Scientific Advisors
Heinz G Remold, MD, PhD.
Heinz is an Immunologist and Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School. Heinz originally trained at the University and Medical School in Munich, receiving an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Zoology. He did postdoctoral research in protein structure at the University of Würzburg and then in Boston at the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital where he and his postdoctoral mentor Dr. John David made numerous contributions to the (then) emerging field of protein mediators/cytokines, especially migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Heinz was appointed to the faculty at Harvard Medical School becoming Full Professor in 1983 in the Department of Medicine.
He joined the Rheumatology Division of the Brigham and Womens’ Hospital where he established a lab focusing on the immunology and biochemistry of monocytes/macrophages and their interactions with lipid and protein modulators, areas where he has become a recognized expert. He identified immune receptors for glycolipids and proteases such as plasminogen activator. He clarified the antagonistic effects of eicosanoid lipid mediators, the prostaglandins and lipoxins as positive and negative modulators, respectively, of macrophage activation. Dr. Remold is well known for his contributions to understanding immune protection against the infectious agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which uses lung macrophages as initial host cells, making macrophages particularly prominent in prevention of progression to disease. Heinz has been a pioneer in championing the importance of cell death modality on the outcome of infection. Further, Heinz helped elucidate the signaling pathway leading to necrosis on infection with virulent mycobacteria. In addition, Heinz is highly active as an ornithologist. Dr. Heinz Remold will advise and oversee basic and translational research at Edelweiss Immune. The name of “Edelweiss Immune” was originally suggested by Dr. Heinz Remold.
Zhijian Lu, PhD.
Dr. Zhijian Lu is a skilled leader with broad and in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in all phases of biotherapeutics discovery, evaluation and development. He was most recently Head of Biologics, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) Biologics Center, Shanghai, where he led and managed the biologics unit in Shanghai for NIBR biotherapeutics discovery. Dr. Lu began his career in pharmaceutical industry at Genetics Institute in Cambridge as Staff Scientist and later Principle Scientist developing stratagies for cloning, folding and recovery of recombinant protein in 1993. At Wyeth, he served as Associate Director/later Director of the Biotherapeutics Expression and Purification Group, where he co-led hybridoma and phage display platforms and guided protein engineering. Prior to joining NIRB, as Director of Extramural Partnered Research at Pfizer, Dr. Lu and his team evaluated B cell technologies for antibody discovery and introduced new transgenic mice.
Dr. Lu did his undergraduate studies in Analytical Chemistry at Jilin University, China and followed with graduate work in the lab of Dr. Richard Laursen at Boston University. He received the Ph.D. in Biochemistry with a thesis examining autoimmune encephalitogenic sites of Myelin Proteolipid protein. He received post-doctoral training in Nobel laureate Dr. Gobind Khorana’s lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying structure-function of rhodopsin through biochemical/biophysical characterization of mutant opsons.
Advisor of Business and Development Strategy
Qun Zhao
President of Shanxi C&Y Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd (C&Y group, Stock Code:300254, SZSE). In 2005, Mr. Zhao founded Shanxi C&Y Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the predecessor of C&Y group. Through Merger & Acquisition and restructuring, he successfully developed the C&Y group, which was listed on the GEM under Shenzhen Stock Exchange on August 19, 2011. Currently, C&Y Group focuses on the field of anti-tumor and anti-infectious therapeutics, owns a lot of subsidiaries and has more than 1700 employees. Its headquarters for marketing and the R&D Center are located in Shanghai, China. Ms. Zhao was graduated from Shanghai Medical University with a Degree in Pharmaceutics.