Tony will be responsible for progressing the company’s rare disease drug candidates through the clinic, with an initial focus on initiating Healx’s clinical trial for the treatment of fragile X syndrome. The trial is due to commence in 2020 and will be conducted in association with the FRAXA Research Foundation.
Tony has over 25 years of experience in drug development, with the last decade focused solely on rare diseases. He co-founded the rare diseases patient group support charity Findacure with Nick Sireau, advisor to and the inspiration behind Healx. Tony’s experience in drug development includes significant contributions to the repurposing of nitisinone for the treatment of alkaptonuria (AKU), a rare genetic disease affecting Nick’s two sons.
As CMO at Healx, Tony will be part of the team deciding which diseases to target and will be responsible for the design and execution of Healx’s clinical development programmes. He will also oversee relationships with regulatory bodies at a global level.
Tim Guilliams, co-founder and CEO of Healx, commented: “Tony has an exceptional amount of experience in the rare disease space and is very patient-focused. Having spent a decade working specifically with rare diseases, he has a unique understanding of the challenges associated with this field and therefore how best to progress our planned clinical programmes. Tony’s innovative approach and knowledge of navigating regulatory processes, including Adaptive Pathways and PRIME, will be key to achieving our goal of taking a significant number of therapies for rare diseases into the clinic.”
Commenting on his CMO appointment, Tony, said: “Healx’s tremendous ambition to be a global leader in the area of rare diseases is matched with a compelling strategy for drug discovery using artificial intelligence and machine learning. With only a tiny fraction of rare diseases having an approved therapy, Healx’s approach allows us to cut discovery and development timelines and costs, thereby offering new hope to many rare disease patients. In this role, I intend to build upon my existing relationships with patient groups, drawing on their expertise to help progress treatments through the clinic.”
Prior to joining Healx, Tony worked as CMO at Aparito and as Therapeutic Area Head of Orphan Drugs at Mereo BioPharma. He previously co-founded and successfully sold PSR, a Dutch CRO specialising in drug development for rare diseases. He is currently Trustee of Findacure and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at the patient group charity Duchenne UK. Tony qualified as a medical doctor at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, having previously obtained a first class joint honours BSc in Physiology and Pharmacology from King’s College London.
About Healx
Healx is an AI-powered and patient-inspired technology company, accelerating the discovery and development of rare disease treatments. Their AI drug discovery platform leverages public and proprietary biomedical data and features the world’s leading knowledge graph for rare diseases. Combining their technology with patient insight and drug discovery expertise, Healx’s mission is to advance 100 rare disease treatments towards the clinic by 2025.