Seng H. Cheng

Seng H. Cheng is a prominent figure in the pharmaceutical industry, currently serving as the Senior Vice President of Research and Product Development at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.12 He assumed this role in July 2023 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.2

Professional Background

Cheng has an extensive career in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, with a focus on rare diseases:

• Prior to joining Alexion, he was the Senior Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer of the Rare Disease Research Unit at Pfizer from July 2018 to July 2023.23
• He held leadership positions at Sanofi, including Global Head of Research for Rare Diseases from 2016 to 2018.2
• At Genzyme, he served as Group Vice President of Genetic Diseases Science for 22 years (1989-2011).2

Responsibilities and Expertise

In his current role at Alexion, Cheng is responsible for:

• Leading drug discovery and process development
• Overseeing clinical biomarkers and bioanalytical discovery
• Managing rare disease diagnostics and bioinformatics
• Supporting Alexion's pipeline from target discovery through post-marketing1

Cheng has contributed significantly to the development of medicines for rare diseases. He has co-authored over 280 research articles and reviews and is named as a co-inventor on 64 issued US patents in biotechnology.13

Education

Seng H. Cheng's educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of London (1979-1983)
• B.Sc. in Biochemistry (First Class with Honors) from the University of London (1976-1979)
• Postdoctoral fellowship in tumor biology at the National Institute for Medical Research, UK (1983-1985)12

Personal Motivation

Cheng has expressed a personal passion for developing solutions for patients with rare and genetic diseases. He has mentioned that meeting patients with rare diseases has been a significant motivator in his career, driving him to address the urgent needs of these individuals.4