Dr. Carolina Salcedo Roca is a PhD pharmacologist with more than 35 years of experience driving innovation across pharmaceutical and biotech R&D, from early discovery through late-stage clinical development and regulatory strategy. Most recently, she served as Head of Scientific Strategy at Sanifit CSL, following her earlier roles as Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Pharmacology at Sanifit, where she played a central role in advancing SNF472, a first-in-class vascular calcification inhibitor, from concept through Phase 3 clinical trials. Her work spanned mechanism-of-action characterization, preparation of the non-clinical regulatory package for IND submission, and the clinical development strategy through NDA-stage readiness. She also contributed to Sanifit’s successful acquisition by Vifor Pharma in 2021. 

Before joining Sanifit, Dr. Salcedo held senior scientific and development roles at PalauPharma/Uriach, Laboratorios SALVAT, Almirall, and Wasserman (Chiesi), building deep expertise in pharmacology, toxicology, ADME/PK-PD, and cross-functional R&D leadership. Over the course of her career, she has contributed to more than 20 drug development programs and to four approved products, including Cetraxal, Eberconazole, Ebastine, and Almotriptan. In addition to her industry leadership, she has supported biotech companies in both scientific strategy and fundraising, presenting programs to boards, investors, and key opinion leaders. Her contributions to the field also include 15 international patents, 21 peer-reviewed publications, and more than 70 scientific presentations. Dr. Salcedo holds advanced degrees in Neuroscience, Toxicology, and a PhD in Pharmacology.