Wei-Wei Zhang , MD, PhD was one of the pioneers in Gene Therapy and precision medicine applications. Dr. Zhang also is a corporate executive, with enduring records of technology innovation, strategic partnering, product R&D, commercialization, financing, and business management in biosciences and international transactions.
Dr. Zhang has founded, co-founded, and led operations several biopharma companies (Introgen Therapeutics Inc., Shenzhen SiBiono GeneTech, GenStar Therapeutics, GenWay Biotech, Adventin Inc., and GenBioRx International Corp.) and established two corporate and academic R&D units. With 30+ years of biopharma R&D, business development, and marketing/sales experience, Dr. Zhang played CEO and BOD chairman positions in those companies. Some achievements are highlighted as follows:
- Invented and developed the World first Gene Therapy Product (Adp53, known as “Gendicine”) for Cancer Therapy (product approved by China SFDA in 2003);
- Participated in raising the $50M initial funding for Introgen Therapeutics;
- Founded Shenzhen SiBiono GeneTech Co and raised initial $8 million equivalent RMB;
- Invented and developed MiniAdFVIII in GenStar Therapeutics, leading the teams from labs to clinical trials, and bringing the company to public on American Stock Exchange (NY), resulted in the corporate value increased 100 times from $6 to $600M;
- Developed over 2,600 recombinant proteins and 800 antibodies with 36 ELISA kits;
- Participated in developing a RMB VC/PE fund in China (total committed $300M).
1995-1998, Dr. Zhang worked as Director of Gene Therapy Unit, Baxter Healthcare, where he participated in $80M operations annual budget, strategic planning, and performance. He led R&D teams to develop gene therapy products and led the international collaboration and partnership of corporate-founded R&D.
Dr. Zhang (77-Class) obtained his M.D. degree in 1982 and M.S. of Toxicology in 1985 from Zhejiang University in China and acquired his PhD of Molecular Biology from Univ. of Alabama in 1989. Dr. Zhang took his junior faculty in gene manipulation and transfer at Baylor College of Medicine in 1989 and Assistant Professor in MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1992. From 1989 to 2007, Dr. Zhang has 16 patents. He has published more than 65 peer-reviewed articles.