David O. Calligaro, PhD

Toxicology

Dr. David O. Calligaro has nearly three decades of experience in toxicology as a project leader, laboratory scientist, accomplished author, and consultant.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Pharmacology and Toxicology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical School.

David spent the entirety of his career at Eli Lilly, serving as the toxicologist project leader, supporting preclinical safety assessments for neuroscience pharmaceutical indications. In addition to collaborating with Neuroscience Drug Discovery teams to progress compounds into development, David was responsible for creating and updating the nonclinical toxicology and safety regulatory submissions (e.g., CIB, IND, NDA, CTX, CTA). He also served as the functional area technical expert in CNS Safety Pharmacology and Drug Abuse Liability..

David also led an Eli Lilly laboratory that conducted in vitro receptor, ion channel, and enzyme assays to demonstrate the selectivity of chemical series progressing to development. During this time, he was also a member of the IQ-DruSafe – Secondary Pharmacology Working Group. The laboratory conducted basic research on neurotransmitter systems to resolve issues associated with compounds in development.  

David co-chaired the HESI Translational Biomarkers of Neurotoxicity Technical Committee. He has co-authored over sixty peer-reviewed scientific publications and authored two book chapters in his areas of expertise.

Since retiring from Eli Lilly in 2018, he has served as an independent consultant for several biotechnology companies and nonprofit consortiums.