Se-Jin Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Joins Scientific Advisory Board Of Alivegen USA, Inc.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AliveGen USA, Inc. (“AliveGen”), a biotechnology company developing the next-generation biotherapeutics to treat muscle wasting and bone fragility associated with neuromuscular disease, cancer, and aging, today announced the appointment of Se-Jin Lee, M.D., Ph.D., world-leading expert on TGF-beta family biology and discoverer of myostatin, to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Se-Jin Lee, Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, to AliveGen’s distinguished SAB. Se-Jin’s deep insight into TGF-beta family biology and muscle growth regulation makes him a valuable addition to our SAB,” said HQ Han, M.D., Ph.D., founder and CEO of AliveGen. “Se-Jin’s research has uncovered the important roles of many members of the TGF-beta family in physiology and pathogenesis and his seminal discovery of myostatin has opened up a whole new field for combatting muscle disorders. I look forward to working with Se-Jin as we continue to advance our innovative next-generation molecules toward clinical development.”

“We are delighted to have Se-Jin join our scientific advisory team for AliveGen,” said Alfred Goldberg, Ph.D., Professor at Harvard Medical School and co-chair of AliveGen’s SAB. “Having Se-Jin’s unique expertise as part of the SAB will certainly be very valuable and we look forward to working with him.”

“I am excited to join the AliveGen SAB,” said Se-Jin Lee, M.D., Ph.D. “The Company’s novel next-generation clinical candidates have promising potential to address the tremendous unmet medical needs for a wide range of grievous illnesses. I look forward to working with the advisory team to support AliveGen’s endeavors.”

Lee obtained his A.B. summa cum laude in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College in 1981. He then entered the Medical Scientist Training Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he pursued his graduate studies with Dr. Daniel Nathans in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. After obtaining his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in 1989, Lee joined the Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Department of Embryology as a Staff Associate, where he initiated his studies investigating the role of secreted proteins in regulating embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. Lee returned to the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins as a faculty member in 1991 and achieved the rank of Professor in 2001. In 2013, Lee was named as the inaugural recipient of the Michael and Ann Hankin and Partners of Brown Advisory Professorship in Scientific Innovation. In 2017, Lee moved his research program to Connecticut, where he holds a joint appointment as Presidential Distinguished Professor at University of Connecticut and Professor at The Jackson Laboratory. Lee is best known for his discovery of myostatin as a master regulator of skeletal muscle mass. In recognition of this work, Lee was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2012 and was awarded the Rolf Luft Award and the Ho-Am Prize in Medicine in 2013. Lee was elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2015.

AliveGen’s existing SAB members include Alfred Goldberg, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, David Lacey, M.D., Pharmaceutical Consultant and former SVP and Head of Discovery Research at Amgen, and Willard Dere, M.D., FACP, Professor of Medicine at University of Utah School of Medicine and former SVP and Chief Medical Officer at Amgen.

About AliveGen

AliveGen USA, Inc. is a privately held preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in Thousand Oaks, California. The Company focuses on the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics to treat the debilitating muscle and bone loss and the loss of functional capacity, as occurs in various neuromuscular diseases, cancer cachexia, congestive heart failure, renal failure, and age-related frailty, as well as in other chronic diseases, for which no approved therapies are currently available. The Company’s mission is to improve the care and quality of life of patients by delivering innovative therapies that are both highly effective and safe. The Company is developing a pipeline of novel next-generation clinical candidates, including ALG-801 and ALG-802, using cutting-edge biology and protein science.