Institute for Protein Innovation Appoints Wei Yang, PhD as Director of Target Discovery and Sharon Klein as Director of Philanthropy
BOSTON, June 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Institute for Protein Innovation (IPI), a non-profit research organization focused on empowering research in protein science and developing open-source monoclonal antibodies, announced today the appointments of Wei Yang, PhD as Director of Target Discovery and Sharon Klein as Director of Philanthropy. In his new role, Dr. Yang will develop an innovative receptor-ligand de-orphaning platform that will be central to IPI's efforts in identifying new protein therapeutic targets. Notably, the platform will leverage the existing protein production and antibody discovery pipelines at IPI. Ms. Klein will direct IPI's fundraising efforts and raise broader awareness of IPI's mission in her new role as Director of Philanthropy.
Previously, Dr. Yang served as Director of Molecular Biology at Novo Nordisk Research Centre China. There, he spearheaded orphan receptor-ligand pair discovery efforts that identified the receptors for GDF15 and VISTA, which are novel therapeutic targets for obesity and cancer, respectively.
Ms. Klein joins the IPI team with extensive philanthropy and development experience developed over nearly 20 years at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As Executive Director of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapters, Ms. Klein managed operations, oversaw successful fundraising campaigns focused on large six-figure gifts, and promoted growth in corporate sponsorship, special events, donor development, and mission initiatives.
"We are fortunate to have Wei and Sharon join the IPI team as both have remarkable track records," said President Steven Almo, PhD. "The receptor-ligand de-orphaning platform being developed by Wei adds an exciting new dimension to IPI that will fuel scientific discoveries and uncover new druggable proteins across many fields, including immuno-oncology and neurobiology. Sharon's wealth of fundraising and development experience will be instrumental in securing philanthropic gifts that support our mission and strengthen our capabilities."
These appointments follow last month's unveiling of IPI's new 12,000 sq. ft. lab and office facility located in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. The new facility allows IPI to operate at higher capacity to support the rapid development of open-source antibodies to the ~6000 extracellular and secreted proteins in the human proteome.
About IPI
IPI is a non-profit research organization whose mission is to foster innovation in protein research and bridge the missing link between genomics and therapeutics. IPI has built a high-throughput antibody discovery platform for developing open-source antibodies targeting the entire human extracellular proteome. This resource will produce critical tools, lead therapeutics, and technologies that empower academic and industry scientists, catalyze entrepreneurship, and accelerate drug discovery.
Contact: [email protected]
SOURCE Institute for Protein Innovation
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