Qiutang Li, Neurophth CSO, Named Top 25 Women Leaders in Biotechnology 2021

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Oct 25, 2021, 09:30 ET

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Neurophth Therapeutics Ltd., ("Neurophth") a fully-integrated genomic medicines company seeking to improve lives through the curative potential of gene therapies, today announced that Qiutang Li, Ph. D., Neurophth's Chief Scientific Officer, has been listed as one of The Top 25 Women Leaders in Biotechnology of 2021 by The Healthcare Technology Report.

Neurophth congratulates its very own Dr. Qiutang Li as well as all the other award winners who have been recognized by The Healthcare Technology Report in their Top 25 Women Leaders in Biotechnology 2021. According to The Healthcare Technology Report, these accomplished women were selected based on hundreds of nominations and comprehensive analysis of professional milestones achieved, longevity in the biotech field and demonstrated domain expertise. They represent a diverse range of positions, specialties, and backgrounds. For more information on The Healthcare Technology Report, please visit the official website at https://thehealthcaretechnologyreport.com/the-top-25-women-leaders-in-biotechnology-of-2021/.

"I am humbled and honored to be included among this list of outstanding women leaders who are boldly changing the future of life science industry, " said Dr. Qiutang Li. "I share this distinction with all my Neurophth female colleagues who come to work each day to share their expertise and insights as we follow the company's vision of 'building a brighter future for patients with innovative gene therapies' and looking forward to lead the team into the successful development of the first China-manufactured AAV ocular gene therapy product globally."

"Congratulations to these exceptional women whose passion for creating medicines of value have led them to consistently achieve and thrive in our ever-evolving life sciences industry," said Dr. Alvin Luk, CEO of Neurophth. "Qiutang, a Chinese female scientist named Top 25 women leaders in Biotechnology of 2021, is an outstanding scientific leader who is leading all R&D efforts in both China and USA to take Neurophth's first product, NR082 for the treatment of ND4-mutated Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, from IND-enabling studies to clinical trial. She also works tirelessly to expand our portfolio pipeline from ocular to extra-ocular diseases".

Dr. Qiutang Li has over 30 years of experience in basic and applied biomedical research with extensive knowledge in gene therapy for hepatic deficiencies, ocular diseases, and viral vector reconstruction. She joins Neurophth from the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where she was a tenured professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences for over 14 years. Throughout her career, Dr. Li has published more than 45 publications in peer-reviewed journals including IOVS, PNAS, Nature Review Immunology, and Science. Dr. Li earned both of her bachelor and master's degrees in Genetics from Peking University, China, and her doctoral degree in Molecular Cell Biology from Washington University, St. Louis.

About Neurophth

Neurophth is China's first gene therapy company for ophthalmic diseases. With subsidiaries in China (Wuhan, Shanghai and Suzhou) and US (San Diego, California), Neurophth, a fully integrated company, is striving to discover and develop genomic medicines for patients suffering from genetic diseases globally. Our validated AAV platform, which has been published in Nature - Scientific Reports, Ophthalmology, and EBioMedicine, has successfully delivered proof-of-concept investigator-initiated trials data of 198 subjects with investigational gene therapies in the retina. Our most advanced investigational candidate, NR082 (NFS-01 project, rAAV2-ND4), in development for the treatment of ND4-mediated LHON, has been granted orphan drug designation (ODD) by the U.S. FDA and its IND evaluating NR082 in a Phase 1/2/3 clinical trial has also been approved by the China NMPA in March 2021 with the first patient being dosed in June 2021. The pipeline also includes ND1-mediated LHON, autosomal dominant optic atrophy, optic neuroprotection (e.g., glaucoma), vascular retinopathy (e.g., diabetic retinopathy), and five other preclinical candidates. Neurophth has initiated the scaling up in-house manufacturing process in single-use technologies to support future commercial demand at the Suzhou facilities. To learn more about us and our growing pipeline, visit www.neurophth.com.