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Seng H. Cheng
Senior Vice President, Research and Product Development at Alexion, AstraZeneca RareDisease
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
Highlights
Every day and on #RareDiseaseDay, we stand united with the global rare disease community to shorten the diagnostic odyssey for rare disease patients. Spanning nearly five years – and sometimes longer – this diagnostic journey takes an emotional and financial toll on patients, families and caregivers. It also places a steep economic burden on healthcare systems.
Yet, screening and diagnostic tools that could help have largely been out of reach for many rare disease patients. By expanding access to newborn screenings and next-generation sequencing, we have the potential to accelerate diagnosis and treatment. That’s why Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., AstraZeneca Rare Disease, champions policies that broaden access to screening tools where this testing could have life-changing outcomes—especially for children, because one of two patients diagnosed with a rare disease is a child. Learn more about Alexion’s efforts to help improve health equity and accelerate diagnosis in rare diseases:
The Alexion New Haven site served as the meeting hub for BioCT’s Legislative Breakfast, which brought together Governor Ned Lamont and more than 250 state lawmakers, regulators, academics and industry leaders for a conversation about the economic, workforce and health care policies needed to ensure a robust life sciences industry in Connecticut.
The breakfast, which featured opening remarks from Gov. Lamont and two panel sessions, focused on how to catalyze further life sciences industry and workforce growth by leveraging three key ingredients found in Connecticut. As BioCT noted, these include a sound investment infrastructure, a vibrant academic community, and policies to stimulate opportunities for business and workforce growth. We were pleased that so many stakeholders came together and hope this event will establish a forum for continued dialogue going forward. Thanks to Matthew O’Donnell, Delman Lebel, Andrea Hofelich, Jennifer Bradley, MBA, Craig Mansfield, Kerisha Harris and all of my New Haven colleagues for their work in coordinating this successful event with BioCT.
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Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
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Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
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