Axel Ducret is a protein biochemist by training who has been using mass spectrometry for the characterization and quantification of proteins in complex mixtures. Throughout his career first at Merck Frosst in Montreal (Canada), then at F. Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel (Switzerland), he has applied increasingly more complex proteomics strategies for the discovery and validation of biomarkers in tissue, biological fluids, or other complex biological systems. One of his current field of interest has been the accurate and specific quantification of proteins from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue as an untapped sample collection for retrospective biomarker discovery and validation, and more generally the use of targeted mass spectrometric strategies as a bridging technology between discovery and early development in clinical samples