LinKinVax, a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the treatment of infectious diseases and certain forms of cancer, announces the appointment of Dr. Jiong Ma as an independent board member.
“As we enter the clinical stages of a number of drug candidates (HPV, Covid) resulting from our innovative vaccine platform, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Jiong Ma as an addition to our board. With a longstanding focus on the financing and growth of high-tech businesses, her role will be to support us in our platform development strategy and to help us achieve our ambitions on a global scale. Dr. Jiong Ma benefits from the in-depth experience of very high value-added innovative industries and will provide her extensive knowledge of international markets, in particular the North American and Asian markets, as well as her investment and business development network,” comments André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, Chairman and Co-Founder of LinKinVax.
“It is an honor to be joining the LinKinVax board,” states Dr. Jiong Ma. “By putting the emphasis on infectious diseases and certain forms of cancer, LinKinVax uses its innovative technology to tackle the biggest health issues facing our society today and in decades to come. I am impressed by the extent of LinKinVax’s pipeline and the advances it has made. I cannot wait to put forward my ideas to help the Company achieve the next stages in its growth.”
Dr. Jiong Ma brings over 25 years of experience in investing, building, and scaling technology companies. Based in the United States, she served as a Senior Partner and a member of the investment committee at Braemar Energy Ventures, leading investments in resource efficiency, e-mobility, industrial digitalization, renewable energy, and deep tech.
She is the founder and board of directors of Chavant Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: CLAY). Ms. Ma serves on the boards of Solid Energy Systems (NYSE: SES), and Anavex Life Sciences Corporation (Nasdaq: AVXL). In addition, she is an advisory board member for National Renewable Energy Labs.
Previously, Jiong was an investment professional at 3i, a global private equity firm, where she led investments in technology and media, digital health, and cleantech. Jiang held several senior positions at Lucent Technologies and Bell Labs, responsible for product portfolio strategy, new product launches, and research and product development.
Dr. Ma holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MS in Electrical Engineering from Worchester Polytechnic Institute, and a BS in Physics and Electrical Engineering from Lanzhou University in China. She is also a Kauffman Fellow.
Thanks to the potential of its technology platform and the advances in its portfolio, LinKinVax aims to make a decisive contribution to the global public health challenges of infectious diseases and cancer.
About LinKinVax technology
LinKinVax’s vaccine platform is built around a humanized monoclonal antibody, which is merged with regions of pathogens of interest, targeting the CD40 molecule expressed by dendritic cells, DC, which plays a key role in stimulating the immune system. The results obtained demonstrate the benefits of this strategy owing to the small number of antigens required to activate the immune system, with or without an adjuvant, and its ability to trigger a lasting cellular and humoral immune response. The platform also benefits from the experience and safety profile of the protein-based vaccines that have been widely used for over 30 years now.
Three products are in or about to enter clinical trials: a prophylactic vaccine for HIV, currently in phase I led by Inserm/ANRS-EID), a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine covering variants of interest and a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus-related cancers.
