Jiwu Wang, PhD

Jiwu Wang

FOUNDER of The Scintillon Research Institute

and PROFESSOR

Dr. Wang is the President and CEO and founder of The Scintillon Institute. He earned his BS degree in Biochemistry from Peking University and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California. Since 2012, Scintillon has steadily grown under his leadership to include more than 17 faculty members and their labs working on brain circuitry, blood barriers, and neural disorders; HIV cell therapy; mitochondrial energetics; advanced imaging; and human longevity.  In addition, Scintillon has expanded training for high school and college students (summer SURE program), post-doctoral fellow training for biotech and built an impressive alumni list of successful trainees and incubated companies.

Dr. Wang’s research focuses on pre-mRNA splicing, one of the most important molecular biology mechanisms related to many diseases, including cancer. He is an inventor of more than 10 patents in the fields of RNA interference, imaging, diagnostics, skin protection, and human stem cell production. He is the founder of Allele Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a research-based company specializing in the fields of RNAi, stem cells, viral expression, camelid antibodies, and fluorescent sensors. Dr. Wang helped invent and improve on mRNA reprogramming methods to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as well as established the first US commercial GMP operation for generating and banking iPSC lines through Allele Biotechnology Inc.  Through licensing, Allele’s mRNA technologies have helped leading pharmaceutical companies such as Astellas, Inc to move forward with some of their most advanced cell therapy programs.  Allele has also formed partnerships utilizing mRNA-programmed iPSCs to generate pancreatic beta cells, neural and oligodendrocyte progenitors, lung epithelial cells, MSCs, and NK cells.  Allele has also built a personalized iPSC bank with multiomics data sets, in order to realize the vision that autologous cell therapy can be combined with future healthy aging management. Allele tracks exciting, new, and the most impactful discoveries and develops its own technologies for tool and product development. Its track record over its 23-year history boasts siRNA/shRNA, mNeonGreen, camelid nanoantibodies, mRNA and clinical grade iPSC.