Dr Nick France, MD MRCPCH is a physician-scientist and rare disease drug development leader. During his career he has worked across the entire biopharma ecosystem from small emerging biotech to big pharma, developing diverse therapies for adults and children with rare diseases.  He currently serves as Vice President, Global Therapeutic Area Head for Genomic Medicines and Neurology at Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease. His prior roles covered diverse therapeutic modalities from small molecules to gene therapies in various organizations including ReCode Therapeutics, ESCAPE Bio, Roivant Sciences, CSL Behring and GlaxoSmithKline. Alongside developing new therapies, Dr France has played major roles in business development, identification of new therapeutic opportunities, fund raising, and portfolio strategy and prioritization. He also serves as a scientific advisor to the INAD Cure Foundation, a parent led organization focused on identifying therapeutic options for an ultra-orphan neurodegenerative disease.