From MNCs to Biotech: Why Dr. Zheng Biao, a BD-Savvy Scientist, Is Betting Big on Bonovo Biotech

Recently, BRL Medicine Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "BRL Medicine") announced: the appointment of Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng as a senior partner of BRL Medicine, serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, fully responsible for the company's operation and management.

Dr. Zheng BiaoWith rich industrial experience, he has worked at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), serving as the Global Vice President of Johnson & Johnson, responsible for innovative drug R&D in the immunology field across the Asia-Pacific region, including autoimmune diseases and tumor immunology. Recently, Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng joined BRL Medicine, a Chinese Biotech company, to accelerate BRL Medicine's process of product innovation, industrial development, and international cooperation.

What made this fruitful scientist decide to join a startup and choose an "uncertain" path? With this question in mind, VCBeat interviewed Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng, CEO of BRL Medicine, to seek advice from this 30-year industry veteran on pharmaceutical methodology, the development situation of China's Biotech industry, as well as the core advantages and appeal of BRL Medicine.

During his academic career, Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng studied clinical medicine and immunology at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, and King's College London. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of London, Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng taught at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Duke University Medical Center. He then served as a tenured professor in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine.In the scientific research field, Dr. Zheng BiaoNature、SciencePublished over 70 articles in top international journals.

In the industrial sector, Dr. Zheng Biao has over 30 years of in-depth experience in the field of immunotherapy (including autoimmune diseases, cancer immunology, and vaccine development). His tenure at pharmaceutical giants such as Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline has enabled Dr. Zheng to accumulate extensive expertise in drug development, international pharmaceutical environments, market access and commercialization, talent cultivation, and corporate operation management.

A Veteran with 30 Years of Experience in Immunology: A Calm and Senior Scientist? Not Quite. When we first met Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng, we were greeted by a vigorous middle-aged man. He joked, "Maybe it’s because I just got a haircut today, so I do look pretty energetic."

Dr. Zheng Biao also loves to joke with his friends: "Apart from cases where children with genetic diseases pass away shortly after birth, if you can find a disease that has no relation to the pathophysiological process of inflammatory immunity, I will really be impressed." Easygoing yet rigorous, accompanied by an optimistic attitude.

When asked why he moved from a large pharmaceutical company to the emerging Biotech BRL Medicine, Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng said: "I have had many years of communication and collaboration with the founding team and key scientists of BRL Medicine, and their values and corporate culture align very well with mine. Although large pharmaceutical companies offer excellent resources and benefits, they tend to lack some degree of freedom and innovation. As an emerging Biotech, BRL Medicine allows me to fully unleash the experience I've accumulated over the years."

Moreover, BRL Medicine itself focuses on the research and development and transformation of gene therapy and cell therapy drugs, which is a highly promising emerging field. According to ARM statistics, there were 1,195 cell and gene therapy-related enterprises globally in 2021. In the same year, this field raised a total of $23.1 billion globally, a 16% increase from $19.9 billion in 2020, reaching the highest annual funding record for gene and cell therapy. Due to China's large population base, the number of people with genetic diseases in China reaches 57 million, which is 4.4 times that of the United States (12 million). Therefore, China is quite attractive for CGT clinical trials and subsequent commercialization. In addition to having the second-highest number of CGT clinical studies globally, China has become the largest country initiating CAR-T clinical research. This field also aligns well with Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng's decades of research and translational experience.

"In this blue ocean field with a vast market, Dr. Zheng Biao said: 'Researchers' mastery of gene-editing tools and understanding of diseases are continuously deepening, which has also driven the development of a new era in cell and gene therapy. Although the technology in this field is still improving, the astonishing efficacy it has demonstrated so far is enough to shake the industry. When the technology is just emerging but not yet perfected, it is also a good time for us to enter the industry.'"

Dr. Zheng Biao continued: "Compared with traditional drugs, gene therapy has three distinct unique advantages. First, while small molecule and antibody drugs regulate at the protein level, gene therapy regulates at the gene level, offering a unique advantage for targeting disease-causing genes that are clear at the gene level but difficult to address at the protein level. Second, gene therapy boasts unique R&D advantages over traditional drugs; designing and synthesizing nucleic acid sequences is less challenging than developing small molecules or monoclonal antibodies, and scaling up to an industrial level is relatively easier, with a much higher success rate in R&D compared to the average in the new drug industry. Moreover, in recent years, the field of oncology and rare diseases has matured, with its market size expected to reach hundreds of billions. Additionally, gene therapy, which initially focused on addressing tumors and rare diseases caused by specific genes, has gradually expanded to include complex diseases caused by genetic mutations or dysregulation, such as chronic diseases, hematological malignancies, and solid tumors."

Previously at GSK, Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng mainly focused on immunology research from drug discovery to the early clinical stage. At Johnson & Johnson, he was primarily responsible for building and advancing the innovative drug pipeline in the immunology field across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as forming and managing internal teams. Based on this experience, Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng has accumulated significant expertise in various aspects of drug development, including new drug screening, target research, disease models, preclinical and clinical trials, and gained a profound understanding of the entire new drug development process. He also has extensive experience in developing small molecule drugs, large molecule antibody drugs, and cell therapy pipelines. A substantial portion of MNCs' innovative drug pipelines, in addition to relying on internal R&D capabilities, comes from external collaborations, including licensing, mergers and acquisitions, and technology partnerships. These two complementary professional experiences have transformed Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng from a basic researcher into a scientist with business development (BD) acumen.

When asked why he made these career choices and plans, Dr. Zheng Biao said: "Preclinical research is very important, but the entire process of pharmaceutical manufacturing is even more critical."But pharmaceutical manufacturing is a completely opposite process to basic research. The process of basic research involves proposing hypotheses and proving them; whereas the process of pharmaceutical manufacturing starts with understanding the final product, planning the relevant technologies, platforms, funding, personnel, and other resources based on the end goal. It defines projects and works backward to determine the necessary conditions, then evaluates feasibility. If we only focus on achieving breakthroughs in basic research, we may not be qualified drug discoverers. To truly be a drug discoverer, one must not only be proficient in basic research but also understand the market, competitors, technologies, regulations, and more in related fields."

In addition to having a comprehensive grasp of scientific research and BD, Dr. Zheng Biao also mentioned a word: "team."

Dr. Zheng Biao explained: "Personally, I don't think I have achieved much or made particularly influential decisions. The development of the pharmaceuticals industry cannot be driven by individuals alone but is the result of the efforts of countless teams. Especially in companies that rely on technological innovation to drive growth, talent is the key driving force for rapid company development. On one hand, what I need to do is to tap into the initiative of each team member, maximizing their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses. Depending on the individual, I aim to push the company's development from different angles. On the other hand, I will continue BRL Medicine’s previous models of 'Global Partnerships' and 'University-Enterprise Collaboration,' attracting international top talents to continuously keep BRL Medicine at the forefront of technological innovation worldwide."

BRL Medicine has reached a critical period of transitioning from scientific research to the industrialization of pharmaceuticals.

BRL Medicine Headquarters Building, Photo Source: BRL Medicine

Currently, BRL Medicine, with its pipeline layout logic centered on gene editing technology, has established five proprietary technology platforms: a gene editing technology innovation platform, a hematopoietic stem cell platform, a non-viral targeted integration CAR-T platform, a universal cell platform, and an enhanced T-cell platform. The company also possesses a 7,000-square-meter GMP pilot production facility and an operational team of over 200 people, effectively ensuring that innovative research achievements can be quickly transformed and applied.

Currently, BRL Medicine has 13 pipelines under development, among which core projects such as gene-editing therapy for β-thalassemia, non-viral PD1 targeted integration CAR-T, and UCAR-T have achieved excellent clinical outcomes, and inNature Medicine、Nature biotechnologyPublished multiple academic papers in well-known academic journals.

The joining of Dr. Zheng Biao aligns perfectly with the company's transformation and development. He will apply his experience and expertise to fully assist BRL Medicine in building a balanced and robust pipeline: "The pipeline layout of a company must not only reflect advancement but, more importantly, consider future clinical value. Only a value-oriented layout holds long-term significance for development."

As the CEO, Dr. Zheng Biao's another important responsibility is precisely "reflecting the company's value and increasing the company's value." Dr. Zheng Biao explained: "The ways to increase and reflect value are not limited to the final successful transformation of the pipeline into a product. For Biotech, technology, platforms, patents, and phased achievements are all reflections of value."

Dr. Zheng Biao continued: "In the past five years, BRL Medicine has generated more than 100 patent achievements, with five projects conducting investigator-initiated clinical trials in eight renowned hospitals, and multiple projects entering the IND application stage. We are very willing to jointly develop these phased achievements with our partners to accelerate the development of the industry. On the other hand, as a start-up company,While we are going global, we also look forward to introducing more technologies, patents, and other collaborations."Allowing enterprises to develop more comprehensively."

BRL Medicine staff conducting experiments, photo source provided by BRL Medicine

In addition, BRL Medicine also demonstrates its value by continuously refining its technology platform.BRL Medicine's proprietary "Non-viral Targeted Integration CAR-T Platform (Quikin CART)"^®)" as an example. Addressing the pain points of currently high preparation costs for most CAR-T products, complex viral system preparation processes, and strong side effects, this platform utilizes CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to insert CAR components into the PD1 gene site without using viral vectors. This achieves gene knockout and stable CAR integration in one step, resulting in lower costs, higher safety, and a simpler process.

Based on this platform, BRL Medicine has developed the world's first non-viral PD1-targeted CD19 CAR-T cell therapy. According to data released by BRL Medicine, its clinical trial using this product to treat relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma has achieved breakthrough results: among the 10 treated patients, 8 achieved CR (complete response), 1 achieved PR (partial response), and all patients experienced no cytokine storms of grade 2 or higher.

BRL Medicine has not only developed non-viral PD1-targeted integration CD19-CAR-T cell products and CD19-UCAR-T cell products for tumor treatment, but also achieved breakthrough results in gene therapy for hereditary diseases.

In July 2020, the first successful treatment of severe β-thalassemia patients using gene therapy was achieved through the collaboration between BRL Medicine and Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. This marked the first time in Asia that "thalassemia" was treated using gene-editing technology and also the world’s first successful case of treating β0/β0 type severe thalassemia with CRISPR gene-editing technology. In 2021, positive news came from the clinical research on "gene therapy for thalassemia" conducted by BRL Medicine in cooperation with the 923rd Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the People's Liberation Army. To date, four children have been able to stop blood transfusions with the help of gene-editing technology, adding to the two cases at Xiangya Hospital, bringing the total number of children who have permanently overcome "thalassemia" through this method to six.

"Based on the accumulation of several years prior, BRL Medicine is almost always ready to advance in the direction of industrialization. In terms of project pipelines, I will apply my previous experience in basic research to contribute to BRL Medicine’s technological discoveries; in the commercial field, I will utilize the BD experience I gained while working at large pharmaceutical companies, aligning more with the requirements and interests of these 'Party A' organizations to cater to their preferences and support BRL Medicine's cooperation and development." Dr. Zhengbiao Zheng said this regarding the current transformation and development strategy of BRL Medicine.

From small molecule drugs to large molecule drugs, and then to cell-based therapies, from discovery to clinical trials and commercialization, the pharmaceutical industry keeps advancing with the flow of time. What we need most is to befriend time, giving the industry enough patience and expectation. We look forward to BRL Medicine swiftly moving from the research phase into clinical and commercial stages under the test of time, delivering a satisfactory answer in the field of cell and gene therapy.

BRL Medicine Inc. is committed to becoming a global leading cell and gene pharmaceutical company in the era of new commercial civilization. With the mission of "leading innovation through gene editing, developing breakthrough therapies, and benefiting all humanity," BRL Medicine has generated over 100 patent achievements in the past five years, relying on its self-developed center and the "Shanghai Gene Editing and Cell Therapy Research Center" co-built with universities. Currently, five projects are undergoing investigator-initiated clinical trials at eight renowned hospitals, with multiple projects entering the IND application stage. Among them, the gene-editing treatment for β-thalassemia, non-viral PD1 targeted integration CAR-T, and UCAR-T projects have achieved excellent clinical outcomes, demonstrating global leadership.Nature Medicine、Nature biotechnology...published multiple academic papers in well-known academic journals. BRL Medicine has established five proprietary technology platforms: a gene-editing technology innovation platform, a hematopoietic stem cell platform, a non-viral site-specific integration CAR-T platform, a universal cell platform, and an enhanced T-cell platform. It also possesses a 7,000-square-meter GMP pilot production base and an operational team of over 200 people, effectively ensuring that innovative research outcomes can be quickly transformed and applied. BRL Medicine continuously drives the rapid updating and iteration of its R&D products based on patient needs and clinical feedback. With an attitude of openness, sharing, and win-win cooperation, BRL Medicine is working with global innovative biopharmaceutical ecosystem companies to accelerate the transformation and implementation of innovative drugs, benefiting patients with genetic disorders and malignant tumors worldwide!