Dr. Sha Ha recently worked at IGM Biosciences as VP of CMC. Before joining IGM, she was the director of
Vaccine Process Development and Commercialization at Merck. She managed Phase 3 process characterization,
tech transferring to CMOs, manufacturing facility design, and process
validation for live virus vaccines. In her 15 years at Merck, she has worked on
biologics and vaccines for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Chikungunya, Dengue,
Ebola, Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Her efforts in
formulation, process, and analysis have directly contributed to the filing,
approval, and sustainable manufacturing of GARDASIL®9, VAXNEUVANCE®, and
ERVEBO®. Before Merck, she was a research scientist in antibody discovery at
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals for six years. She received her Ph.D. in
Chemistry from Princeton University in 2001 and her B.S. from Peking University
in 1996.
Dr. Jason Botten is a
Professor of Medicine at the Immunobiology Unit, Department of Medicine,
University of Vermont (since 2021). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of
In New Mexico in 2000, he started his Post-doctoral research there. In 2002–2005,
he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI),
and later as an Assistant Professor. In 2008, he moved to the University of
Vermont and worked as an Assistant Professor. he is a member of the American
Society of Microbiology, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene,
American Society of Virology. His research focuses on host-pathogen
interactions among pathogenic RNA viruses (e.g., arenaviruses, hantaviruses, and
flaviviruses) and their incidental human hosts and natural animal or insect
reservoirs. The major goals of his research program are to (i) discover key
virus-host interactions that are essential for the virus and/or can be targeted
for the development of therapeutics and vaccines, (ii) define the natural history
of the human T and B cell responses to these pathogens and determine their
contribution to protective immunity and/or immunopathologic disease, (iii)
develop new cutting-edge assays and reagents for the field, and (iv) translate
our most promising discoveries in therapeutics and vaccines.
Dr. Kai Xu is an
Associate Professor at the IMM-Texas Therapeutics Institute and the Director of
the Structural Biology Core. He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University
Medical College under the mentorship of Dr. Dimitar Nikolov, where he specialized
in the structural analysis of proteins involved in neuronal development and
degenerative diseases. Following his doctoral studies, he pursued a
postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Kwong at the Vaccine
Research Center, delving into structure-based protein engineering and vaccine
design. In 2020, he joined The Ohio State University as a tenure-track
assistant professor. His innovative contributions to the field led to his
recruitment to the Texas Therapeutic Institute at UTHealth Houston in 2023. His
lab uses an interdisciplinary approach that integrates virology, immunology,
structural biology, and biochemistry to design and develop effective vaccines
and antibody therapeutics against a spectrum of viral pathogens and diseases, including
HIV, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, lyssavirus, henipavirus, and norovirus.
Dr. Ningyan Zhang is a professor at the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School, the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) in Houston. She received her Ph.D. in plant biochemistry/molecular biology from the University of Kentucky in 1992. She had her postdoctoral training in protein biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Following her postdoctoral training, she started her career in the pharmaceutical industry and worked on protein engineering and therapeutic antibody drug discovery research. Dr. Zhang was recruited as a Texas ETF (Emerging Technology Fund) Scholar and joined the Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) at UTHealth Houston in 2010. Since joining UTHealth, she has continued pursuing her interest in translational research with a focus on the evaluation of new cancer targets and the development of platform technologies for therapeutic antibody discovery in the academic setting. She is also the Co-Director of the CPRIT Therapeutic Antibody Core. She manages collaborative projects and communicates with outside collaborators from many research institutions, including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Balor College of Medicine, and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The Antibody Core currently has more than 10 active collaborative projects with a focus on the discovery of therapeutic antibodies targeting various cancer types.
Dr. William Strohl
has served as a member of IGM Biosciences (United States)’s board of directors
since August 2018. In August 2016, he founded BiStro Biotech Consulting, a
biotechnology consulting company, of which he also serves as President. From
From February 2016 to August 2016, he served as Vice President and Biologics Fellow
at Janssen BioTherapeutics, the therapeutic biologics organization within the
Janssen Research & Development division of Johnson & Johnson, a
multinational medical devices and pharmaceutical company, and served as its
Vice President and Head from October 2013 to February 2016. Before that, from
From April 2008 to October 2013, he served as Head of Antibody Discovery at Janssen
BioTherapeutics. Dr. Strohl has also held various roles at Merck, including
leading Natural Products Biology and Biologics discovery efforts. From 1980 to
1997, Dr. Strohl was promoted from Assistant to Full Professor in the
Department of Microbiology and the Program of Biochemistry at Ohio State
University. Dr. Strohl received a B.S. in Biology from Central Michigan
University and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Louisiana State University.
Dr. John Shiver is a Special Advisor for F-Prime Capital and is also the Chief Strategy Officer at IGM ID, a wholly-owned subsidiary of IGM Biosciences. Dr. John Shiver holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Biophysics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. Before joining IGM ID, Dr. John Shiver was the SVP and Global Head of Vaccines R&D and a member of the Executive Leadership team for eight years at Sanofi Pasteur, the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines. He previously spent 22 years at Merck & CO, where he held a series of senior leadership positions, with his last position being VP and Head of Vaccines and Biologics Research. Dr. John Shiver is a recognized expert and industry leader in vaccine and pharmaceutical research and development. Dr. John Shiver is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the International Society of Vaccines (ISV) and a member of multiple advisory boards, including the Board of Directors for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), Board of Directors for Icosavax, and previously, the Executive Board of the International Society for Vaccines. He has also served on journal editorial boards, including Nature Partner Journals Vaccines and the Journal of Virology.
Dr. Tong-Ming Fu is currently a Chief Scientific Officer of IGM Infectious Diseases at IGM Biosciences, Inc., bringing experience from previous roles at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Sanofi Pasteur, and Merck. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine at the Peking University Health Science Center in 1987, and then he holds a 1989 - 1995 Doctor of Philosophy - PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at Penn State University. With a robust skill set that includes Drug Development, Drug Discovery, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, and more, Tong-Ming Fu contributes valuable insights to the industry. His skills and research interests include Drug Development, Drug Discovery, Molecular Biology, Pharmaceutical Industry, Cell Culture, and Vaccines.
