24 June 2019 - - Cayman Islands-based, China-focused biotechnology company Exuma biotechnology, an affiliate of US-based F1 Oncology, Inc., has expanded its leadership team with the appointment of Wendy Li, M.D. as chief medical officer and James Samuels as chief financial officer, the companies said.
Li has more than 20 years of medical and scientific leadership in oncology research and other therapeutic areas, as well as clinical practice experience.
Li brings her experience in oncology development from Genentech, Sanofi, and Pfizer, as well as from her former position as vice president of clinical development and CMO at Sihuan Pharma/Co-Xuanzhu Pharma, providing leadership on global early and late stage clinical studies, responding to FDA/CFDA and related agencies, and advising clinical, marketing, regulatory, and pharmacovigilance teams.
Dr. Li received her M.D. from the Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Studies in China.
James Samuels has nearly 20 years of experience managing finance for both public and private companies.
Most recently, he served as the CFO of Vetsource, a venture capital-backed provider of outsourced veterinary pharmacy services.
Previously, he served as the CFO of Fusheng Industrial, a Taiwan based global manufacturer of industrial compressors.
Additionally, he has held various CFO roles at Johnson and Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) operating companies in Asia-Pacific in the areas of medical devices, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals.
Prior to leaving Johnson and Johnson, Samuels served as CFO of Xian-Janssen, Johnson and Johnson's pharmaceutical joint-venture in China. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Exuma biotechnology, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing CAR-T solutions for the solid tumor markets in Asia, was formed in April 2016 with capitalisation and exclusive technology licenses from F1 Oncology, Inc.
Its wholly owned subsidiaries, Exuma biotechnology Hong Kong Ltd. and Shanghai Exuma biotechnology Ltd., oversee the development, manufacturing, quality, clinical, regulatory, and commercial operating units located in Shanghai and Shenzhen, PRC.
Exuma biotechnology was formed to maximize the development and commercialisation of enabling products and technology from F1 Oncology in the Greater China markets.
Exuma biotechnology and F1 Oncology were founded and co-funded by Gregory Frost, Ph.D., co-founder and former CEO of Halozyme Therapeutics Inc., and current Managing director of F1 BioVentures, LLC, a biotechnology-focused investment vehicle.
F1 Oncology, Inc. is a private Delaware corporation formed in November 2015 with operations in West Palm Beach, Florida, San Diego, California and international affiliates in Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, China.
F1 Oncology leverages its globally integrated science, development and informatics teams located across multiple time zones to accelerate the design, high-throughput screening, discovery and development of adoptive cellular therapy candidates.
The company is developing CAB-based ACT platforms to advance TME-restricted CAR-T therapies for solid tumors, as well as highly scalable systems for global deployment, beginning in Asia.