Great Bay Bio’s 3D Advisory Board Science Committee Welcomes Another New Arrival

August 27, 2019 - 03:18
Great Bay Bio’s 3D Advisory Board Science Committee Welcomes Another New Arrival

HONG KONG, CHINA - EQS - 27 August 2019 - Great Bay Bio, a leading AI biotechnology company dedicated to bigdata-driven CMC (Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls) development of innovativebiologics, is pleased to announce that following the successful establishmentof the 3D Advisory Board in the middle of this month, the Science Sub-Committeewelcomes another new key member, Dr.Mark McHale, to the team.


Dr. MarkMcHale received professional training in genetics,biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of London and theUniversity of East Anglia (UEA UK). From 1986 to 1991, he obtained Ph.D. in molecular biology studyingunder Professor Richard Oliver and carried out post-doctoral research.Currently, he serves as the Head of R&D, Chief Development Officer and aFounder of ASLAN Pharmaceuticals. He has responsibility for progressing novelsmall molecule and biological therapies aimed at oncology and inflammation frompreclinical development to the end of phase II of clinical trials.


Previously, Dr. McHale was the Head of MolecularSciences at AstraZeneca Respiratory & Inflammation and in this rolesupported small molecule and therapeutic antibody projects from targetidentification to phase II of clinical trials. He was a core member of therespiratory strategy team for the inflammation research area for half a decadeand personally led all new target identification in asthma. Dr. McHale movedAstraZeneca into innate immunity with a strong focus immune checkpointmodulation to enhance immune surveillance and also skew the immune system awayfrom allergy. In 2006, he led a $136M investment in the AZ/Dynavaxcollaboration to produce inhaled TLR9 agonists for the treatment of asthma andled the ongoing development projects which are currently in phase II ofclinical trials.


Prior to 2001, Dr. McHale worked for 7 years atSmithKline Beecham, where he supported lead optimization projects in serotoninand dopamine receptors as well as working on leptin and the PPAR gamma agonistAvandia. He worked in neuroscience with Dr. Jackie Hunter for three years,during which time he established molecular science laboratories and formed asuccessful team to support molecular analysis of stroke and pain in order tocharacterize disease and identify new targets from a large strategiccollaboration SmithKline had initiated with Human Genome Sciences.


The establishment of the 3D Advisory Board is partof the company's mission of "FacingFuture Challenges with 3D Innovation". By combining three verticals ofinnovation "business foresight + science-basedfoundation + technology driven", the company hopes new breakthroughs totough market challenges can be hatched. Currently, the company has formed threeseparate sub-committees (Business, Science and Technology) to provide a solidfoundation for Great Bay Bio's mission and, ultimately reach the company's visionof "Making Biologics DevelopmentEasy for Everyone".


On the arrival of another remarkable talent for theScience Sub-Committee, Mr. KingsleyLeung, Chairman and Co-founder of Great Bay Bio, said: "We are greatlyhonored to have Dr. McHale join our Advisory Board. Dr. McHale has nearly 30years of professional career in pharmaceutical research and drug R&D, andmore than 10 years of international experience in Asia and Australasia. His deepindustry experience across different therapeutic areas, and exposure to differentR&D cultures and regions, are testaments to the diverse andmulti-disciplinary nature of the Advisory Board we want to build. As I saidpreviously on the establishment of the 3D Advisory Committee earlier this month,the best innovation comes from collaboration between people from differentbackgrounds and expertise. The challenge of making traditional high-cost CMCcheap is a difficult one to solve, and that is why we believe Recombinant Innovation is our best shotof tackling it. The diverse background and experience Dr. McHale brings to ourmission is invaluable, and I strongly believe working closely with our otherAdvisors will bring interesting solutions to the problem we want to solve".


About Great Bay Bio

Headquarteredin Hong Kong, the CMC/CDMO platform of Great Bay Bio was established in 2002,where originally more than 100 million yuan was invested to build a nationallevel CMC platform. The CMC/CDMO platform has independent and integratedtechnology platforms for drug R&D and large-scale preparation. The companyhas a strong existing track record of developing customized CMC packages for biologicproducts, some of which are national class I projects of innovative biological newdrugs that have already reached NDA stage.


Great Bay Biois leveraging on its established platform to develop a new vertical in CMC.Specifically, Great Bay Bio strives to utilize AI and other cutting-edgetechnologies to shorten CMC development timelines, lower cost, and increaseefficiency of CMC. With such a platform, it could expand and acquire newcustomer base, and brings fundamental changes to drug development, andultimately benefiting society and patients.

The platformhas been recognized and certificated as "Patent FosteringEnterprise", "Patent Pilot Enterprise", "National High-techEnterprise", "Dongguan New R&D Institution", "GuangdongTop Ten Foreign-funded R&D Center" and "Guangdong GeneticallyPharmaceutical Engineering Research Center". Since 2006, it has undertakena number of government projects and obtained crucial breakthroughs in key areasfor Guangdong and Hong Kong. More than 20 million yuan have been received fromthe government to support numerous provincial and national projects, such as"National Major New Drug Innovation".


The CMC platformencompasses an area of over 3100 square meter, and has a whole set of advancedbiopharmaceutical research and development hardware, with key equipment from world-classbrands such as Sartorius, Bio-Rad, GE Healthcare, and Waters. The pilotworkshop is designed strictly in accordance with cGMP requirements, with cleanroomstandards of C-level and partial A-level.



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