AI-Powered Drug Design for Engineered T cell therapy in Solid Tumors

About SYNLICO

We are integrating three distinct while trending fields of biology:artificial intelligence, single-cell bioinformatics, and cell therapy.

Synlico aims to revolutionize biology by integrating causality, thereby making cellular processes quantitatively explainable, predictable and engineerable. Specializing in AI-driven drug discovery, our mission is to innovate engineered cell therapies for solid tumors and various diseases. Utilizing the latest in single-cell bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, our team is crafting a computational platform, which distinguishes itself by identifying causal links between intracellular activities of (T) cells and their responses in the (tumor) microenvironment, predicting how cell modulation alters its behavior in patients.

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Science

KeyProblems

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Disconnectionof drug design with disease microenvironment heterogeneity and complexity

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Discrepancybetween in-vitro & animal results with patients’ response

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Trial and errorscreening-based drug discovery process for T cell therapy

Thus far, there have been FEW impressive results from the use of CAR T cells in solid tumors, even though many companies are actively engaged in its R&D.

OurSolution

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A targeted drug design strategy that focuses on patients’ TME heterogeneity and shared patterns

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A prediction-based drug design platform that identifies the causal effects of gene interventions and cell behaviors in patients

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An integrated, multi-scale approach that considers the synergistic effects of multiple factors and enables T cell design targeting multiple TME patterns

TEAM

We are a team of Innovation and Passion

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Jingwei (Gavin) Lu, Ph.D.

Founder & CEO

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Jingwei Lu, Ph.D.

With a strong background in the engineered T cell therapy industry, Dr. Jingwei Lu has proven to be a leading innovator in both R&D and business development. Before starting Synlico Inc, Dr. Lu was a key player in the R&D department at Eureka Therapeutics, where he played a crucial role in developing the next generation of engineered T cell platforms. His impressive portfolio includes total over 50 patents (include pending) worldwide in engineered T cell therapy. These include 6 US patents (4 granted) as the first inventor on engineered T cell therapy platform technology, as well as 2 US patents (1 granted) as a co-inventor. These patents showcase Dr. Lu’s expertise in the field. In addition to his research contributions, Dr. Lu has also led Eureka’s efforts on technology and market analysis and corporate external cooperation at the Strategic Alliances department. Dr. Lu has been an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) since 2014.

Dr. Lu holds a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the Ohio State University and a B.S. in Physics from Peking University, China.

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Xiuping Li, CPA

Principal Advisor - Corporate Finance

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Xiuping Li, CPA

Ms. Xiuping Li is a driving force behind our financial strategy and operations. With years of experience in SOX compliance, risk assessment and control, internal auditing, and consulting, Ms. Li has a track record of success in leading key projects and helping clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, reach their financial goals. Ms. Li has been a Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) in the US since 2016. With her wealth of experience, Ms. Li is a invaluable asset to our team and a key player in driving our success.

Ms. Li holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the Ohio State University.

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Shiling (Linda) Guo, M.A.

Finance and Investor Relations

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Shiling Guo, M.A.

With 15 years of financial services, due diligence, and operations management experience, Ms. Shiling Guo is a seasoned professional with a strong background in the industry. Prior to joining Synlico, Ms. Guo served as the Head of Retail Banking Customer Due Diligence at Standard Chartered Global Business Services Co., where she championed business migration projects and led the team to perform post-transaction due diligence investigations. Before that, Ms. Guo held the position of Operations Manager at HSBC, overseeing the delivery of financial services in four cities. Her extensive experience makes her a valuable asset to our team.

Ms. Guo holds M.A. in Financial Integrity from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, L.L.B. in International Business Law and B.A. in English for International Business Management from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.

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Aaron Wong, Ph.D.

Scientist - Bioinformatics, Single Cell

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Aaron Wong, Ph.D.

Dr. Aaron Wong is a highly accomplished scientist with strong background in bioinformatics and single cell transcriptomics especially in lung research. He received his Ph.D under the guidance of renowned researcher Dr. Mingyao Liu at the University of Toronto, where he developed the world first catalog of donor and recipient cell-type specific responses to injury during transplantation at single cell level. Dr. Wong has also developed innovative techniques such as the world first hypothermic dissociation protocol for adult human lung tissue. Dr. Wong has made significant contributions to the field through his numerous publications in leading journals in the field, including European Respiratory Journal, The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, etc.

Dr. Wong holds a Ph.D. in Computational Biology from University of Toronto and a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Genetics with honors from McMaster University in Canada.

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Tunc Morova, Ph.D.

Data Scientist - Bioinformatics

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Tunc Morova, Ph.D.

Dr. Tunc Morova has over 7 years of field experience in bioinformatics and data science, with an excellent track record of publications in high impact journals. He received his Ph.D under joined guidance of Professor Faraz Hach and Nathan Lack at Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada, where he designed a novel variant-aware version of STARRseq method and created the first functional map of Anderogen Receptor enhancers using STARRseq experimental method. Dr. Morova has strong experience in developing scalable and streamlined pipelines to process various bioinformatics data. He has made significant contributions to the field through his numerous publications in leading journals in the field including Nucleic Acid Research, Nature Communications, etc.

Dr. Morova holds a Ph.D in bioinformatics from University of British Columbia, Canada, an M.S. in Biomedical Science and Engineering from Koc University, Turkey, and a B.S. in Bioengineering from Marmara University, Turkey.

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Amin Jaber, Ph.D.

Machine Learning Scientist

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Amin Jaber, Ph.D.

Dr. Amin Jaber is a distinguished researcher in the field of causal inference. Under the guidance of the eminent Professor Elias Bareinboim at Purdue University, Dr. Jaber has addressed and resolved several fundamental problems within the field of causal inference and causal discovery. He is an expert on developing the theoretical foundations, tools, and algorithms necessary for drawing causal conclusions from both observational and experimental data in an automated manner. With a strong background in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Cognitive Science, Dr. Jaber’s extraordinary work has been published in premier artificial intelligence and machine learning venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, UAI, and IJCAI, and awarded the 2019 UAI Best Student Paper Award.

Dr. Amin Jaber holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Purdue University, USA, and an M.E. and a B.E. in electrical and computer engineering from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

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Jérôme Rony, Ph.D.

Machine Learning Scientist

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Jérôme Rony, Ph.D.

Dr. Jérôme Rony is a machine learning expert focusing on optimization methods in the context of deep learning. Under the supervision of Professor Ismail Ben Ayed, Dr. Rony has demonstrated the feasibility of solving complex constrained problems involving neural networks with great accuracy and efficiency. His research plays a crucial role in improving the performance of AI models. Dr. Rony’s work has been widely recognized and cited in the community, and published in top-tier artificial intelligence and machine learning venues including CVPR, ECCV, and ICCV. 

Dr. Jérôme Rony holds a Ph.D. in computer science and a M.A.Sc in system engineering from ÉTS Montréal, Canada as well as an industrial and mechanical master of engineering degree from Arts et Métiers ParisTech, France.

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Zhongwen (Rex) Zhang, Ph.D.

Machine Learning Scientist

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Zhongwen Zhang, Ph.D.

Dr. Zhongwen is an exceptional expert on the design and optimization of objectives integrating priors (incorporation of prior knowledge) in the context of deep clustering and weakly supervised segmentation. Under the mentorship of esteemed professor Yuri Boykov, Zhongwen has made significant strides in enhancing both the theoretical foundations and practical applications within this domain. His research has largely reduced the reliance on extensive human annotations by crafting innovative objectives that seamlessly integrate priors. His work has been published in top-tier AI conferences and journals like CVPR (2), ECCV (2, submitted) and TPAMI (submitted).

Dr. Zhongwen Zhang holds a Ph.D. in computer science from University of Waterloo, Canada, and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from Western University, Canada, as well as B.Eng in Biomedical Engineering from Zhejiang University, China.

Synlico Inc. is a resident company of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, a premier life science incubator program. JLABS is a global network of open innovation ecosystems, enabling and empowering innovators to create and accelerate the delivery of life-enhancing health and wellness solutions to patients around the world. As a leader in innovation, JLABS helps pharmaceutical and medical technology entrepreneurs bring healthcare solutions to patients and consumers.

Career

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We welcome scientists with strong academic backgrounds regardless of industry experience to join our team to make a difference and change the current status quo.

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