Dr. Akiko Goto serves as Head of the Research Unit at GEXVal Inc., a Japan-based emerging clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company spun off from a major pharmaceutical company. Following a 25-year career at a leading pharmaceutical company, she developed deep expertise in pharmaceutical R&D and drug discovery strategy across multiple therapeutic areas, including psychiatric disorders, neuromuscular diseases, and autoimmune diseases. She also served as a visiting researcher at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, a leading national research and medical institute in Tokyo, Japan. She is committed to advancing innovative medicines that address significant unmet medical needs. At GEXVal, she leads discovery biology and translational research in close collaboration with academic institutions and patient advocacy organizations. GEXVal applies its proprietary AI-driven pharmacoinformatics technology to early-stage drug development for neurological disorders with high unmet needs, including neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive conditions, thereby accelerating the delivery of life-changing therapeutic options to patients and their families.