AMR Action Fund Appoints Scientific Advisory Board

The AMR Action Fund, the world’s largest public-private partnership investing in the development of new antibiotics, today named nine appointees to its independent Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

The SAB will help evaluate the scientific merit, patient benefit, and public health impact of potential investments into clinical-stage companies developing antibacterial treatments that target priority pathogens as identified by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Fund, whose partners include a coalition of leading pharmaceutical companies, the Wellcome Trust, the European Investment Bank, and philanthropic foundations, will invest approximately $1 billion in the coming years across a range of biotech companies to bring two to four new antibiotics to market. The appointment of the advisory board members marks a key step for the Fund as it prepares to make its first investments. 

“The experts on our Scientific Advisory Board bring diverse perspectives and extensive experience in antibiotic development and global health that will bolster our diligence efforts and help prioritize treatments that deliver the greatest benefits to patients,” said Henry Skinner, CEO of the AMR Action Fund. “I am thrilled to welcome these esteemed individuals and look forward to working together on identifying solutions to one of the biggest public health threats of our time.” 

The Scientific Advisory Board appointees are:

• Donald Anderson, MD: Former Academic Infectious Disease Investigator and Pharmaceutical-Biotech Executive; Current Consultant to the VP Research & Innovation at Michigan State University (based in Austin, Texas)
• Patricia Bradford, Ph.D.: Antimicrobial Development Specialists, LLC (based in New York)
• Erin M. Duffy, Ph.D.: Chief of Research & Development, CARB-X (based in Boston)
• Stephan Harbarth, MD, MS: Professor, Geneva University Hospitals’ (HUG) Divisions of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control (based in Geneva)
• Katie Laessig, MD: Senior Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs, Antios Therapeutics (based in Washington, D.C.)
• Norio Ohmagari, MD, Ph.D.: Director, AMR Clinical Reference Center; Director, Disease Control and Prevention Center of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (based in Tokyo)
• David Paterson, MBBS: Director, The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (based in Brisbane, Australia)
• Lloyd Payne, D.Phil.: CEO of ArrePath Inc (based in Manchester, England/Princeton, N.J.)
• Valeria Gigante, Ph.D.: Team Lead at the World Health Organization in the AMR Division (based in Geneva)