Dr. JJ Kang, PhD | Chief Executive Officer, Co-founder, Appia
Professor bio:
Dr. JJ Kang, PhD, is Co-founder and CEO of Appia Bio. Prior to starting Appia Bio, JJ was a partner on the investment team at The Column Group, a life sciences venture capital firm. She led investments to launch portfolio companies Tenaya Therapeutics, Exonics Therapeutics, and Escient Pharmaceuticals and served on their boards. Prior to that, she worked at FibroGen in project management and corporate strategy. JJ earned a PhD in chemical biology at Caltech and a BA in chemistry from Harvard University.
Abstract:
Dr. JJ Kang is CEO of Appia Bio, an allogeneic cell therapy company with research and development programs to address progressive multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis. Our technology platform’s “invariant T cells” are manufactured from primary hematopoietic stem cells and engineered with a conserved TCR to enable universal availability for patients. The lead program is API-193, a CD19 CAR gamma delta T cell with membrane-bound IL15, which is currently in studies to enable the initiation of clinical trials. Dr. Kang will also speak to her career path and perspective in combining science and entrepreneurship.
