Daniele Piomelli

Biography

Daniele Piomelli, PharmD, PhD, MD (h.c.), is Distinguished Professor and Director of the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine. He also holds the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the Neurosciences. Piomelli received his PharmD from the University of Naples in 1982 and his PhD in Pharmacology from Columbia University in 1988.

Piomelli's research focuses on the endocannabinoid system and lipid-mediated signaling in the nervous system, with particular emphasis on developing therapeutic approaches for pain, inflammation, and metabolic disorders. His laboratory discovered key mechanisms of endocannabinoid biosynthesis and degradation, and has developed novel classes of enzyme inhibitors that modulate endocannabinoid signaling without producing psychoactive effects. He has published over 440 peer-reviewed articles and holds more than 30 patents related to cannabinoid-based therapeutics. Piomelli has co-founded several pharmaceutical companies, including Kadmus Pharmaceuticals, Thesan Pharmaceuticals, Neokera Pharmaceuticals, and Exxel Pharmaceuticals, to translate his discoveries into clinical applications.

Piomelli is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and has received numerous honors, including the Mechoulam Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society, the European Lipid Science Award, and an honorary medical doctorate from Goethe University. He served on the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse from 2007 to 2011 and was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee on the Health Effects of Marijuana. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research and has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate and various governmental bodies on cannabis policy and research.

Education

• Degree in Classical Studies, Lyceum 'Sannazzaro', Naples, Italy, 1977
• Pharm.D., University of Naples, Italy, 1982
• Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, 1988
• M.D. (h.c.), Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2012

Distinctions

• The Mechoulam Award, The International Cannabinoid Research Society, 2017
• The Ester Fride Award for Basic Research, The International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines, 2017
• Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research Award, Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California San Diego, 2022
• European Lipid Science Award, European Federation of Lipid Science, 2012
• Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2015
• Annual Lectureship in Toxicology, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 2022
• National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) Distinguished Investigator Award, 2005, 2009
• NIH Independent Investigator Award, 2001
• International Kemali Foundation Prize in Neurosciences, 2002