Beike Biotech Adds International Executives to Strengthen Current Technologies and Develop Future Pipeline

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (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.

For more information, please contact:
T. Gutmann
Shenzhen Beike Biotech Company, Ltd.
Shenzhen Hi-Tech Industrial Park
Tel: +86-0755-8611-0575
Email: info@beikebiotech.com
Web: http://www.beikebiotech.com

SOURCE Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd.