Tony Ford-Hutchinson has substantial experience with pharmaceuticals, drug and vaccines discovery, research and development, business development, emerging markets and scientific strategy.  Dr. Ford-Hutchinson spent thirty years at Merck, starting in 1981 when he joined Merck Frosst Canada in Montreal, moving from director of pharmacology to senior vice president and site head.  During his time in Canada, the laboratories developed novel drugs for the treatment of several human diseases, including the development of Singulair® and the discovery of selective COX-2 inhibitors for the treatment of osteoarthritis and pain, making the Merck Frosst Laboratories the most productive discovery unit within Merck. In 1998, Dr. Ford-Hutchinson moved to Pennsylvania to head Merck’s basic research effort in the US and worldwide, covering all therapeutic areas. As Executive Vice President he was responsible for franchise strategies in multiple disease areas, including vaccines and infectious diseases. Prior to joining Merck, he performed research in the field of leukotrienes and prostaglandins at Kings College Hospital Medical School and was a lecturer in its chemical pathology department.  Dr. Ford-Hutchinson currently serves on the boards of several biotechnology companies and has participated in several recent successful exits, including Okairos (GSK), Ligocyte (Takeda) and Novira (Johnson & Johnson). The companies he has worked with have largely been in the fields of orphan diseases, anti-infectives, vaccines and oncology. He holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of London, a master's degree in molecular enzymology from the University of Warwick and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Birmingham.