{{short description|American immunologist}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Roger M. Perlmutter | image = <!--(filename only)--> | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} --> | residence = | citizenship = | fields = Immunology | workplaces = Merck Research Laboratories | alma_mater = Reed College<br/>Washington University in St. Louis | thesis_title = | thesis_url = | thesis_year = | doctoral_advisor = | academic_advisors = Joseph Davie | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = Head of research at Amgen and Merck | author_abbrev_bot = | author_abbrev_zoo = | influences = | influenced = | awards = | signature = <!--(filename only)--> | signature_alt = | website = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} --> | footnotes = | spouse = }}
'''Roger M. Perlmutter''' is the former executive vice president of Merck & Co. and former president of Merck Research Laboratories. He is currently CEO of Eikon Therapeutics and a non-executive director of Merck Research Laboratories.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Merck Announces Retirement of Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter; Dr. Dean Y. Li Appointed as President, Merck Research Laboratories|url=https://www.merck.com/news/merck-announces-retirement-of-dr-roger-m-perlmutter-dr-dean-y-li-appointed-as-president-merck-research-laboratories/|access-date=2021-05-06|website=Merck.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Taylor|first=Phil|date=2020-10-05|title=Roger Perlmutter leaves Merck after 7 years, joins board at Insitro -|url=https://pharmaphorum.com/news/roger-perlmutter-leaves-merck-after-7-years-joins-board-at-insitro/|access-date=2021-05-06|website=pharmaphorum.com|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Waldron |first=James |date=2025-02-26 |title=Eikon remains in megaround mode with $350M series D |url=https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/eikon-remains-megaround-mode-350m-series-d-fund-cancer-trials |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=www.fiercebiotech.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Education and career == He graduated from Reed College and earned his MD and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis in 1979. He did his clinical training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and University of California, San Francisco.<ref name="Merck Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.merck.com/about/leadership/executive-committee/roger-m-perlmutter.html|title=Roger M. Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D.|publisher=Merck|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref> In 1981, he joined the Division of Biology at the California Institute of Technology before joining the University of Washington in 1984 to join the medicine and biochemistry department. At Caltech he worked closely with Leroy Hood, an important immunologist and later recruited Hood to the University of Washington to serve as founding professor of the Department of Molecular Biotechnology.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Timmerman|first=Luke D.|title=Hood: Trailblazer of the Genomic Age|others=Tracy Cutchlow, Robert Simison|year=2016|isbn=978-0-9977093-0-8|location=[Place of publication not identified]|pages=230–245|oclc=959626112}}</ref>
In 1989, he was the founding chair of the immunology department. His research focused on the role of tyrosine kinase signaling and its role in lymphocyte development and immunology.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Turner|first=JM|author2=Brodsky, MH |author3=Irving, BA |author4=Levin, SD |author5=Perlmutter, RM |author6= Littman, DR |title=Interaction of the unique N-terminal region of tyrosine kinase p56lck with cytoplasmic domains of CD4 and CD8 is mediated by cysteine motifs.|journal=Cell|date=Mar 9, 1990|volume=60|issue=5|pages=755–65|pmid=2107025|doi=10.1016/0092-8674(90)90090-2|s2cid=205019980 }}</ref> During that time he was also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dietz|first=Claire|title=Roger Perlmutter returns to give Krebs Lecture on drug discovery|url=http://www.washington.edu/news/2005/05/05/roger-perlmutter-returns-to-give-krebs-lecture-on-drug-discovery/|accessdate=30 November 2013|newspaper=University of Washington Today|date=5 May 2005}}</ref><ref name="BusinessWeek Profile">{{cite web|title=Roger M. Perlmutter M.D., Ph.D.|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=652432&ticker=AMGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203080444/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=652432&ticker=AMGN|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 3, 2013|publisher=BusinessWeek|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref>
In 1997, Perlmutter joined Merck Research Laboratories as the executive vice president of basic and preclinical research. At the time, Perlmutter was not chosen to replace Edward Scolnik as president of Merck Research Laboratories; that position went instead to Peter S. Kim, previously of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2001, Perlmutter left Merck and joined Amgen as the executive vice president and head of R&D from January 2001 to February 2012. In 2013, he replaced Peter S. Kim as the executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories.<ref>{{cite news|title=Merck Announces Appointment of Roger M. Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., As President of Merck Research Laboratories; Peter S. Kim, Ph.D., to Retire|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/07/nj-merck-idUSnBw3dJ7Lxa+114+BSW20130307|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021003/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/07/nj-merck-idUSnBw3dJ7Lxa+114+BSW20130307|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 December 2013|accessdate=30 November 2013|date=7 March 2013}}</ref> In 2020, he retired from Merck and was replaced by Dean Y. Li.<ref>{{cite web |title=Merck Announces Retirement of Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter; Dr. Dean Y. Li Appointed as President, Merck Research Laboratories |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201002005200/en/Merck-Announces-Retirement-of-Dr.-Roger-M.-Perlmutter-Dr.-Dean-Y.-Li-Appointed-as-President-Merck-Research-Laboratories |website=www.businesswire.com |accessdate=2 October 2020 |language=en |date=2 October 2020}}</ref> In 2021 he became CEO of a microscopy start-up, Eikon Therapeutics.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-05|title=Roger Perlmutter, former Merck R&D head, becomes CEO of startup|url=https://www.statnews.com/2021/05/05/roger-perlmutter-former-merck-rd-head-becomes-ceo-of-super-microscopy-startup/|access-date=2021-05-06|website=STAT|language=en-US}}</ref>
He was the president of the American Association of Immunologists from 1999 to 2000 and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also serves on the boards of the Institute for Systems Biology and StemCells Inc <ref>{{cite news|title=Institute for Systems Biology Names Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter Board Chairman |url=http://www.systemsbiology.org/Press_Release_081903|accessdate=30 November 2013|newspaper=Institute of Systems Biology|date=19 August 2003}}</ref> and is a science partner at The Column Group, a venture capital fund focused on biotechnology.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nobel Prize winners, all-star CEO, big bucks back East Bay biotech's deep dive into cells|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2021/05/05/roger-perlmutter-uc-berkeley-eikon-amgen-merck.html|access-date=2021-05-28|website=www.bizjournals.com}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[http://www.merck.com/about/leadership/executive-committee/roger-m-perlmutter.html Merck biography] *[https://www.aai.org/About/History/Past-Presidents-and-Officers/RogerMPerlmutter Oral history with The American Association of Immunologists]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Perlmutter, Roger M.}} Category:Living people Category:Businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry Category:Merck & Co. people Category:Reed College alumni Category:University of Washington faculty Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Category:Amgen people Category:Washington University School of Medicine alumni Category:Howard Hughes Medical Investigators Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Year of birth missing (living people)