About Us
Who are we?
AnnJi was founded on core technology Licensed from National Taiwan University. It included multiple novel small molecule series discovered and synthesized by Professor JW Chern and his research group. These NCEs were designed specifically for drug-able targets; such as histone deacetylase and phosphodiesterase. The company focuses on the translation to proof-of-concept clinical trials of first-in-class or best-in-class small molecules to treat diseases, for which there is still no standard of care, and/or there are significant dissatisfactions in medical treatment; such as fibrosis, peripheral neuropathy, and inflammatory diseases of the skin and other major organs. Our goals are to translate and develop unique, innovative, and highly differentiated drug therapies and to engage global collaborators and business partners in product commercialization.
Our Core Values
Excellence
Set high standards and drive to achieve above and beyond expectation.
Passion
Always give the best effort, enjoy the challenges while inspire the others.
Integrity
Think with sincerity, speak with honesty, and do the right thing.
Creativity
Find hidden patterns, think outside of box to analyze or solve a problem
Teamwork
Be transparent and accountable, work together with trust and respect (to deliver business results)
Meet Our Board Members
Wendy Huang, Ph.D.
Chair & CEO Annji Pharmaceutical
- PhD in Toxicology, North Carolina State University
- BS in Pharmacy, National Taiwan University
Forty years pharmaceutical career across multiple therapeutic areas, medical devices and cosmetic products.
A strong track record in global product development and organizational development.
Lead and contributed to more than 10 market authorizations of new drug products and medical devices.
Held R&D Leadership and executive positions in multinational companies; including GSK, Stiefel Labs, Connetics Corp., Dermik Laboratories, and Sanofi-Aventis.
Jerome Shen, Ph.D.
General Partner/Head of Life Science Investments Taiwania Capital
- Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison
- BS in Chemical Engineering at Tsing Hua University
Jerome Shen was the President and co-founder of Allgenesis Biotherapeutics Inc., a new drug development company addressing the unmet medical needs in the ophthalmology areas since 2014. Before Allgenesis, he was an executive with venture capital firms for 20 years; focusing on investment in the life science and biotech/pharmaceutical industry.
He also took the leading roles in several biotech start-ups, responsible for corporate development and strategic initiatives and planning.
He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Charles Lin
Chairman Alar Pharmaceuticals
- BS in Pharmacy, National Taiwan University
Mr. Lin has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry; a highly regarded entrepreneur and pharmaceutical executive. As Chairman of Lotus, he successfully led Lotus be listed at Taipei Exchange and transformed it into an international pharma. He founded Alar Pharmaceutical Inc. in 2016 after Lotus became an Alvogen company. Mr. Lin received his BS from Department of Pharmacy of Taiwan University.
Mei-An Liu, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital
- Ph.D in Molecular and Cell Biology, Harvard University
- M.S. in Entomology, MIT
- BS in Plant Pathology, National Taiwan University
Dr. Liu is the Executive Vice President of Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital Corp.She has twenty years of VC investment experience in biotech/healthcare and a track record in the establishment and management of newly founded company.
Micheal Huang
Managing Partner Taiwania Capital
- MBA, Rice University
- M.A. in Chemistry, University of Texas, Arlington
- BS in Chemistry, University of Texas, Austin
Prior to joining Taiwania as a Managing Partner, Michael was the co-founder and CEO of NeuroVive Pharmaceutical Asia, Inc. (NVP Asia), a new drug development company focusing on the development of mitochondria-related diseases. During his tenure, NVP Asia had successfully signed out-licensing deals with Sihuan Pharmaceutical and Sanofi Korea.
Michael had over 18 years of experience as a venture capitalist, focusing on investments in life science startups in the US, Taiwan, and Japan. Michael’s expertise is in investing and managing early to late-stage biotech and medical device companies in Greater China, Japan, European and North America regions.
Our Investers
Dr. Wendy Huang Joined AnnJi as President and CEO in March 2019. Dr. Huang worked in multinational pharmaceutical companies for 40 years and held several leadership and executive positions. She brought extensive experience in drug development, registration, licensing and organization development. In August 2019 AnnJi received new investments from Taiwan’s major venture capitals, including Taiwania Capital (lead), Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital, SinoPac Venture Capital, and Eminent Venture Capital.
Technology Platform
AnnJI possesses a well-established drug discovery and development platform developed by Prof. Ji-Wang Chern at National Taiwan University with a capability to efficiently identify novel chemical entities (NCEs) for therapeutic indications with unmet medical need
In this platform, newly synthesized compounds are subject to activity-driven optimization and quickly enter non-clinical pilot testing including toxicity, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics studies. This platform allows medicinal chemists, biologist, and pharmacokinetic experts efficiently collaborate to identify and develop druggable molecules. The drug candidates are then selected and enter IND-enabling stage.
