and Life Institute, and serves on the Harvard - MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology Advisory Committee. Dr. Shapiro received his MD from Jefferson Medical College.