Maria Pia Arolfo Email & Phone Number

Menlo Park, California, United States

- Responsible for overseeing toxicity and safety pharmacology studies; providing scientific input on multidisciplinary projects using in-vivo models. - Serve as the lead study director for various government and commercial contracts and conduct several non-GLP and GLP rodent, dog and rabbit toxicology studies. - Make contribution through peer-reviewed publications, patents and oral presentations. - Contribute to development of proposals for various projects in current and new areas… Show more - Responsible for overseeing toxicity and safety pharmacology studies; providing scientific input on multidisciplinary projects using in-vivo models. - Serve as the lead study director for various government and commercial contracts and conduct several non-GLP and GLP rodent, dog and rabbit toxicology studies. - Make contribution through peer-reviewed publications, patents and oral presentations. - Contribute to development of proposals for various projects in current and new areas of expertise as well as for multi-disciplinary projects. - Act as Principal Investigator and co- Principal Investigator in several projects - Responsible for designing and developing Investigational New Drug IND-directed preclinical development plans and study designs to assess safety of candidate therapeutics such as small molecule drugs, devices, biologics and cells. Show less

Fremont, Ca

• Authored 4 scientific articles in high impact journals; developed content for Pharmacology section of GS-6637 RFD and IND documents. Coordinated and designed several drug (alcohol, cocaine, and nicotine) addiction studies with CROs to support Gilead compound RFD. Contributed to the advancement of GS-6637 compound to Phase I of drug development. • Conducted cardiovascular safety studies and screened compounds to asses CNS safety using rota rod and locomotor activity models in rodents by… Show more • Authored 4 scientific articles in high impact journals; developed content for Pharmacology section of GS-6637 RFD and IND documents. Coordinated and designed several drug (alcohol, cocaine, and nicotine) addiction studies with CROs to support Gilead compound RFD. Contributed to the advancement of GS-6637 compound to Phase I of drug development. • Conducted cardiovascular safety studies and screened compounds to asses CNS safety using rota rod and locomotor activity models in rodents by managing rodent telemetry experiments design, execution, data analysis and interpretation, including telemetry device surgical implantation.• Performed rodent surgeries implanting subcutaneous and intra-abdominal cavity telemetry devices. Effort was a critical screening step to determine compounds advancement into efficacy models.• Established arrhythmia detection protocol in conscious rodents using telemetry DSI technology; monitored and quantified arrhythmias in transgenic mice and isoproterenol treated rats during extended periods of time. • Received multiple "Values at Work Awards" for significant contribution to establishing new method of arrhythmia detection in telemetry animals; and for demonstrating one or more core values in the way of approaching work. Show less

Palo Alto, Ca

• Established behavioral neuroscience laboratory at CVT (later acquired by Gilead) to study role of ALDH2 and adenosine A2A receptor in alcohol and drug addiction and the mechanism of action of ALDH2 inhibitors.• Coordinated and designed several drug (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, etc) addiction studies with CROs to support Gilead compound RFD. Established 7+ contracts with CROs for advancement of compound GS-6637 as RFD candidate and later moved to Phase I of drug… Show more • Established behavioral neuroscience laboratory at CVT (later acquired by Gilead) to study role of ALDH2 and adenosine A2A receptor in alcohol and drug addiction and the mechanism of action of ALDH2 inhibitors.• Coordinated and designed several drug (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, etc) addiction studies with CROs to support Gilead compound RFD. Established 7+ contracts with CROs for advancement of compound GS-6637 as RFD candidate and later moved to Phase I of drug development.• Consistently received 5/5 in annual performance reviews and promoted once during tenure. Show less

Emeryville, Ca

• Studied role of adenosine receptors and PKA signaling pathway during ethanol consumption and relapse in rat models of alcohol consumption: alcohol operant self- administration, 2-bottle choice home cage drinking; IP, SC and CNS administration of adenosine agonists/antagonists. • Contributed to expansion of behavioral lab by adding operant self-administration chambers. Performed stereotaxic surgeries on rodents by implanting cannula in different brain areas. Leveraged research expertise in… Show more • Studied role of adenosine receptors and PKA signaling pathway during ethanol consumption and relapse in rat models of alcohol consumption: alcohol operant self- administration, 2-bottle choice home cage drinking; IP, SC and CNS administration of adenosine agonists/antagonists. • Contributed to expansion of behavioral lab by adding operant self-administration chambers. Performed stereotaxic surgeries on rodents by implanting cannula in different brain areas. Leveraged research expertise in understanding role of adenosine receptors and PKA signaling pathway in rat models of alcohol consumption.• Authored 2 scientific articles in high impact journals and ensured progress on a broad array of research initiatives; resulted in data presentation at Society for Neuroscience and article publication. Show less

Greenville, Nc

• Worked with highly collaborative team of scientists to conduct research in rodent models to test atypical antipsychotic drugs as potential pharmacological adjuncts to psychotherapy of substance abuse. Studied discrimination learning based on time of day using rat T-maze.• Authored 4 scientific articles in scientific journals (2 first author) and leveraged solid hands-on experience in basic research and assay development to resolve challenges with rodent surgeries; collaborated in rodent… Show more • Worked with highly collaborative team of scientists to conduct research in rodent models to test atypical antipsychotic drugs as potential pharmacological adjuncts to psychotherapy of substance abuse. Studied discrimination learning based on time of day using rat T-maze.• Authored 4 scientific articles in scientific journals (2 first author) and leveraged solid hands-on experience in basic research and assay development to resolve challenges with rodent surgeries; collaborated in rodent learning paradigms that resulted in publication of 2 scientific articles. Show less

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Pharmacology

Bachelor'S Degree, Biochemistry