Atom Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company engaged in new drug discovery and development for treatments of metabolic, inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases.

The company’s lead drug in development is ABP-671, a novel compound for chronic gout and hyperuricemia. ABP-671, which is in global Phase 3 trials, has shown good efficacy, safety and tolerability in completed clinical trials.

Atom’s novel compound, ABP-745, is in Phase 2 clinical trials in the US and Australia for acute gout. Additional small molecule drugs are in pre-clinical development.

The company’s intension is to bring best-in-class small molecule drugs to the global market to provide patients worldwide with safer and more effective medicines.

Atom Therapeutics Management Team

William (Dongfang) Shi, Ph.D.

William (Dongfang) Shi, Ph.D.

Founder, CEO, President, & Chairman

Roy J. Wu, MBA

Roy J. Wu, MBA

Senior Vice President,
Global Business Development

Ullrich Schwertschlag

Ullrich Schwertschlag, M.D.,
Ph.D., FACP
Senior Vice President,
Clinical Research & Development

Adam (Wenqing) Jin, M.S.

Adam (Wenqing) Jin, M.S.

Executive Vice President, China

Dr. Hu Xianjun

Dr. Hu Xianjun

Clinical Vice President, China

Steven Smith

Steve Smith

Head of Clinical DMPK

Key Advisors

Kenneth G. Saag

Kenneth G. Saag
M.D., M.Sc.
Rheumatology Advisor

N. Lawrence Edwards

N. Lawrence Edwards
M.D., MACP, MACR
Rheumatology Advisor

Robert Terkeltaub

Robert Terkeltaub
M.D.
Rheumatology Advisor

Atom Therapeutics Investors

Since 2012, Dr. Shi and his experienced management team have raised nearly $170 million USD to advance ABP-671 and ABP-745 along with other compounds in the company’s pipeline. The company closed its latest round of financing, a Series D, in October, 2023 for approximately $83 million USD led by Kaitai Capital. 

Atom Therapeutics Investors

  • William (Dongfang) Shi, Ph.D.
    CEO, President, Chairman & Founder

    Dr. Shi started Atom Bioscience in March of 2012. He has served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman since January of 2015. Previously, he had served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since March of 2012. From 1999 to 2011, Dr. Shi served in various positions of increasing responsibility at Genelabs Technologies Inc. and Metabolex Inc. He has worked on the new drug discovery and development on the area of anti-cancer, HCV, diabetes, gout, and NASH for more than 28 years. He was leading the new drug design, organic synthesis, patent application, preclinical studies, clinical trials, financing, ect. Dr. Shi authored 43 patents and 26 of them were from Atom Bioscience. He published 13 peer reviewed papers from his Ph.D. and postdoctoral work. Dr. Shi received his Ph.D. in Medicinal and Organic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham in 1995, and was the Postdoctoral Fellow in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin from 1996 to 1998.

  • Roy J. Wu, MBA
    Sr. Vice President, Global Business Development
    Mr. Wu joined Atom Bioscience in August of 2019 as Senior Vice President, Global Business Development. Previously, he was our Senior Consultant in Business. From 2009 to 2016, Mr. Wu served as Senior Vice President, Business Development at Novabay Pharmaceuticals Inc. From 2001 to 2009, Mr. Wu was Vice President, Business Development at Genelabs Technologies Inc. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Wu served as Vice President, Business Development at Kissei Pharma (USA) Inc. From 1989 to 1995, Mr. Wu served as Director, R&D Program Planning and Management Japan and Pacific Sector at Syntex Corporation. Mr. Wu had 35 years of successful experience of Business Development, Licensing, Distributor Management, International Marketing, Project Management, Clinical Development, Pacific Sector Regulatory and Pharmaceutical Development. Areas of expertise include Product licensing, technology collaboration and alliance management; Strategic Planning for Business Unit; International Marketing, New Product Planning; International Project Management and Clinical Development; U.S. and Japan drug development experience in GI, CV, analgesic, urology, immunology and metabolic disease; Regulatory experience with FDA (USA), PMDA (Japan), CFDA (China), TFDA (Taiwan), MFDA (S. Korea) for Drugs and Medical Device. Mr. Wu received his MBA, International Finance from the University of San Francisco, School of Business, and B.S. in Biology from the University of San Francisco.

  • Ullrich Schwertschlag, MD, PhD, FACP
    Sr. Vice President of Clinical Research and Development

    Dr. Ullrich Schwertschlag is an accomplished internist, pharmacologist and clinical pharmacologist with over thirty years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry including large pharmaceutical and small biotech companies. He has been a principal investigator in phase 1 studies, attending physician and basic researcher in academic settings and the VA.

    Dr. Schwertschlag has been decisive and successful in design, implementation and analysis of clinical development programs in the US and Europe from phase 1 – 3. Creative in translational research, as well as preclinical and clinical development of drugs/biologicals in major disease areas including oncology, immunology and neurology. Leading roles as author of over 40 INDs, 3 BLA/NDAs and interactions/presentations with the FDA. Leading author of many study reports, safety reviews, advisory board presentations and peer reviewed publications. Author/Principal Investigator of several small business grants.

    Specialties include clinical drug development, translational medicine and discovery medicine.

  • Adam (Wenqing) Jin, M.S.
    Executive Vice President

    Mr. Jin has served as Executive Vice President. Previously, he served as Vice President, China Business Development and Human Resources since July 2015. He is responsible for company operation, project collaboration, equity financing activities, and license agreements. Mr. Jin assisted in the completion of Series A, A+, B and C financing.  Prior to joining Atom Bioscience, he was Project Manager at Sterile Technology LLC, where he was responsible for process development, GMP validation and operation consulting. Mr. Jin obtained his M.S. degree in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing & Regulatory Affairs from Stevens Insititute of Technology.

  • Dr. Hu Xianjun
    Clinical Vice President

    Dr. Hu Xianjun is Clinical Vice President in charge of clinical affairs in China.

    Dr. Hu graduated from Medical College of Soochow University and Capital Medical University. Before joining Atom, he served as Chief Medical Officer in Hemay Pharma and as Vice President in ACEC Pharma, where he was responsible for the clinical development planning and clinical operations, both domestic and international.

    Dr. Hu has extensive experience in industry and as a physician. He was responsible for oncology products, from introduction to marketing, at Hansoh Pharma, and held key clinical management roles at AstraZeneca, GSK and Abbott. He also served as the General Manager for the clinical department at Syneos China’s Inventive Company.

  • Steven Smith
    Head of Clinical DMPK

    •. Former Head of DMPK at Roche, CA

    •  Senior Director and Director of DMPK at UCB Pharma, Adolor and Syntex Research

    •  Over 30 years of experience in Clinical DMPK

    •. Contributed over 50 lead optimization projects.  More than 30 of these have proceeded to clinical testing and also contributed to four NDA approvals with successful drugs in clinical use.

  • Kenneth G. Saag, M.D., M.Sc.

    Jane Knight Lowe Professor

    President, American College of Rheumatology

    Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology

    University of Alabama at Birmingham

     

  • N. Lawrence Edwards, M.D., MACP, MACR

    Vice Chairman and Professor
    Department of Medicine
    University of Florida

     

  • Robert Terkeltaub, MD

    Professor of Medicine at University of California at San Diego
    Section Chief of Rheumatology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Diego.