ABOUT
Our Leadership
At BIORCHESTRA, our team is led by a group of passionate and experienced executives driven by a common purpose. Meet the individuals who are pursuing our strategy for the benefit of patients and their families around the world.
Our Leadership
Officers
Dr. Branden Ryu is the Founder of BIORCHESTRA and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Ryu earned his doctorate from the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. Dr. Ryu completed his internship at the Harvard-MIT Health Science and Technology department at Massachusetts General Hospital and conducted further research at Harvard Medical School.
In 2016, Dr. Ryu founded the company to focus on the development of IV-formulated RNA medicines targeting degenerative and rate CNS diseases. Dr. Ryu and his research team discovered novel RNA biomarkers and novel ASO modalities with platform application across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Under his leadership, the company has expanded a host of pre-clinical RNA programs that target additional CNS diseases, resulting in the filing of more.
Dr. Louis O’Dea serves as President and Chief Medical Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Dr. O’Dea is a board-certified physician with twenty-eight years of industry expertise, successfully leading global drug development and multiple regulatory approvals. Dr. O’Dea has led fourteen clinical NDAs, including four orphans and one device approval and has expertise across proteins, peptides, small molecules and nucleotides, as well as with a broad range of devices and routes of administration. Prior to his tenure at BIORCHESTRA, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer at Akcea. Prior to Akcea, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer at Oxford Imunotec, overseeing Medical Affairs and Clinical Development. Prior to Oxford, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs at Moderna Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on developing messenger RNA-based therapeutics. Prior to Moderna, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer at Radius Health where he led the development of multiple molecules through clinical development, including Abaloparatide.
Mr. Young-Gil “YG” Kim serves as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Kim is a Board-Certified Public Accountant with more than twenty years of professional experience leading finance, investor relations, accounting, and operations functions. Prior to his tenure at BIORCHESTRA, Mr. Kim served as a certified public accountant for the global accounting firm of KPMG, where he led complex client assignments in M&A, compliance and public reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and IFRS conversion. Mr. Kim has served as Chief Financial Officer for GenoFocus.
Mr. David Oxley serves as Chief Business Officer. Mr. Oxley leads corporate strategy, including global commercial partnerships and capital markets outside Korea. Mr. Oxley has extensive experience developing corporate strategy, managing asset license arrangements, and global capital markets. With a unique combination of experience in next-generation genetic and cellular medicine, Mr. Oxley’s credentials include designing and prosecuting complex business plans for Hong Kong Listing in China and the Asia Pacific, commercializing first-in-category products, and leading complex cross-border licensing transactions. In addition, Mr. Oxley brings experience in building high-performing global sales and marketing organizations to support the company’s strategic plan. Beyond his corporate experience, Mr. Oxley has served on the boards of a privately held antibody-based medical device company, a not-for-profit foundation focused on infectious diseases in Africa, and as a member of the private sector delegation to the Global Fund to fight infectious diseases in Africa. Mr. Oxley completed his bachelor’s studies at Portland State University and his master’s in government and public health at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.
Senior Vice President and Head, Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
Dr. Gabriel Helmlinger serves as a senior executive and brings twenty-five years of extensive expertise in the nonclinical, translational and clinical assessment of novel therapeutic candidates and in the focused areas of pharmacology, biomarker identification, drug delivery systems, study design, and diagnostics, over a wide range of disease domains and therapeutic modalities. He has also contributed to multiple regulatory submissions and agency interactions. Dr. Helmlinger has additional broad experience in the translational pharmacology of small molecules, peptides, antibodies and antibody-based constructs, gene and cell therapies, as well as various molecular and micromechanical delivery systems.
Prior to joining BIORCHESTRA, Dr. Helmlinger managed organizations and programs of drug development, translational & clinical pharmacology, toxicology, biomarkers, and quantitative data analytics at Procter & Gamble, Novartis, AstraZeneca, and Obsidian Therapeutics, a gene & cell therapy biotech. Dr. Helmlinger holds Ph.D. and MSc. degrees in bioengineering and mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, USA) and an MSc. degree in biomedical engineering from the Université de Technologie (Compiègne, France). He completed his postdoctoral training in Tumor Biology and Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (D.A.B.T.) since 2000. He has published 50+ articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Il Sang Yoon, Ph.D. serves as a Chief Alliance Officer. Dr. Yoon holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in the field of molecular genomics of bipolar disorder and received post-doctoral training in the field of cellular biology of Alzheimer’s disease at University of California, San Diego. Dr. Yoon has more than twenty years of academic and industry experience with increasing responsibility in the US. Dr. Yoon has led a wide range of industry initiatives, such as small molecule drug discovery and immuno-assay product development strategy. Dr. Yoon has served in a host of senior leadership assignments, including managing director/site head at San Diego Medicalsystem Inc (La Jolla, CA, USA) and Senior Vice President and Head of R&D at PharmCADD (Busan, Korea). Dr. Yoon’s previous employers include CytRx, EMD Millipore (a.k.a. Merck Millipore), and Nexus-Dx (Sphingotec company).
Our Leadership
Board of Directors
Dr. Branden Ryu is the Founder of BIORCHESTRA and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Ryu earned his doctorate from the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. Dr. Ryu completed his internship at the Harvard-MIT Health Science and Technology department at Massachusetts General Hospital and conducted further research at Harvard Medical School.
In 2016, Dr. Ryu founded the company to focus on the development of IV-formulated RNA medicines targeting degenerative and rate CNS diseases. Dr. Ryu and his research team discovered novel RNA biomarkers and novel ASO modalities with platform application across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Under his leadership, the company has expanded a host of pre-clinical RNA programs that target additional CNS diseases, resulting in the filing of more
Dr. Louis O’Dea serves as President and Chief Medical Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Dr. O’Dea is a board-certified physician with twenty-eight years of industry expertise, successfully leading global drug development and multiple regulatory approvals. Dr. O’Dea has led fourteen clinical NDAs, including four orphans and one device approval and has expertise across proteins, peptides, small molecules and nucleotides, as well as with a broad range of devices and routes of administration. Prior to his tenure at BIORCHESTRA, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer at Akcea. Prior to Akcea, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer at Oxford Imunotec, overseeing Medical Affairs and Clinical Development. Prior to Oxford, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs at Moderna Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on developing messenger RNA-based therapeutics. Prior to Moderna, Dr. O’Dea served as Chief Medical Officer at Radius Health where he led the development of multiple molecules through clinical development, including Abaloparatide.
Mr. Young-Gil “YG” Kim serves as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Kim is a Board-Certified Public Accountant with more than twenty years of professional experience leading finance, investor relations, accounting, and operations functions. Prior to his tenure at BIORCHESTRA, Mr. Kim served as a certified public accountant for the global accounting firm of KPMG, where he led complex client assignments in M&A, compliance and public reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and IFRS conversion. Mr. Kim has served as Chief Financial Officer for GenoFocus.
Seung-Ho Lee is a highly accomplished professional with a strong background in pharmacy and management. He currently serves as an Independent Director at BIORCHESTRA.
Mr. Lee holds a BSc and MSc in Pharmacy from Seoul National University, as well as an MBA degree in Management of Technology from Korea University. He has completed a doctoral course in Pharmacy from Seoul National University and a doctoral course in Technology Management from Korea University. Additionally, he has successfully completed the Bio-CEO Program from Seoul National University.
With over 20 years of industry experience, Mr. Lee is currently serving as the CEO of Daily Partners. His previous roles include working as a principal researcher at Dong-A Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical bio sector analyst at LIG Investment & Securities, Hi Investment & Securities, and NH Investment & Securities (formerly Woori Investment & Securities), and as the head of the pharmaceutical bio-TF at Samsung Securities Research Center.
Mr. Lee’s comprehensive expertise and extensive experience make him a valuable addition to the BIORCHESTRA board of directors.
Mr. Hong-Hee Shin, MBA, is currently an Internal Audit member at BIORCHESTRA Co., Ltd. With an MBA degree from the University of Washington, Mr. Shin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role. Prior to joining BIORCHESTRA, Mr. Shin held executive positions at the Korea Exchange as Executive Director and at KCGS (Korea Corporate Governance Service) as Executive Vice President. Mr. Shin has extensive expertise in corporate governance and financial management.
Dr. Pil Jae Maeng serves as an Independent Director of BIORCHESTRA. Currently, Dr. Maeng serves as the President of the Bio-Healthcare Association and serves as a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Chungnam National University (CNU). He is also actively involved as a member of the Science and Technology Committee in Daejeon Metropolitan City. Dr. Maeng has a wide and diverse range of experiences, including serving as a policy advisor for the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), an advisory member of Daejeon Technopark, a member of the KOSDAQ Listing Committee of the Korea Exchange, a director of the Microbiological Society of Korea, and the director of the Center for Biomedical Human Resources Development and the dean of the College of Bioscience and Biotechnology at CNU.
Dr. Maeng obtained a Ph.D., MS, and BS degree in Microbiology from Seoul National University. Additionally, he has experience working as a Post-Doc in the Department of Applied Biological Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
Ms. Aleum Lee serves as a non-executive director of BIORCHESTRA. Ms. Lee holds an M.S and B.S in Pharmacology from Seoul National University and is a licensed pharmacist. Ms. Lee serves as the Managing Director of IMM Investment. Prior to her tenure at IMM, Ms. Lee served as a Biopharmaceutical Analyst with Hana Financial Investment Co. With her extensive experience in the financial sector and background in pharmacology, Ms. Lee brings valuable insights and expertise to the company’s board.
Our Leadership
Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Seung H Kim is a renowned professor of neurology and the director of the ALS clinic and the Korean NIH sponsored Stem Cell Therapy Center at Hanyang University Hospital in Seoul. He is also the current President of the Korean Society of Neuromuscular Disorder and the Korean Society of ALS. Dr. Kim earned his MD degree in medicine and a Ph.D. in Neuroanatomy from Hanyang University. After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Kim worked as a postdoc fellow under the supervision of Prof. Stanley Appel at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he conducted research on ALS.
Since 2001, Dr. Kim has been working in the field of ALS and neurodegenerative disorders. His research has led to the development of JPI-289, a novel PARP inhibitor for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, which is currently in Phase II clinical trial. In 2015, Dr. Kim’s therapeutic strategy using autologous Bone Marrow originated Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for ALS was approved as an orphan drug, which had been conducted by the Korean NIH research project. He put autologous stem cell therapy into clinical practice to treat ALS and is now conducting translational research in the field of rare neurodegenerative diseases. His goal is to develop personalized medicine based on the unique genetic background of the Korean and Asian populations.
Dr. Kim’s contributions to the field of neurodegenerative diseases have been recognized through numerous awards and honors, including the 2016 Secret of Life Award from the Catholic Foundation and awards from the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning. He is currently a member of the National Academy of Medicine of Korea and an editorial member of Molecular Neurodegeneration. Dr. Kim is also leading the Korean Dementia Platform Project for immune-inflammation.
Dr. Woo-Chan Son is an assistant professor of Toxicological Pathology at Ulsan University, College of Medicine, where he joined in 2011. Dr. Son also works in the pathology department at Asan Medical Center in Seoul. With more than ten years of experience in toxicological pathology at Huntingdon Life Sciences, UK, Dr. Son has been involved in the gross and histopathological examination of a wide range of laboratory species from short-term to long-term toxicological studies. Dr. Son’s research interests include preclinical safety evaluation and GEM (Genetically Engineered Mice) pathological phenotyping. Dr. Son is a member of the British Society of Toxicological Pathologists (BSTP) and has served as an Associate Editor for Toxicologic Pathology, the official journal of the American Society of Toxicologic Pathologists. Dr. Son is also a member of the editorial board of the Austin Journal of Clinical Pathology. Dr. Son earned his DVM in veterinary medicine from Seoul National University in 1985, and his MSc and PhD from the same university in 1991 and 2003, respectively.
Dr. Young G. Shin is a highly experienced research director with more than thirty years of professional experience in academia and the pharmaceutical/biotech industries. Dr. Shin has led research projects in various fields, including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, antibiotics, and anti-malaria. During his twelve years of experience in drug discovery and development at the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK), Dr. Shin successfully filed more than eleven IND applications and one NDA (Vismodegib) filing, and supported IND for T-DM1 (antibody-drug conjugate).
Dr. Shin joined Chungnam National University College of Pharmacy as a professor in 2013, where he continues to teach and conduct research. From 2004 to 2013, Dr. Shin served as a senior staff member in the DMPK Department at Genentech. In this role, Dr. Shin’s contributions included strategic planning, hiring, process improvement, new technology implementation, and regulatory compliance. Dr. Shin also represented full DMPK for early/late-stage discovery, IND filings, and beyond for neuroscience and oncology projects. From 2001 to 2004, Dr. Shin served as a member of the senior staff of the DMPK biotransformation department at GSK, where he provided strategic planning, partnering, hiring, process improvements, and new technology development key contributions.
Dr. Jonghwa Ok serves as BIORCHESTRA’s CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) advisor. Dr. Ok holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California and has extensive experience in the field. After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Ok served as a postdoctoral fellow at MIT’s Francis Natl. Magnet Lab from 1990 to 1991. Upon completion of his postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Ok worked at LG Chem for twenty-five years, where he served as a Director. In 2016, Dr. Ok became CEO of International Scientific Standard (ISS), a position he held until 2018. Dr. Ok’s expertise lies in Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control for drugs.
