R. Michael Gendreau, M.D., Ph.D. is the current Chief Medical Officer of Virios Therapeutics, a role he has held since December of 2020. Dr. Gendreau is a world-renowned biotechnology expert and healthcare consultant with over 3 decades of experience.
In his past roles as Chief Medical Officer and President of Gendreau Consulting, Dr. Michael Gendreau has provided strategic advice including the design and management of clinical trials and research programs, strategic company and product launch planning, and technology evaluation with a focus on central nervous system disorders and chronic pain conditions.
Dr. Gendreau’s experience includes work for companies in both publicly listed sectors and private organizations as Chief Medical Officer having worked in roles including pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical devices.
His body of work and field of expertise includes both chronic and acute pain, rheumatology, functional somatic syndromes, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and general cognition disorders.
His track record of achievements includes multiple regulatory approvals for diagnostic, medical device and pharmaceutical products. As a founding member and Chief Medical Officer of Cypress Bioscience, Inc. Dr. Gendreau oversaw the clinical development program and approval efforts for milnacipran. Under the brand name Savella, this is the most recent FDA approved treatment for the management of fibromyalgia.
Education
Dr. Gendreau began his journey in the medical field in 1973 when he began studying for his B.S. in chemistry from Ohio University, a public research university in Athens, Ohio. He graduated summa cum laude in 1976 before continuing his education at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
In 1981 Dr. Gendreau received his M.D./Ph.D. in pharmacology and medicine from the medical school at The Ohio State University located in Columbus, Ohio. The college is nationally recognized as a top institution in both education and research, as reflected by rankings in U.S. News & World Report.
Experience
After completing his medical training, Dr. Gendreau joined the staff at the Battelle Memorial Institute in 1982 to initially serve as section head in the medical biotechnology division. In this role, Dr. Gendreau was involved in the development of novel diagnostic and sensor systems.
In 1988 he left Battelle to assume the role of Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Research and Development for MicroProbe Corporation overseeing the development and manufacturing of probe-based DNA/RNA diagnostic products.
Dr. Gendreau went on to become a founding member of the team at Cypress Bioscience, Inc. with a body of work that encompassed over 15 years.
During his time at Cypress Bioscience Dr. Gendreau actively served in every aspect of company operations, with roles that encompassed strategy, product and technology diligence, as well as the design, execution and management of the company’s clinical research trials and programs.
It was during this time as Chief Medical Officer of Cypress Bioscience, Inc. that Dr. Gendreau oversaw the clinical research programs that led to the approval efforts for milnacipran.
Additionally, he has served as Chief Medical Officer at other institutions including Israel-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company Intec Pharma Ltd., which focused on pharmaceutical development for treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
In the coming weeks Dr. Gendreau will be providing expert insight on the Virios Therapeutics blog into the field of fibromyalgia ranging from symptoms to diagnosis, current treatment, research and more.