Research led by Dr. Bloom at The Scripps Research Institute, where he recently retired as Chairman of Neuropharmacology, has focused on the structural and histochemical analysis of brain regions and the changes the brain undergoes due to drug actions. He and his colleagues have sought to determine the organization and chemical neuroanatomic relationships that define how and where a drug produces its effects at the cellular and systems levels. From 2000 to 2006, he devoted his efforts largely to the work of Neurome, Inc., a biotechnology company he cofounded to develop treatments for such neurodegenerative conditions as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Among posts he held before joining Scripps, Dr. Bloom was Director of Behavioral Neurobiology at Salk Institute in 1989 and Chief of Neuropharmacology at the National Institute of Mental Health. His long and distinguished career also includes five years as editor-in-chief of Science magazine and service as President and Chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.