Sonny Hsiao

CEO & CSO
Acepodia, Inc.

Dr. Hsiao is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Acepodia, Inc., a leading biotech company. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from National Taiwan University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Molecular Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
With over 16 years of experience in biotechnology and academia, Dr. Hsiao has specialized in oncology, cell therapies, and immuno-oncology. He has made significant advancements in immune cell therapies, discovering Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) technology and inventing Antibody-Cell Conjugation Effectors (ACE), a novel cellular immunotherapy.
Dr. Hsiao has successfully translated R&D candidates into clinical phase. He notably advanced a cell therapy drug candidate from his Berkeley research to IND approval and clinical trials in the United States and Taiwan. His expertise includes gamma delta T cell therapy, antibody-cell conjugates, adoptive/CAR cell therapies (including donor-derived & cell line approaches) and T cell engagers.
As a leader, Dr. Hsiao has excelled in guiding teams through the drug development process, from discovery to IND filing, patent applications, safety evaluations, PK/PD studies, chemistry, CMC, regulatory, and early-phase clinical trials. Experience in working in a fast-paced environment, including chairing high-level company committees responsible for making go or no-go decisions.
Dr. Hsiao's contributions are reflected in his numerous publications and worldwide patent applications and issued patents. His leadership and scientific expertise continue to drive Acepodia, Inc. toward groundbreaking advancements in cellular immunotherapy, positioning the company at the forefront of biotech innovation.

 

Speech title & Synopsis

Startup of the Year

Acepodia was spun-off from Professor Carolyn Bertozzi 's lab who won the 2022 Nobel Prize for Chemistry and founded in 2017 by Dr. Patrick Y. Yang, former EVP of Juno Therapeutics, Roche and Genentech, and by Dr. Sonny Hsiao, UC Berkeley cell biologist and inventor of Acepodia’s core technology. Acepodia is a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing innovative, highly effective cell therapies to treat cancers.
Acepodia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) platform technology to address gaps in cancer care. Leveraging its ACC technology, the company links tumor-targeting antibodies to its proprietary immune cells, such as natural killer and gamma delta T cells to create novel ACE therapies, which have increased binding strength against tumors that express low levels of tumor antigens.
Acepodia is made up of seasoned leaders and scientific experts dedicated to advancing its robust pipeline of ACE therapies with the potential to bring innovative, effective, and affordable cell therapies to a broad population of patients across a variety of solid tumors, hematologic cancers and autoimmune disease.
Platforms

Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC): Antibodies conjugated to live cells through Bio-orthogonal Chemistry

Allogeneic γδ2T cells from healthy donors: γδ2T that bridges innate and adaptive immunity

Pipeline

ACE1831 (allogeneic γδ2T conjugated with CD20 mAb): First Patient dosed in May, 2023 

ACE2016 (allogeneic γδ2T conjugated with EGFR mAb): IND clearance in Feb, 2024