HuidaGene Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Dr. Xin Zhang as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Medical Officer to Further Strengthen the Management Team

SHANGHAI and CLINTON (NJ), September 9, 2024 - HuidaGene Therapeutics (“HuidaGene”), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company developing potentially curative genomic medicines, today announced the appointment of Xin Zhang, MD., MSc. as Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Zhang will oversee the day-to-day operational management, product pipeline strategic planning and project management, and clinical medical affairs of the company.

HuidaGene COO & CMO

Xin Zhang, MD., MSc.

Dr. Zhang holds a Master’s in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), and a Bachelor’s in Medicine from the Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences at Jilin, where he practiced three years as a general surgeon. With a career spanning over 30 years, Dr. Zhang has held key positions in several global organizations and institutions, including Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PointLoma Biosciences, Board of Director, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Operations Officer at Wuhan Neurophth Biotechnology, and Vice President of Global Clinical Medical and Affairs at Shanghai Henlius. He brings extensive experience in drug development from discovery to clinical development from his tenures at internationally renowned companies such as Merck, Bayer, Biogen and institutions such as the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Under Dr. Zhang’s leadership, seven products have successfully obtained marketing approvals in China, the U.S., and Europe. His professional expertise covers the full lifecycle of biomedical research and drug development in both the United States and China.

Professor Hui Yang, Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of HuidaGene, remarked: 

“We are honored to welcome Xin Zhang as our Chief Operations Officer and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Zhang is a distinguished leader with both strategic and operational expertise and a global perspective. He has severed several global and domestic companies and achieved outstanding results. We believe that Dr. Xin Zhang’s joining will be a key enabler for the company’s development, accelerating the translation of our pipeline into tangible outcomes and creating greater value for society.”

Dr. Alvin Luk, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HuidaGene, added: 

“We warmly welcome Xin Zhang to join the HuidaGene family. Xin and I have been the ‘golden partners’ for 18 years since Bayer's time. His extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical sectors of China and the United States and his strategic research acumen, will infuse new energy into the company. We look forward to him accelerating the clinical translation of our strategic pipeline, providing strategic guidance and clinical support for our global layout and sustainable development.”

Dr. Xin Zhang stated: 

“I’m honored to be a member of the HuidaGene family, a dynamic and innovative biotech company. Providing safe and effective gene-editing therapies for patients worldwide is my driving force, and HuidaGene is at the forefront of gene-editing technology internationally. I look forward to working with this outstanding team to promote the company’s strategic goals, accelerate the development pipeline, and bring China’s innovative gene therapies to patients worldwide, meeting urgent medical needs.”

About HuidaGene

HuidaGene utilizes its proprietary CRISPR-based HG-PRECISE® platform to discover, engineer, and develop genomic medicine. The Company is advancing clinical programs of HG004 in RPE65-associated inherited retinal disease (granted ODD and RPDD by FDA), which is currently in the first-in-human ‘LIGHT’ trial (NCT06088992) and Phase 1/2 international, material-protocol ‘STAR’ clinical trial (NCT05906953) as well as CRISPR RNA-editing therapy of HG202 in neovascular age-related macular degeneration first-in-human ‘SIGHT-I’ trial (NCT06031727), and the preclinical pipeline, including HG204 CRISPR RNA-editing in neurodevelopmental disease of MECP2 duplication syndrome (granted ODD and RPDD by FDA and ODD by EMA), HG302 CRISPR DNA-editing for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (granted ODD and RPDD by FDA), HG303 CRISPR DNA-editing for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and CRISPR RNA-editing therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. HuidaGene’s extensive intellectual property portfolio positions it as a leader in unleashing the full potential of genome medicines for neurology and ophthalmology. Learn more at huidagene.com or on LinkedIn.