WuXi Biologics Appoints Harvard Professor David R. Liu to Scientific Advisory Board

WuXi Biologics (2269.HK), a leading global open-access biologics technology platform company offering end-to-end solutions for biologics discovery, development and manufacturing, today announced the appointment of David R. Liu, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, Richard Merkin Professor and Vice-Chair of the Faculty at the Broad Institute, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, as a member of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

David R. Liu, Ph.D. (Photo copyright The Harvard Gazette)

Prof. Liu joins other renowned experts with deep collective knowledge in the fields of synthetic biology, antibody therapeutics, protein engineering, analytical sciences, virology, vaccines, and cell culture bioprocessing and bioengineering, providing insightful suggestions to help shape the technological and strategic direction of the company and build additional momentum for WuXi Biologics’ quest to empower global partners and transform the way in which biologics are discovered, developed and manufactured.

"We are honored to welcome Prof. Liu to the SAB. His research integrates chemistry and evolution to illuminate biology and enable next-generation therapeutics," said Dr. Chris Chen, Chief Executive Officer of WuXi Biologics. "Internationally recognized scientists, entrepreneurs and visionary thinkers such as Prof. Liu considerably expand the diversity of ideas within our SAB and further support WuXi Biologics as a technology leader and a trusted partner for biopharmaceutical companies worldwide to advance the science and technology of biologics development, ultimately benefiting patients worldwide."

David R. Liu graduated first in his class in 1994 at Harvard, where he performed research on sterol biosynthesis under Professor E. J. Corey’s guidance. During his Ph.D. research with Professor Peter Schultz at Berkeley, Prof. Liu initiated the first effort to expand the genetic code in cells. He earned his Ph.D. in 1999 and became Assistant Professor at Harvard the same year. He was promoted to Full Professor and became an HHMI Investigator in 2005. Base editing, phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE), and DNA-templated synthesis are three examples of technologies pioneered in his laboratory.

Prof. Liu’s research and teaching have earned distinctions including the Ronald Breslow Award, the Pure Chemistry Award, and the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award. In 2017, he was named to the Nature’s 10 researchers in world, and base editing, a next-generation genome editing technology, was one of four finalists for Science magazine’s 2017 Breakthrough of the Year. Prof. Liu has published more than 160 papers and is the inventor of more than 60 issued patents. He is the founder or co-founder of five biotechnology companies, including Editas Medicine, Pairwise Plants, and Beam Therapeutics.

In January 2018, WuXi Biologics announced formation of Scientific Advisory Board. The inaugural SAB members represent a broad range of scientific disciplines in biologics research and development, including the Chair of SAB, Peter G. Schultz, Ph.D. (President of the Scripps Research Institute and the California Institute for Translational Research); James Larrick, M.D. and Ph.D. (Founder, Managing Director, Scientific Director of Panorama Research Institute; Managing Director & Chief Medical Officer of Velocity Pharmaceutical Development); Ram Sasisekharan, Ph.D. (Alfred H. Caspary Professor of Biological Engineering and Health Sciences & Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology); David D. Ho, M.D. (Scientific Director and CEO, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center; and Irene Diamond Professor, the Rockefeller University) and Wei-Shou Hu, Ph.D. (Distinguished McKnight University Professor at University of Minnesota).

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics (stock code: 2269.HK), a Hong Kong, S.A.R., China-listed company, is the only open-access biologics technology platform in the world offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. Our company history and achievements demonstrate our commitment to providing a truly ONE-stop service offering and value proposition to our global clients. As of June 30, 2018, there were a total of 187 integrated projects, including 98 projects in pre-clinical development stage, 78 projects in early-phase (phase I and II) clinical development, 10 projects in late-phase (phase III) development and 1 project in commercial manufacturing. With total estimated capacity of biopharmaceutical production planned in China, Ireland, Singapore and US reaching 220,000 liters by 2021, we will provide our biomanufacturing partners with a robust and premier-quality global supply chain network.

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