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Leadership Team

UPPTHERA works to enhance the health of people worldwide as well as in local communities by conducting research on cures for difficult-to-treat conditions such as rare diseases and cancer that currently have no cure.

The management team of UPPTHERA possesses extensive experience across the entire process of new drug development, coupled with hands-on expertise in various drug modalities. Likewise, each team consists of insightful experts in new drug development, alongside professionals in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Management Team

Co-Founder, CEO
Siwoo Choi

Ph.D.

  • CEO of UPPTHERA
  • Ph.D in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University
  • Former Technology Assessment Team at Celltrion, Inc.

Co-Founder, Platform CTO
SooHee Ryu

Ph.D.

  • Platform research group, Group leader (Platform CTO)
  • Ph.D in Biological Sciences, KAIST
  • Former Innovative New Medicine Team at Celltrion, Inc.

Co-Founder, CSO
JiHoon Ryu

Ph.D.

  • Discovery Center, Center director (CSO)
  • Ph.D in Biological Sciences, Seoul National University
  • Former Technology Assessment Team at Celltrion, Inc.

Co-Founder, CDO
HwaJin Lee

Ph.D.

  • Development Center, Center director (CDO)
  • Ph.D in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
  • Current assistant professor at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine (Concurrent position)
  • Former Product Planning Team / Innovative New Medicine Team at Celltrion, Inc.

Co-Founder, CBO
SanHa Son

M.S.

  • Business development group, Group leader (CBO)
  • M.S. in Industrial and Management of technology, POSTECH(Pohang University of Sicence and Technology)
  • Ph.D (Completed course) in Management of technology, Sungkyunkwan University
  • Former Product Planning Team / Patent Strategy Team at Celltrion, Inc.

CFO
HyunSeung Shim

B.S.

  • Business management group, Group leader (CFO)
  • B.S. in Physics, Chung-Ang University
  • Former IR/PR Group leader at ToolGen Inc.(IPO leading)
  • Former Financial Planning & IR team at TES

Director, Head of Biology Research
SeongHoon Kim

Ph.D.

  • Pipeline research group, Group leader (director)
  • Ph.D. in Life Sciences, Pohang University of Sicence and Technology
  • Former New Antibody Medicine Team at Celltrion, Inc.

Director, Head of Non-clinical Research
YeonJeong Song

M.S.

  • Non-clinical research group, Group leader (Director)
  • M.S. in Department of Food Engineering, Chung-Ang University
  • Former Pharmacotoxicity Team leader at HanAll Biopharma
  • Former Medicine Assessment Team, Toxicity Part Leader at Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Director
NaYeong Lee

Ph.D.

  • Strategy Development Group, Group leader (director)
  • Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Seoul National University
  • Former associate researcher at Chung-Ang University of Pharmacy

Board of directors

In-house Director

CEO, Co-Founder

Ph.D.

Siwoo Choi

  • Ph.D in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University
  • Former Technology Assessment Team at Celltrion, Inc.

Platform CTO, Co-Founder

Ph.D.

SooHee Ryu

  • Ph.D in Biological Sciences, KAIST
  • Former Innovative New Medicine Team at Celltrion, Inc.

CFO

B.D.

HyunSeung Shim

  • Business management group, Group leader (CFO)
  • B.S. in Physics, Chung-Ang University
  • Former IR/PR Group leader at ToolGen Inc.(IPO leading)
  • Former Financial Planning & IR team at TES

Outside Director

Other non-executive directors

M.S.

Aleum Lee

  • Current Executive director at IMM Investment
  • Former Bio-pharma research committee member at Hana Financial Group
  • M.S. in Department of Pharmacy, Seoul National University
  • B.S. in Department of Pharmacy, Seoul National University

Other non-executive directors

Ph.D.

SiHyoung Park

  • Current Director, Head of Venture Investment Division IV at SBI Investment KOREA
  • Former Bio-pharma senior research committee member at CGS-CIMB Securities International Pte. Ltd.
  • Bio-pharma research committee member at IBK Securities Co., Ltd.
  • Ph.D. in Department of Systems Biology, Yonsei University
  • B.S. in Department of Systems Biology, Yonsei University

Other non-executive directors

Ph.D.

Yi LIN

  • Current YuanBio, Managing Partner
  • Executive Director, Riverhead Capital(Beijing)
  • Managing Director, KIP(Shanghai)
  • MBA, Chicago univ.
  • Ph.D. Molecular Biology, Columbia univ.
  • B.S. Biochemistry, Peking univ.

Non-executive directors

Ph.D.

ChulKee Park

  • Current Seoul National University Hospital Brain Tumor Center director
  • Current professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery
  • M.D. at Seoul National University College of Medicine
  • M.S. and Ph.D. at Seoul National University College of Medicine / Current research professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Non-executive directors

M.S.

JaeJune Yang

  • Current Yulchon LLC, Partner lawyer
  • Former Government Attorney, Legal Professional & Litigation Division of the Ministry of Justice
  • Former Government Attorney, Korean Legal Aid Corporation, Ulsan Branch
  • M.S. Seoul National University, LL.B.
  • Judicial Research and Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea
  • Seoul National University, M.A. candidate in Law (Coursework complete)

Audit

M.S.

Young Cha

  • Current Samdo Accounting Firm, Accountant
  • Former Orix Capital
  • Former KPMG Samjong Accounting Corp
  • M.S. Dongguk University Tax Accounting Department