Emergex Vaccines, a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to vaccine development in the field of infectious diseases, announced Sir David King has joined Emergex’s board as a non-executive Director.
King is an Affiliate Partner of Systemiq, the corporate and government sustainability advisory firm and has held a number of international positions in senior government roles in the last 18 years.
Professor Thomas Rademacher, cofounder, CEO and CSO at Emergex, said: “Our business model is initially focused on creating an International Vaccine Repository of post Phase I vaccines, for subscription by governments, non-governmental organisations and charities to act as a first line of defense against existing and newly emerging infectious outbreaks.”
“Sir David King brings a wealth of international experience and access to government and industry contacts, which will be invaluable to us as we start to commercialise our vaccines.”
Sir David King, Partner of Systemiq, commented: “When you consider the devastating effects on human health and life caused by disease outbreaks such as Zika, Ebola and Influenza, it becomes obvious that we must do everything we can to combat these infectious diseases."
"Emergex’s portfolio of vaccines, which are designed to provide long-lasting immunity, to be easily administered as well as rapidly and cost-effectively produced, could have an immense impact worldwide against existing and newly emerging infectious disease outbreaks.”
Most recently, from 2013–2017, King was the UK Government Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative on Climate Change, working with 165 Climate Change Attachés in UK Embassies.
In addition to his roles in Government, King has also had a distinguished academic career. He attended Witwatersrand University in South Africa, graduating in Chemistry and later obtaining a PhD.
King was Head of the Department of Chemistry and the Master of Downing College at the University of Cambridge. In the course of his academic career, King has published more than 500 papers on surface science and catalysis and on science and policy.
King was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1991 and was a Foreign Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002. He was knighted in 2003 and was made “Officier dans l’ordre national de la Légion d’Honeur” by the President of France in 2009.