Morgan Sheng, Vice President, Neuroscience

Neuroscience is a growing focus area for Genentech. The mission of the Neuroscience Department is to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms underlying the biology and the diseases of the nervous system, and to translate these discoveries into innovative therapies for neurological disorders. To achieve these goals, the department uses a multidisciplinary approach and a wide range of technologies (molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, microscopic and brain imaging, electrophysiology, animal behavior, high throughput chemical screening) to tackle the basic biology of nervous system function and disease.

Genentech's Neuroscience Department is currently focused on research and drug discovery in the neurodegenerative diseases, disorders characterized by loss of neurons. Neurodegeneration exacts a huge toll on society, and this burden will increase with aging populations worldwide. Alzheimer's disease alone affects approximately five million people in the United States. Genentech has initiated major research efforts in several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Glaucoma, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). No medicines are yet available that reverse or slow down the progression of these illnesses. Over the past decade, however, progress has been made in identifying the genes and risk factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of several of these disorders. The interlinked goals of our ongoing research are to understand the precise molecular mechanisms that cause the death of neurons and the loss of neuronal connections in the brain, and to discover new drugs that improve the symptoms and block the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.