Li Zhu, Ph.D., has served as director at GenScript and Legend Biotech since 2020 and is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Genscript Biotech Corporation. Dr.Zhu has deep experience in corporate strategy, strategic collaborations and alliance management, especially his experience in negotiations and deal-making between Legend (a subsidiary of Genscript) and multinational pharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Zhu served as Vice President of Strategy of Genscript Biotech Corporation (“GenScript”) from March 2010 to February 2017; served as the chief strategy officer of GenScript from February 2017 to July 2019; and has served as a consultant for GenScript since July 2019. Upon his appointment as executive director of GenScript on November 22, 2020, he resumed his role as the chief strategy officer of GenScript. Before joining GenScript, Dr. Zhu worked at California-based Clontech Laboratories, Inc. as a director of molecular biology from January 1990 to March 2000. Dr. Zhu founded Genetastix Corporation, Inc., a biotech company focused on yeast-based antibody discovery, and served as president and chief executive officer from May 2000 to December 2005.
Dr. Zhu then worked at biotech companies in China, serving as vice president of research at Cathay Biotech, Inc. from July 2006 to December 2008, and as vice president of HUYA Biomedical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Limited from January 2009 to December 2009. Dr. Zhu obtained a Bachelor of Science of Biology degree from the East China Normal University in February 1982 and a Doctor of Philosophy in molecular biology and immunology from Stanford University in July 1989.
Yan Li is the Senior Vice President of Bioinformatics and Information Technology at Adagene. She has over 15 years of experience in software development, with more than 10 years focused on the development of informatics software tools for antibody library design and analysis.
Prior to joining Adagene, Ms. Li served as the Senior Software Engineer and Applications Scientist at Abmaxis from November 2001 to May 2006. She developed the software platform for the company’s proprietary AISIM technology, and designed many antibody libraries for in-house pipeline development and business partners. Following the acquisition of Abmaxis by Merck & Co, Ms. Li worked at Merck from May 2006 to December 2010. She received the Merck Award for Excellence in “Innovative Technologies” with the team, and a Special Award for her contribution.
Before her time at Abmaxis, Ms. Li served as a software engineer at Easyware Software, and also as a system analyst and product manager at Singapore Telecom.
Ms. Li received her BSE in information science from East China University of Science and Technology, and her M.B.A. from Santa Clara University with Beta Gamma Sigma honor. She is an inventor of many US and international patents.
Ms. Yumeng Wang, has served as our director since April 2023. Ms. Wang serves as a vice president at General Atlantic Service Company, L.P., where she is primarily responsible for investments in healthcare and life sciences sectors. Prior to joining General Atlantic Service Company, L.P., Ms. Wang served as an equity research analyst at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation mainly focus on the healthcare sector.
Ms. Wang received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in June 2013.
Mr. Do is President and CEO of BioVie Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative therapies for Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease and refractory Ascites. Prior to BioVie, Mr. Do was President of Samsung’s Global Strategy Group where he helped to set the strategic direction for Samsung Group’s diverse business portfolio, including the growth of its biologics businesses. He was previously the Chief Strategy Officer for Merck, a leading global pharmaceuticals company, where he played a key role in defining the company’s strategy, including the focus on oncology and creating its leading position with the anti-PD-1 therapy, pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®). Mr. Do was also a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he spent 17 years helping to build the healthcare, high technology, and corporate finance practices. He holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Mervyn Turner, Ph.D., has served as our director since April 2023. He accumulated over 25 years of experience at Merck Research Laboratories in pharmaceuticals drug discovery, research and development, licensing and business development, emerging markets analysis, and strategy development and implementation. For 7 years, he was head of world-wide licensing and external research at Merck, during a period of rapid expansion in Merck’s partnering activities. He became Merck’s first Chief Strategy Officer and a member of the senior executive team in 2008, before retiring from the company in 2011.
Dr. Turner currently operates his own consulting business. He is the Chairman of the Board of LUNAC, UK. He served on the Board of Preventice, LLC, Rochester, Minnesota until the merger with eCardio. He also serves on the Board of EnGeneIC, Sydney, Australia.
He was a member of the Steering Committee of the Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative of the Wellcome Trust, UK. He currently serves as an Advisor to Bay City Capital, San Francisco; to Adagene, Suzhou, China; and to Bridge Medicines, NYC. He is a member of the SAB for Spinogenix, San Diego, and Blade Therapeutics, San Francisco. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Lazard Health Care group, New York.
Mr. Man Kin (Raymond) Tam has served as our Chief Financial Officer since September 2019 and our director since February 2021. Mr. Tam has over 20 years of management experience in finance and banking across Asia-Pacific. Prior to Adagene, Mr. Tam served as Chief Financial Officer of different corporations including AgenTus Therapeutics, Inc. and China Regenerative Medicine International Limited. Mr. Tam also served as Project Director of Mineralogy Pty Limited and Chief Financial Officer of Resourcehouse Limited. Further, he held various management positions with J.P. Morgan and HSBC from 1999 to 2010. Mr. Tam is a fellow of CPA Australia, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a CFA and FRM charter-holder.
Mr. Tam obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Western Ontario in Canada in 2005, a Master of Practising Accounting degree from the Monash University in Australia in 2001 and a Bachelor of Civil & Resources Engineering (with First Class Honors) degree from the University of Auckland in New Zealand in 1998.
Mr. Andy (Yiu Leung) Cheung has served as our independent director since February 2021. Mr. Cheung has many years of auditing and accounting professional experience. Mr. Cheung was deputy area managing partner of Ernst & Young (“EY”) in Asia Pacific overseeing the business operations, finance, information technology and risk management functions from July 2018 to June 2020. Mr. Cheung was the assurance leader for EY in Greater China from July 2013 to June 2018. Mr. Cheung has served as an independent non-executive director of JW (Cayman) Therapeutics Co. Ltd (HKEX:2126) since October 2020. Mr. Cheung received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom in June 1982. He obtained a master’s degree in accounting and finance from London School of Economics in the United Kingdom in August 1983. Mr. Cheung is a member of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Dr. Grawunder is an experienced Swiss/German life-science entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the therapeutic antibody development industry.
Dr. Grawunder has been a co-founder, and since September 2022 serves as chief executive officer, of T-CURX GmbH in Germany, a company that focuses on the development of next-generation CAR-T cell therapies for cancer patients. Furthermore, since January 2022, he serves as the managing partner of Viopas Venture Consulting GmbH, Switzerland. Before that, from June 2012 to November 2021, Dr.Grawunder was founder and chief executive officer of NBE-Therapeutics AG in Switzerland, a biotech company developing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for cancer therapy. Dr. Grawunder began his career in biotechnology by co-founding 4-Antibody AG in September 2003, a therapeutic antibody discovery company, where he initially served as start-up chief executive officer and later as the chief scientific officer from August 2006 to June 2012. Dr. Grawunder has served as an independent non-executive director of WuXi XDC Cayman Inc (HKEX:2268) since November 2023.
Dr. Grawunder is known for his post-doctoral research on the mechanism of V(D)J recombination, the process that generates antibody and T-cell receptor diversity in the immune system. He was the investigator of his research at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and at the University of Ulm, Germany from December 2000 to August 2003 and the scientific collaborator of his research at the Basel Institute for Immunology from October 1998 to December 1999. Prior to that, he was a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof.Michael Lieber at the University of Southern California, School of Medicine from 1997 to 1998 and at Washington University School of Medicine from 1995 to 1997.
Dr. Grawunder obtained his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in October 1988 and his master’s degree in Biochemistry in July 1991, both from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He subsequently obtained his doctoral degree in cell biology from the University of Basel in Switzerland in July 1994. In addition, Dr. Grawunder holds a diploma in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University St. Gallen, School of Business in Switzerland.
Mr. Peter Luo is our Co-Founder and has served as our Chief Executive Officer since November 2011 and Chairman of the Board of the Directors since February 2018. Dr. Luo served as the first lead scientist in computational protein design and protein laboratory at Xencor (Nasdaq: XNCR) from July 1998 to August 2000. In September 2000, Dr. Luo founded Abmaxis Inc. and served as its Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer, president, and director. In May 2006, Dr. Luo led the acquisition of Abmaxis Inc. by Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), after which Dr. Luo served as a director of Biologics Technology at Merck, and Chief Technology Officer of Abmaxis, the subsidiary of Merck & Co. Throughout his career, Dr. Luo also led the business development efforts in connection with collaborations and strategic partnerships with multiple global partners. Dr. Luo received his bachelor’s degree in applied chemistry in technical physics from Peking University in 1986, master’s degree in applied physics from The Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1989, and Ph.D. degree in chemistry from The University of Chicago in 1995. Dr. Luo also completed his postdoctoral research in protein folding at Stanford University in 1998.
