SAB

Todd A. Black, Ph. D.
Executive Director
Infectious Diseases Basic Research
Merck Research Laboratories
Kenilworth, New Jersey  07033
Ph: 908-740-3469

Todd Black has served as the Executive Director for Merck's antibacterial, antifungal, and HCV Basic Research group since the merger with Schering-Plough in 2009, and has over 20 years of experience in the discovery and development of novel antimicrobial agents.

Todd received his doctorate degree from the Department of Biochemistry/Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratories at Michigan State University studying prokaryotic cellular differentiation and development in the cyanobacterium Anabaena. He joined the Ciba–Geigy Agricultural Biotechnology Research Unit initially as a postdoctoral associate and then full-time employee where he pioneered genomics-based target discovery in model fungal pathogens and studied toxin production in phytopathic fungi, quorum-sensing control of antifungal metabolite synthesis by Pseudomonas fluorescens and the expression and modification of secondary-metabolite pathways in Myxobacteria and Actinomycetes. He joined the Antimicrobial Therapeutics team at the Schering–Plough Research Institute in 1997, initially leading the genomics-based antibacterial and antifungal drug discovery team. Todd was responsible for supporting the discovery and development of a variety therapies for treatment of infectious diseases, including: evernimicin (Ziracin) a novel antibiotic; posaconazole (Noxafil) antifungal; garenoxacin (FQ-antibiotic); AN2690, a boron-based topical antifungal agent for onychomycosis; vicriviroc, an HIV CCR5 antagonist in addition to leading multiple initiatives on novel target discovery programs. His team continues to support the development of novel therapies for HCV, C. difficile anti-toxin therapy, Imipenem + relebactam for MDR Gram-negative bacteria, and ongoing support for the Merck portfolio of anti-infective agents.