Cenova was founded by Dr. Jun WU, one of the earliest successful biotechnology entrepreneur in China in 2010. Dr. Wu has since raised five funds in USD and RMB.
After almost fifteen years of life science research experience in United States, Dr. Wu came back to China in 2001 and co-founded Shanghai Genomics, one of the earliest biotech companies in China, and grew it to become one of the most successful biotech companies established by returnees. He was instrumental in completing the successful merger between Shanghai Genomics and GNI Ltd, a series of subsequent fundraising events, and the initial public listing of the merged company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in 2007. Shanghai Genomics (GNI) was the first China biotech listed on a major international stock exchange, to successfully develop a billion-dollar drug (pirfenidone).
In addition to Dr. Wu’s successful entrepreneurial experience in China’s biotechnology and life science sector, he is also an outstanding scientist. He had obtained and successfully completed over thirty government funded research & development projects in China, including major programs under the auspices of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese National Science Foundation, Shanghai municipal and local government. He is a recipient of the prestigious ‘National Outstanding Young Scientist Award’ from the Chinese National Science Foundation. He has also been an adjunct professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University since 2003. He has made important contributions in the field of immuno-oncology and has published over thirty high-quality research papers in professional journals, including Science, Nature, Nature Genetics, and PNAS.
Dr. Wu comes from a prestigious family of physicians, with members over three generations holding leadership positions in the China healthcare sector. He has a Ph.D. from the University of California San Francisco and studied at Fudan Medical School. He has been a long-term advisor to government healthcare policy-makers and is one of the first batch of government backed healthcare investors to facilitate the transformation of China’s healthcare industry.