Suzhou Raymon Pharma Appoints Dr. Ming Mei as Chief Technology Officer to Advance Ophthalmic Drug Pipeline

Recently, Suzhou Raymon Pharmaceuticals Company, Ltd. announced the appointment of Dr. Ming Mei as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), who will be fully responsible for preclinical new drug research and technology development.

Dr. Ming Mei, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Raymon Pharma

Dr. Ming Mei has深耕多年 in the field of ophthalmic new drug research and development as well as pharmacology and toxicology. He has pioneered and established a leading preclinical animal ophthalmic drug evaluation platform in China, and is familiar with the establishment methods and model characteristics of various animal models of ophthalmic diseases, possessing extensive experience in the evaluation of drug efficacy and safety.

Before joining Raymon Pharma, Dr. Mei Ming served as the Vice President of Huahong Gene and the head of the Ophthalmology Medical Translation Center, where he rapidly established a highly professional in-house ophthalmic new drug research capability, including the introduction of high-end equipment, the construction of a specialized team, and the development and expansion of innovative technologies.

Before joining HuiDa Gene, Dr. Mei Ming served as the head of the ophthalmology department of the testing division at WuXi AppTec. He built the WuXi AppTec ophthalmology team and its R&D capabilities from scratch, successfully establishing more than 30 animal models of eye diseases. He empowered the R&D of ophthalmic products for over 40 pharmaceutical companies in and outside China and carried out effectiveness and/or safety evaluations for multiple ocular gene therapy projects.

Before 2015, Dr. Ming Mei had been engaged in fundamental research, new drug development, and toxicology/pharmacology related to ophthalmic diseases. Before joining WuXi AppTec, she established the first ophthalmic new drug R&D platform in China at JOINN Laboratories (China) Co., Ltd., being the first to introduce ophthalmic professional technology into the preclinical toxicology evaluation field. She also organically integrated the construction of ophthalmic animal models with toxicology and analytical work, completing the establishment of an integrated research system for ophthalmic new drug services covering efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology. During this period, she led the preclinical evaluation of multiple ophthalmic small molecule drugs, antibody drugs, and gene therapy drugs.

Dr. Ming Mei studied ophthalmology at Beijing Medical University and earned his Ph.D. from the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He then conducted postdoctoral research at the Centre for Vision Research at York University in Canada and at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco, California, USA, accumulating extensive experience in basic scientific research, clinical diagnosis, and treatment in the field of ophthalmology.

Dr. Ming Mei stated: "What attracted me to Raymon Pharma is its uniqueness and originality—the idea of treating fundus diseases with eye drops. Traditional thinking holds that eye drops cannot treat fundus diseases, and current treatments for these conditions involve injecting drugs directly near the affected area within the eye. However, repeated intraocular injections create significant psychological distress for patients and carry risks of drug resistance and toxic side effects. Raymon Pharma has discovered a series of small chemical molecules capable of reaching the fundus tissue through eye drops and exerting therapeutic effects. As a CRO ophthalmologist collaborating with them, I was deeply involved in the preclinical research of these compounds. I personally witnessed their efficacy in treating fundus diseases, along with pharmacokinetic data consistent with their therapeutic effects, all while being safe and reliable. I am highly enthusiastic about joining Raymon Pharma and hope to help these compounds become a groundbreaking ophthalmic eye drop treatment, benefiting numerous patients suffering from fundus diseases."

Dr. Fei Zhang, founder of Raymon Pharma, stated: "We warmly welcome Dr. Ming Mei to join the company's senior management team. Dr. Mei’s addition signifies that Raymon Pharma has reached a higher and newer level in preclinical research and development. The limitations and singularity of preclinical pharmacodynamic animal models for ophthalmic drugs in China have long hindered the progress and regulatory compliance of domestic ophthalmic drug development. Dr. Mei’s over two decades of experience in ophthalmic drug R&D, particularly his profound expertise in preclinical pharmacology, efficacy, and safety evaluation, will greatly enhance Raymon Pharma’s ability to comprehensively refine the integration of preclinical research and development across our pipeline products, especially in pharmacodynamics and drugability assessments. We firmly believe that Dr. Mei’s inclusion will further elevate Raymon Pharma’s international influence in the field of innovative ophthalmic drug development, address unmet clinical drug needs both in China and globally, and benefit patients with ocular diseases worldwide."

About Raymon Pharma

Suzhou Raymon Pharmaceuticals Company, Ltd. was established in March 2018 and is located in the Biomedical Industry Park of Suzhou Industrial Park. It is a company focused on the ophthalmic drug field, dedicated to the research and development of small-molecule innovative ophthalmic drugs. The company has multiple sustainable innovative pipelines, with products covering various targets and mechanisms of action. Currently, the company's product pipeline comprehensively covers two major disease areas in ophthalmology: vascular and neurological. It not only focuses on drug delivery technologies for fundus diseases but also strategically deploys efforts in ocular surface diseases, featuring a rich and diverse R&D pipeline and a comprehensive technical platform.