Ali Gregro
Drug Discovery Scientist II
B.A. | Franklin & Marshall College, 2002 Chemistry |
Phone: (615) 322-7415
Fax: (615) 778-1414
Email: alison.r.gregro@vanderbilt.edu
Location: Cool Springs Innovation Park

Mailing Address:
Vanderbilt University/VCNDD
Cool Springs Innovation Park
393 Nichol Mill Lane, Room 1000
Franklin, TN 37067
Biosketch and Research Interests
In 2012, she joined VCNDD as a Drug Discovery Scientist I. She began work on a positive allosteric modulator of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 1 (M1) for Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia, and completed an animal study scale-up of the current lead compound which will be entering the clinic next year. She currently works on the M4 positive allosteric modulator project and serves as Safety manager for the VCNDD Chemistry group.
Selected Publications
Stachel, S.J.; Coburn, C.A.; Steele, T.G.; Jones, K.G.; Loutzenhiser, E.F.; Gregro, A.R.; Rajapakse, H.A.; Lai, M.; Crouthamel, M.; Xu, M.; Tugusheva, K.; Lineberger, J.E.; Pietrak, B.L.; Espeseth, A.S.; Shi, X.; Chen-Dodson, E.; Holloway, M.K.; Munshi, S.; Simon, A.J.; Kuo, L.; Vacca, J.P. ‘Structure-Based Design of Potent and Selective Cell-Permeable Inhibitors of Human β-Secretase (BACE-1).’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2004); 47(26): 6447–6450. {DOI: 10.1021/jm049379g; PMID: 15588077}
Stauffer, S.R.; Stanton, M.G.; Gregro, A.R.; Steinbeiser, M.A.; Shaffer, J.R.; Nantermet, P.G.; Barrow, J.C.; Rittle, K.E.; Collusi, D.; Espeseth, A.S.; Lai, M.T.; Pietrak, B.L.; Holloway, M.K.; McGaughey, G.B.; Munshi, S.K.; Hochman, J.H.; Simon, A.J.; Selnick, H.G.; Graham, S.L.; Vacca, J.P. ‘Discovery and SAR of isonicotinamide BACE-1 inhibitors that bind beta-secretase in a N-terminal 10-s loop down conformation’ Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters (2007); 17(6): 1788-1792. {DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2006.12.051; PMID: 17257835}
Rajapakse, H.A.; Walji, A.M.; Moore, K.P.; Zhu, H.; Mitra, A.W.; Gregro, A.R.; Tinney, E.; Burlein, C.; Touch, S.; Paton, B.L.; Carroll, S.S.; DiStefano, D.J.; Lai, M.; Grobler, J.A.; Sanchez, R.I.; Williams, T.M.; Vacca, J.P.; Nantermet, P.G.; ‘Strategies towards Improving the Pharmacokinetic Profile of ε-Substituted Lysinol-Derived HIV Protease Inhibitors’ ChemMedChem (2011); 6(2): 253-527. {DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201000395; PMID: 21275047}