David Bumcrot, PhD, received his degree from the University of Pennsylvania and continued his training in the laboratory of Professor Andrew P. McMahon at Harvard University. With support from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and National Institutes of Health, Dr. Bumcrot investigated the activity of factors controlling the development of the central nervous system.

Following his postdoctoral training, Dr. Bumcrot started his career in drug discovery and development by joining the staff of the biotechnology company, Curis (formerly Ontogeny). At Curis, Dr. Bumcrot led pre-clinical studies investigating the therapeutic potential of small molecules and antibodies that inhibit specific cell signaling pathways. This work led to the discovery of novel therapeutics currently being evaluated for cancer and neurological diseases.

In 2002, Dr. Bumcrot joined Alnylam Pharmaceuticals as the fifth employee. Serving as Director of Molecular & Cell Biology, he is heading up several efforts to develop drugs based on recent breakthrough discoveries in RNA interference technology to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease.