James V. Cassella BA, PhD

James V. Cassella, Ph.D., is a biopharmaceutical R&D executive with over 25 years of experience working in science-driven drug discovery and product development companies. Since February 2015, he has been the Chief Development Officer of Concert Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Cassella leads Concert's drug development efforts, including strategy and operations, and has direct responsibility for the CMC, preclinical, clinical, and regulatory functions. Prior to joining Concert, Dr. Cassella served as the Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Alexza Pharmaceuticals.

Since joining Alexza in 2004, he was responsibile for the development of various CNS products, including the marketing approval of ADASUVE in the US and EU for the acute treatment of agitation in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar 1 disorder. In 1989, Dr. Cassella was one of the original scientists at Neurogen Corporation, a CNS drug discovery and development biotechnology company, and held various management positions, including Senior Vice President of Clinical Research & Development.

Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Cassella was an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Oberlin College. Dr. Cassella was trained in neuroscience and received a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College and completed a Postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine. He received a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of New Haven.