Medical Scientist Training Program Class of 1979
CEO, Eikon Therapeutics
Roger Perlmutter, MD, PhD, began his path to revolutionizing modern medicine in the labs of WashU Medicine. As a student in the early years of the Medical Scientist Training Program, he learned the fundamentals of biochemistry under P. Roy Vagelos, MD, and Luis Glaser, PhD — trailblazers whose curiosity laid the groundwork for generations of discovery.
“The experience I had at WashU Medicine was transformational,” Perlmutter reflected. “It was focused on trying to ask important questions about biomedical research and developing the ability to answer them. And so I was forged in that crucible of discovery. The six years I spent there made all the difference.”
A difference that reverberated worldwide.
Following a distinguished career in academia and leadership roles at Merck and Amgen, Perlmutter returned to Merck in 2013 to lead its Research Laboratories into a new era of innovation. Under his watch, the company earned more than 100 global regulatory approvals for vaccines and treatments targeting cancer, diabetes, Ebola and HIV.
His boldest move? Fast-tracking a new kind of cancer treatment, the immune checkpoint inhibitor today known as Keytruda. At a moment when others hesitated, he saw potential and acted with conviction, pivoting Merck’s pipeline and championing one of the most successful immunotherapies for breast, colorectal and endometrial cancer, saving countless lives and setting a new standard for cancer care.
Now, Perlmutter serves as chief executive officer of Eikon Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company employing revolutionary technology at the interface of biology, engineering and chemistry to discover novel treatments for life-threatening diseases.
His legacy is a testament to what’s possible when the promise of basic research meets visionary leadership.
Published in the Autumn 2025 issue