Our Company

Yisheng Biopharma is a global, fully integrated biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing and commercializing innovative biotherapeutics for cancers and infectious diseases using our novel PIKA^® immunomodulating technology. PIKA technology augments both innate and adaptive immune responses through the TLR3, RIG-I and MDA5 pathways. Products in clinical development include YS-ON-001 for the treatment of advanced solid tumors, YS-HBV-001 hepatitis B vaccine and the PIKA rabies vaccine for accelerated protection against rabies infection. Yisheng Biopharma is headquartered in Beijing with operations in China, Singapore, Cambodia and the U.S.

Management

Yi Zhang

Founder & Chairman

Mr. Zhang has over 30 years of experience in the research and commercialization of immunological products and vaccines. He has led several programs recognized as National Key New Medical Innovation projects in China, including the SARS Immunoglobulin project funded by the Chinese government. Early in his career, Mr. Zhang served as a physician and division head of the Kaifeng area Center for Disease Control and as an epidemiologist with the Zhongmou Center for Disease Control. Mr. Zhang graduated from Kaifeng Health Science School with an associate’s degree in clinical medicine qualifying him as a physician practitioner. Mr. Zhang is also the Director of the Henan Red Cross and the Kaifeng Red Cross.

David (Hui) Shao, Ph.D., MBA

President and CEO, Board of Directors

Dr. Shao has over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry with executive roles in finance, management and business strategy. After eight years as Chief Financial Officer and Global Head of Business, Dr. Shao accepted the role of the President & CEO of Yisheng Biopharma in 2018. Prior to joining Yisheng, Dr. Shao was a principal scientist at Roche conducting drug discovery and technology research. He then became a biotech analyst at Mehta Partners and Kamunting Street Capital. Dr. Shao was Chief Financial Officer of Aoxing Pharmaceutical. Dr. Shao received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California San Diego, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology of China and holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business of New York University. Dr. Shao is a certified public accountant (CPA) and is a chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Zhongkai Shi, M.D., MBA

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Shi brings over 20 years of experience in global product development. Prior to joining Yisheng, Dr. Shi led global product development as Director of Clinical Development at the vaccine development organization Aeras. Before Aeras, Dr. Shi was Director of Vaccine Development at Altimmune. He received his M.D. from Beijing University and earned an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Brenda Wu, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Brenda Wu has over 16 years of financial reporting and financial management experience. Ms. Wu has held management positions at Pharmacy Ltd. and Groud Group, and was previously an auditor at Ernst & Young. Ms. Wu holds a B.A. in accounting and finance from Washington State University and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Board of Directors

Yi Zhang

Founder & Chairman

Mr. Zhang has over 30 years of experience in the research and commercialization of immunological products and vaccines. He has led several programs recognized as National Key New Medical Innovation projects in China, including the SARS Immunoglobulin project funded by the Chinese government. Early in his career, Mr. Zhang served as a physician and division head of the Kaifeng area Center for Disease Control and as an epidemiologist with the Zhongmou Center for Disease Control. Mr. Zhang graduated from Kaifeng Health Science School with an associate’s degree in clinical medicine qualifying him as a physician practitioner. Mr. Zhang is also the Director of the Henan Red Cross and the Kaifeng Red Cross.

David (Hui) Shao, Ph.D., MBA

President and CEO, Board of Directors

Dr. Shao has over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry with executive roles in finance, management and business strategy. After eight years as Chief Financial Officer and Global Head of Business, Dr. Shao accepted the role of the President & CEO of Yisheng Biopharma in 2018. Prior to joining Yisheng, Dr. Shao was a principal scientist at Roche conducting drug discovery and technology research. He then became a biotech analyst at Mehta Partners and Kamunting Street Capital. Dr. Shao was Chief Financial Officer of Aoxing Pharmaceutical. Dr. Shao received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California San Diego, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology of China and holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business of New York University. Dr. Shao is a certified public accountant (CPA) and is a chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Ajit Shetty, Ph.D., MBA

Dr. Shetty has served as President of Janssen Pharmaceutica USA following many years as a senior manager at Janssen Pharmaceutica NV. Dr. Shetty retired from his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV and as a senior executive at parent company Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Shetty is Chairman of the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology in Belgium. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Agile Therapeutics, Actinium Pharmaceuticals, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Shetty earned his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and received his Ph.D. and bachelor’s degrees from Cambridge University.

Viren Mehta, PharmD, MBA

Viren Mehta is a Founder and Managing Member of Mehta Partners, LLC, a strategic advisory firm for the biopharmaceutical industry with a 30-year history. Dr. Mehta received his PharmD from the University of Southern California and holds an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Rebecca Lin, MBA

Rebecca Lin is a Managing Director, Partner, Chief Representative of the Beijing office and a Director at Fidelity Growth Partners Asia. She has had more than 20 years of experience at Fidelity, Vision Capital China, A. T. Kearney and Arthur Anderson. She holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and earned a bachelor’s degree from Shenzhen University.

Stanley Yi Chang, Ph.D.

Professor of Accounting at the University of Houston, Arizona State University and National Taiwan University, Dr. Chang has extensive industry experience in accounting practice at Deloitte, Ernst & Young Asia Pacific Life Sciences and Grant Thornton and conducts research in the areas of corporate governance, risk management and biopharmaceutical quality control. He received his Ph.D in Accounting at Texas Tech University.

Scientific Advisor

Yunde Hou, M.D., Ph.D.

Virologist and entrepreneur Yunde Hou established the first domestic clinical-grade interferon production system in China and founded the first biopharmaceutical company in China to apply genetic engineering technology. He is a recipient of China’s highest honor in the sciences, the National Preeminent Science and Technology Award of China in 2018. Dr. Hou is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. A researcher at National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention with the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Hou has contributed to a rapid detection system for unknown pathogens, including emerging viral diseases. Dr. Hou received his M.D. from Wuhan Medical School and holds a Ph.D. from the Ivanovsky Institute of Virology in Moscow. Dr. Hou has contributed to over 500 publications.