As a scientist at heart with a strong passion for improving human health, Dr. Rui Zhang founded XGen with the goal of democratizing LNP technology and accelerating the development of nucleic acid therapeutics.

As an LNP expert who began working on the technology long before it became widely recognized, Rui deeply understands the challenges associated with its applications. At XGen, Rui and his team are developing advanced tools to address some of the most scientifically challenging problems faced by their customers. Rui believes the LNP mixing technology developed at XGen will support researchers at all stages, from discovery to GMP, ultimately helping to create better medicines for patients in need.

Rui earned his PhD at the University of Missouri and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He previously held leadership positions at Spark Therapeutics (acquired by Roche) and Tessera Therapeutics. Rui is the author of over 15 publications in RNA therapeutics, gene delivery, and immuno-oncology, and he is listed as an inventor on more than 15 patent applications. Several of his inventions have been licensed to biotech and pharmaceutical companies for applications in LNP and gene therapy.

Dr. Zhenghong Gao is a distinguished scientist and strategic leader with over 15 years of experience in biomedical research and drug development. He specializes in precision delivery technologies (nanoparticle etc.) for large molecules like RNA, DNA, peptides, and conjugates, focusing on developing breakthrough therapeutics for diseases in the areas, such as central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and urinary tract, etc.

Dr. Gao has held leadership roles at Bayer’s AskBio, Michigan Medicine, and several Biotech Startups, contributing to multiple innovation and flagship strategic collaboration programs with leading industry partners, Investigational New Drug (IND) applications and First-In-Human (FIH) clinical trials. He has received multiple awards, including the Therapeutic Idea Award for ALS from the Department of Defense.

Dr. Gao has published over 40 articles in journals including Nature Nano, JACS and ACS Nano etc. He is a keynote speaker at various forums. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo and trained at leading institutions like CNRS. Previously, he was a Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center.