Dr Ayad Abdul-Ahad
MB, ChB, PhD, MSc, FRCPath. Immunology

Ayad was born in Baghdad and obtained his Bachelor’s degrees in Medicine and Surgery from Baghdad Medical School.

Ayad was the first to use a therapeutic antibody to treat cancer. After his PhD in Cancer Immunotherapy from Southampton University, he worked at the Children’s Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, Westminster Hospital conducting pioneering work in children with Leukaemia’s and various genetic disorders.

For the last 20 years Ayad has led Global Clinical Development and Medical Affairs of several drugs and vaccines, working in the US, Switzerland and the EU and has been involved in over 300 clinical trials.

Ayad’s career

• PhD in Cancer Immunotherapy from Southampton University
• MSc in Clinical Immunology from London University
• Member of the Royal College of Pathologists in Clinical Immunology
• Elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists
• Treated the first cancer patient anywhere in the world with a therapeutic Antibody.
• Clinical Lecturer/Senior Clinical Lecturer Westminster and Westminster Children’s hospital:
  • Clinical Immunology department
  • Children’s Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit - pioneering work in transplanting children with Leukaemia’s and various Genetic Disorders
• 29-year experience in the biopharmaceutical industry - US, Switzerland, EU and UK.
  • Designed and led more than 400 Clinical trials across the World.
• Built and led Global Clinical Development and Medical Affairs teams in several companies, taking several drugs and therapeutic vaccines through the regulatory processes and leading their Medical Marketing.
• Worked with the major regulatory bodies including the FDA, EMA, HMRA and those in Canada, Australia and others.
• Led Health Economic and Outcome Research teams, studies and submissions for reimbursement to NICE and other health authorities.
• Developed and managed successful products including:
  • Interferon Beta 1a, the first ever effective treatment for Multiple Sclerosis
  • Vaccines for cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease and hepatitis B
  • Treatments for Prostate Cancer, Neuropathic Pain, Transplantation, Anti-virals, Anti-Infectives, Urology and others.
• Devised and implemented global strategies for business development
• Developed a novel methodology to analyse safety data called: The Burden of Therapy, BOTh©™, which he holds the Global Intellectual Property Rights for.
• Authored numerous articles and chapters in books and spoken at major clinical congresses across the world.