Beike Biotech Adds International Executives to Strengthen Current Technologies and Develop Future Pipeline
SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology
Co. Ltd. ( http://www.beikebiotech.com ), a leader in stem cell research and
regenerative medicine, announced the appointment of two senior stem cell
scientists to key positions in the company. Li Tao, Ph.D., joins as Lab
Director of the iPS (induced Pluripotent Stem Cell) Laboratory, and Susan
Jiang, M.D., Ph.D., has been named Chief Science Officer. Dr. Sean Hu, Ph.D.,
CEO and Chairman, will remain focused on furthering the company's research
achievements while strengthening its position in the international
biotechnology field.
Dr. Hu commented, "Beike has been at the forefront of stem cell technology
in China and we are currently expanding throughout Asia. We are addressing a
number of important factors to strengthen our credentials internationally, and
we see Dr. Li Tao and Dr. Susan Jiang contributing greatly to this effort. Dr.
Jiang will spearhead our initiatives to enhance our current technologies and
increase their acceptance by the Western scientific community while Dr. Tao
will lead a group developing a pipeline of emerging technologies for the
coming five to ten years."
Dr. Tao comes to Beike with over 20 years of research experience in
genetics, epigenetics, cell and stem cell biology, molecular biology, cancer
biology and protein chemistry. He was most recently a senior research
scientist at Stanford University's School of Medicine. During his six years at
Stanford, he authored or co-authored 22 papers in peer-reviewed journals
including Science, Human Molecular Genetics, Cancer Research and Genomics.
Before Stanford, he earned his Ph.D. at Tokyo University and spent nine years
in Japan working on genetics and genetic engineering, publishing articles in
16 international, peer-reviewed, journals.
Dr. Hu stated, "Dr. Li Tao has considerable experience and has also shown
his ability to consistently publish innovative research. We will look to his
strong leadership skills when directing the research and development work of
our iPS laboratory. This is a young field; his experience in senior roles in
Japan and the U.S. is a great asset to our goal of being at the cutting-edge
of research." With nine full-time researchers, the iPS lab's main focus is the
safe manufacture of iPS cells for insulin production.
Dr. Susan Jiang began her career path as a physician in the field of
otorhinolaryngology, specializing in head and neck (ENT-HN) surgery. After
receiving her Ph.D. in China, she completed post-doctoral work in the
Department of Physiology Biophysics at the University of Arkansas in 2002. In
2005, Dr. Jiang moved to the Pediatrics Department of Stanford University
where she investigated the therapeutic potential of stem cells in neo-natal
respiratory diseases and developed wound healing models based on stem cell
technologies. After nearly three years at Stanford, she became Scientific
Director at Escape Therapeutics in the U.S., managing their science team as
they developed products based on genetically engineered human stem cells and
beta cells for diabetic-related disorders.
Dr. Hu expressed his excitement over the recruitment of Susan Jiang: "Dr.
Jiang's international clinical and laboratory experience gives her the right
background to help us validate our current technologies internationally. She
will also take on task of refining our stem cell cultivation processes and
advancing the clinical development of our treatment protocols,"
Dr. Jiang added, "I decided to come back to China because of the nurturing
research environment, where the government has consistently provided a
supportive and practical regulatory framework with generous access to funding.
I regard Beike as ideally situated to reap the benefits of this fertile
environment because of its focus both on current clinical technologies and
cutting edge research."
About Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
Beike Biotechnology focuses on stem cell research and on clinical
applications of stem cell therapies. The company currently produces a full
line of stem cell products derived from umbilical cord, cord blood, and bone
marrow stem cells. Beike's proprietary processing and quality assurance
technologies prepare the cells for use in treating a variety of serious
medical conditions such as the ataxias, brain injury, cerebral palsy, diabetic
foot disease, lower limb ischemia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy,
spinal cord injury and optic nerve damage.
SOURCE Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
T. Gutmann, Shenzhen Beike Biotech Company, Ltd., Shenzhen Hi-Tech Industrial
Park, +86-0755-8611-0575, or [email protected]