Amy Ripka

Amy Ripka, PhD, is a medicinal chemist with two decades of success in drug discovery for multiple disease areas including five biotech investigational new drug applications and more than 30 issued patents.

Currently, Dr. Ripka is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lucy Therapeutics. She has worked as a medicinal chemist to develop drugs for various therapeutic areas including the central nervous system, anti-infectives, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Her efforts have contributed to two approved drugs (Daclastasvir, Asunaprevir) and a compound in Phase II for schizophrenia. Dr. Ripka has held roles with Bristol Myers-Squibb, biotechnology companies including Infinity, HydraBiosciences, EnVivo [now FORUM], and two contract research organizations serving the pharmaceutical community, Sai Life Sciences and WuXiAppTec. This diversity gives her a unique appreciation and perspective on the interplay between these organizations and the drug discovery model.

Dr. Ripka received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and music at Northwestern University. She earned her doctorate degree in organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr. Ripka was awarded a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship and continued her studies at The Scripps Research Institute under the Nobel Laureate, K. Barry Sharpless.