A seasoned team of experts and professionals
with diverse backgrounds and extensive scientific and entrepreneurial experience
Benjamin T.K. LEE, PharmD
Founder & CEO
Benjamin has a long career in pharmaceutical product R&D, commercialization and corporate management. He founded a number of award winning, technology-driven companies that provides innovative solutions on drug delivery systems in Hong Kong Science Park. Benjamin’s leadership roles include President of Alephoson Biopharmaceuticals, a private biopharmaceutical company focuses on developing a topical eye drop for the treatment of sight-threatening eye diseases caused by abnormal or leaky blood vessels. Benjamin also held the post of General Manager of Athenex Hong Kong Innovative Ltd, which focused on the advanced oncology drug delivery system to support Athenex Inc. global R&D platform; in addition to being the General Manager of Athenex group subsidiaries: MJ Medical Gel Systems (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd. and MJ Medical Devices (ChongQing) Co. Ltd, which focused on topical wound care products. He also serves as a member of the Intellectual property Assessment Committee of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University since 2016 as well as being an adjunct faculty member of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Over the years, Benjamin has collaborated closely with the faculty at the Fudan University (Shanghai, PR China) on topical, nasal and ophthalmic drug delivery systems research including setting up joint-research laboratories, publications, patent filing and licensing; and faculty-Industry exchange program. Benjamin received his Pharmacy Doctorate degree from the University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy. He did his Post-doctoral training under the Glaxo Wellcome Drug Development and Clinical Research Fellowship at the University of North Carolina, School of Pharmacy. Upon completion of his Fellowship/Post-Doc training, Benjamin joined Glaxo Wellcome as a Research Scientist in respiratory diseases, rising to group manager and Head in the Clinical Development Center at GlaxoSmithKline. Upon returning Hong Kong in 2005, he founded Comprehensive Drug Enterprises Ltd (CDE), a technology-driven company that provides innovative solutions for drug delivery systems at the Hong Kong Science Park. In 2015, CDE was acquired by a US Company, Athenex Inc. and subsequently listed in Nasdaq (ATNX) in 2017.
Mark YONG, DPhil
Investor Relations
Dr.Yong has over 25 years’ experience in the Supply Chain and biotechnology industry. He was an early member of the e-commerce giant, Alibaba as well as a co-investor/board member of 2 biopharma start-ups, Comprehensive Drug Enterprise and Alephoson Biopharmaceutics. A major part of his career was spent in emerging markets such as Vietnam, Cambodia, China and India, alongside the UK.
Mark is also a business mentor for SowAsia (Social Enterprise). He holds a Degree and DPhil in Molecular Biology (Liverpool & Oxford University, UK) and was a researcher at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Yong Qian ZHAO, PhD
R&D Associate Director
During her Ph.D. at the National University of Singapore and her post-doctoral training at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Dr Zhao was mainly engaged in research on the pathogenesis of RNA viruses. Using the phage-display technology, she successfully discovered four monoclonal antibodies that specifically cross-reactive to four serotypes of dengue viruses. And for the first-time she successfully solved the three-dimensional structure of dengue viral NS5 protein and viral RNA complexes using X-ray crystallography, which provides critical structural evidence for the rationale development and design of antiviral drugs. She Joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2017 as a Research Assistant Professor, mainly using the state-of-art Cryo-EM technology to study the replication mechanism of yeast DNA replication complexes. After that, she joined Hong Kong Taron Solutions Limited, a CDMO compony to provide process development, preparation, and process optimization services for pharmaceutical companies. She successfully established protein production platforms from both bacterial and mammalian cells. As the project manager in Alephoson, she enriches her experience not only from upstream R&D work to downstream processing on therapeutic proteins, but also on IND filing and clinical trials. She is currently working on the development of innovative non-invasive treatments for posterior eye diseases.
Gang WEI, PhD
- Deputy Director and Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics,
School of Pharmacy, Fudan University - NMPA new drug review consultancy expert
- Editorial board member, Chinese Journal of Pharmaceutics
Mårten BRELÉN, BMBCh (Oxon), FRCOphth, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Director, Pao So Kok Macular Disease Treatment and Research Centre,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Coordinator, Vitreo-Retinal Service, CUHK Eye Centre
Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, MSc
- Professor of Ophthalmology and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics and of Medicine
(Immunology & Rheumatology),Stanford University School of Medicine - Director, Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation Service, Byers Eye Institute,
Stanford University School of Medicine - Among the first clinician scientists in the world to evaluate aflibercept
for neovascular AMDand ranibizumab for diabetic macular edema (DME)
Qui-Lim CHOO, PhD
- Vice President of Research & Development,
Nansha Biologics (Hong Kong) Ltd. - Former Associate Director of Virology Research, Chiron Corporation
- Renowned virologist for his co-discovery of Hepatitis C virus (HCV),
and recognized by the Li Ka Shing Foundation
Gerald D. Cagle, PhD
- Former Senior Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer, Alcon, Inc.
- Holds more than 20 issued patents and has authored numerous peer reviewed scientific articles
- Served as board member for multiple ophthalmic and biotech companies,
including Clearside BioMedical Inc., GrayBug Vision, Inc. & Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Marina de Moses, MA
- Global professional, music scholar, philanthropist, polyglot, pianist
- Elected Member of the Business Council for Peace Global Initiative of 500 Business and Spiritual Women’s Initiative at the UN, Geneva
- Founder of EuMuse, Compass in Philanthropy
- Managing board member, advisor, conceptual mind of startups in the USA , Europe, South America and Asia
Vincent H.L. LEE, PhD, DSc
- Former Professor and Director, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Former Associate Director, Office of Pharmaceutical Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research,
Food and Drug Administration - Former Professor of Ophthalmology, Chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs, University of Southern California
Jay Ji-Ye WEI, PhD
- Founder and Chairman, ViewGene Therapeutics
- Former Chief Scientist and VP of Clinical Research,
Liaoning He Eye Hospital Co., Ltd. - Former Director, SERI-IMCB programme
on retinal angiogenic diseases (SIPRAD),
Singapore Eye Research Institute - Accomplished research scientist in aged-related retinal degeneration and mitochondrial medicine
Tommy Y.C. LEUNG
With more than 30 years in the hospitality industry (including listed companies) and equipment vendors, Mr. Leung has built extensive knowledge and experience in business strategic management and processes, as well as distribution channel management in the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Leung brings on board invaluable experience by fostering the Company’s investor relationship as well as ensuring regulatory compliance whilst serving as the Chairman of the board.
Benjamin T.K. LEE, PharmD
Dr. Lee has over a decade of experience working in the Medicine Development Centre of GlaxoSmithKline, Inc in the USA. At GSK, he participated in a variety of clinical development programs, pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, project management, product launch and global sales. Given his extensive experience as co-founder and CEO of Comprehensive Drug Enterprises, Dr. Lee is well-equipped to lead Alephoson through all stages of product development and commercialization.
Stephen Y.H. LAU
Mr Lau is a seasoned entrepreneur, having built several businesses from the ground up in the region, especially in China. As a board member, Mr Lau provides practical inputs on current and potential commercial partnerships.
Mark YONG, DPhil
Dr Yong has over 25 years’ experience in the Supply Chain and biotechnology industry. He was an early member of the Alibaba Group as well as a co-investor/board member of Comprehensive Drug Enterprise. A major part of his career was spent in emerging markets such as Vietnam, Cambodia, China & India, alongside the UK. Mark is also a business mentor for SowAsia (Social Enterprise). He was a researcher at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Yong’s key contribution is to streamline and align the organization in preparation for anticipated business growth.
ALEPHOSON
BIOPHARMACEUTICALS
HKSTP Research Team
Fariza Zhorabek, Nora Tan, Dr. Yongqian Zhao, Harry Tang, Dr. Chester Tam
