Dr Eric Karran is a molecular biochemist by training, with a particular interest in enzymology and proteinases.  He has spent most of his career in the pharmaceutical industry, leading and managing multi-disciplinary drug discovery teams.   He has held Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President roles in a number of companies, including SmithKline Beecham (now GSK), Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Johnson and Johnson.  During his career he has led and participated in a number of academic/industry collaborations.  Eric has specialized in Neuroscience research, and particularly Alzheimer’s disease, for the past 20 years, participating in a number of projects that have led to late-stage clinical programmes.   Eric is a Visiting Professor in the Department for Human Genetics at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and an Honorary Senior Research Associate in the Department of Molecular Neuroscience at the Institute of Neurology, University College London.   He is currently the Director of Research for Alzheimer’s Research UK and has responsibility for setting the organization’s strategic scientific direction.