Announcing 2019 CABS K. Fong Award in Life Sciences
Date: Date: June 22, 2019 @ 8:30 am – June 24, 2019 @ 11:30 pm
Location: Online
Announcing 2019 CABS K. Fong Award in Life Sciences
The Chinese American Biopharmaceutical Society (CABS) K. Fong Award Committee is very pleased to announce that JOHN V. OYLER is the winner of the 2019 CABS K. Fong Award in Life Sciences for his entrepreneurship and business leadership to establish BeiGene as a world-class biopharmaceutical company. We will honor Mr. Oyler in the award ceremony at the 21st CABS Annual Meeting of the BioPacific Conference to be held on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at the San Mateo Marriott San Francisco Airport Hotel (1770 South Amphlett Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94402).
Mr. John V. Oyler
John V. Oyler is the Chairman, Co-Founder and CEO of BeiGene. BeiGene is a global, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology cancer therapeutics. Founded originally as a R&D company in 2010 by Mr. Oyler and renowned scientist Dr. Xiaodong Wang, BeiGene is listed on both the NASDAQ and the Hong Kong Exchange. Under Mr. Oyler’s leadership BeiGene has transformed into a global biopharmaceutical company covering the full biopharma value chain, from R&D and clinical development, to manufacturing and commercial operations. The company currently has three late-stage clinical assets with near-term global commercial opportunities and three marketed cancer products licensed in China. The past nine years has seen tremendous growth at BeiGene; today, the company has 10 offices located in four countries and employs more than 2,200 people across the globe. BeiGene truly epitomizes the ongoing integration of China and the U.S. in science and technology, which resonates with the mission we serve at CABS.
From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Oyler served as President and Chief Executive Officer of BioDuro, LLC, a drug discovery outsourcing company, which was acquired by Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc. in 2010. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Oyler served as Chief Executive Officer of Galenea Corp., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery of novel therapies for central nervous system diseases, which initially were developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Oyler was a Founder and the President of Telephia, Inc., which was sold to The Nielsen Company in 2007. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Oyler served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Genta Incorporated (NASDAQ: GNTA), an oncology‑focused biopharmaceutical company. Mr. Oyler began his career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Oyler received his B.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and MBA from Stanford University.
About CABS K. Fong Award in Life Sciences
CABS K. Fong Award in Life Sciences is presented annually to recognize those individuals who make significant contributions in life sciences and biopharmaceutical industry including outstanding scientific findings, recognized efforts in promoting life science education and initiatives in improving life science community, and those who bring therapeutic breakthroughs to the market and improve healthcare and quality of life.
Candidates must be nominated by an active member of CABS. Selection criteria will be based on candidate’s accomplishments in life sciences and contribution to the life science community, including one or all of the following:
- Proven achievements in therapeutic breakthroughs (including discovery, process or clinical development), diagnostics or the research reagent/equipment markets.
- Significant contribution to the promotion of academic and industrial R&D in biomedical sciences and applications.
- Significant contribution to the CABS community and to promoting international collaboration in life sciences.
About Dr. Kenneth Fong
Dr. Kenneth Fong has spent the last 32 years in the biotech industry after completing his academic pursuit in biomedical research.
He is best known for founding the biotech company, Clontech in 1984 where he had cultivated it to be one of the largest biomedical tool companies founded by an Asian American in the US (400 people with 65 PhD scientists). Clontech was sold to Becton Dickinson in 1999 and Ken has continued his career as a Venture capitalist with Kenson Ventures that he founded. He has since cultivated more than 10 highly successful entrepreneurs, advising them and working with them on the growth of their companies.
Currently, he sits on the board of 4 biotech companies and he was intimately involved with the M/A and IPO of more than 10 companies that are worth north of $3 billion. These companies range from research tools, medical diagnostics and drug development. In almost all cases, Dr. Fong has been instrumental in providing strategies for sustainable growth, value creation and liquidity. Those successful entrepreneurs have moved on to assume leadership in other start-up and mid-sized companies, which in turn leads to a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Ken has held a number of leadership positions over the years. He served as the President of the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in North America (2006-07) and President of the Bay Area Asian American Manufacturers’ Association (AAMA, 1987). He was also the member of the Board of Trustees of the California State University System (2006-13). His philanthropic interests include scholarships to San Francisco State University, the Kenneth Fong-Hearst endowed scholarships to the CSU system and 40 student scholarships to Peking University. In 2006, he was involved with establishing the Fong Optometry and Medical library at UC Berkeley, and more recently an endowed professorship at Stanford University and a technology translation endowed fund at San Francisco State University.
Ken obtained his PhD from Indiana University and his BS from San Francisco State University.
Past recipients of CABS K. Fong Awards
2018: Dr. Yuling Luo, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Alamar Biosciences, and Dr. Guoliang Yu, Executive Chairman of Crown Bioscience, for their successful serial entrepreneurship in the life science business.
2017: Dr. Yinxiang Wang, Co-founder and CSO of Beta Pharma, for his role in leading development and commercialization of Conmana®, the first small molecule oncology drug specifically targeting cancer cells that is completely developed in China, and Dr. Edgar Engleman, for his pioneering research that was the basis of the Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) prostate cancer vaccine, the first active immunotherapy for cancer to be approved by the FDA.
2016: Dr. Gerald Chen, co-founder of Morningside, for his extraordinary vision and leadership in cultivating a generation of successful entrepreneurs and life sciences companies.
2015: Dr. Irving Weissman, of Stanford University, for his pioneering research in stem cell research.
2014: Dr. Ge Li, Founder and CEO of Wuxi Apptec, for creating and shaping the CRO business model in China and Dr. Hing L. Sham, formerly of Abbott for his leading role in the discovery of life- saving HIV protease inhibitors, ritonavir and Iopinavir.
2013: Dr. Peter Hirth, Plexxikon & Sugen for his pivotal role in advancing 4 successful drugs to the market and Dr. Jean Cui, formerly of Pfizer for her role as the lead designer and investigator of crizotinib, a successful kinase inhibiting drug used in personalized medicine.