About Us

Jamie Jae Eun Kim has founded 1ST Biotherapeutics, Inc. in 2016 and has served as CEO since then, bringing a wealth of scientific leadership and business expertise. She has been engaged in all aspects of drug discovery and development as well as business development, with a particular focus on cancers, metabolic diseases and orphan diseases. Jamie has deep experience brokering R&D strategies and portfolio management in pharma R&D, with a track record of over 50 successful R&D alliances among biotech, academia, clinical research units and industry throughout her career.

Previously, Jamie was Director of the Biotherapeutics Research Center at Handok, where she was responsible for several development programs in oncology and rare diseases and for research alliance and investment. She was an Associate Director at Green Cross Corp. (Now GC Pharma), where she has newly established a discovery team in oncology and rare diseases, and, prior to that, she was a Collaboration Project Leader at Sanofi, leading collaborative research efforts in oncology. Jamie spent her early career doing metabolic and oncology research leading discovery projects as a Senior Scientist at Wyeth in Pearl River, NY. She is a current member of the Global Pharma Key Opinion Leader (GPKOL) consultants and a former member of the Korea Drug Development Fund (KDDF) investment committee.

Jamie has a bachelor’s in bioengineering and master’s degree in biological science from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). she graduated with a Ph.D. in cell and structural biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA.

Dr. Kim joined 1ST Biotherapeutics in 2023 to serve as Executive Vice President of Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Kim has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with a profound focus on drug discovery and development. He has been engaged in all aspects of drug discovery and development, which centers around the formulation of R&D strategies. Throughout his career, he has published 29 peer-reviewed review papers and holds the distinction of receiving eight patents both domestically and internationally. Among numerous honors, Dr. Kim was awarded the Thomas Edison Patent Award, Patent No US 8.487.093B2 Merck Co., for RECABRIO, FDA approval in 2019.,

Prior to joining 1ST Biotherapeutics, Dr. Kim held the position of CSO at CKD Pharm, where he managed a team of 364 researchers, guiding the execution of a wide-ranging portfolio of over 100 projects. These encompassed synthetic drugs, biopharmaceuticals, biosimilars, advanced drug delivery systems, and genetic research. His extensive expertise spans multiple disciplines, including Medicinal Chemistry, Biology, Pharmacology, Tox/PK, and ADME. In his earlier career at the Medicinal Chemistry Department of Merck Research Laboratory, Seongkon served as a senior research fellow. His notable achievements in the projects include RECABRIO, an FDA-approved antibiotic (beta-lactamase inhibitor) in 2019, as well as pioneering medications such as CKD-510 for Charcot Marie Tooth, CKD-508 for lipid disorders, and CKD-702 for lung cancer.

Dr. Kim was a former board member at CKD Pharm. (2015~2023), Mirae Asset Securities (2020~2022), and currently a committee member of Healthcare Policy at Ministry of Health and Welfare (2023~2025)

Seongkon has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Sogang University, and he achieved a Ph.D in Organic Chemistry from Purdue University and completed his postdoctoral research in Medicinal Chemistry at Harvard University.

Jinhwa Lee has an accomplished career in drug discovery spanning academia and industry. He has helped identify and advance novel anti-bacterials, anti-virals, anti-coagulants, and therapies for metabolic syndrome, CNS disorders, and cancer. To date, he has authored 57 scientific papers and has been awarded 37 international and domestic patents.

Prior to joining 1ST Biotherapeutics, Jinhwa served as Director of the New Drug Research Center and acting Director of the Biotherapeutics Research Center at Handok. He served as Director of the Late Discovery Program at Institut Pasteur Korea (IP-K) and prior to that, as Head of Medicinal Chemistry group at Green Cross Corporation (now, GCPharma), leading many drug discovery/development programs and their advancement into preclinical/clinical stages in oncology, metabolic diseases, and infectious diseases. Jinhwa was Senior Investigator at GlaxoSmithKline in Collegeville, PA, where he also earned a five-year service appreciation award.

Jinhwa has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Seoul National University. He achieved a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Alabama and completed his postdoctoral research at Harvard University.

Dr. Yuntae Kim is a Senior Research Fellow at 1ST Biotherapeutics, specializing in identifying drug candidates across various modalities.

Dr. Kim has demonstrated exceptional productivity in both academia and industry, with over 35 journal publications and patents to his name. His accomplishments include the total synthesis of natural compounds and the leadership of medicinal chemistry teams that identified six clinical candidates in oncology, endocrinology, neurology (pain and addiction), and metabolic diseases. Among his notable achievements, Dr. Kim played a critical role in designing a highly selective pharmacophore for an epigenetic target, resulting in a major licensing deal with a global pharmaceutical company.

Starting from his 12 years of service at Merck Research Laboratories (West Point, PA, USA), Dr. Kim has held various leadership roles, including Director of CKD Research Institute, CTO of Vivozon R&D Center, and Executive Vice President of Oscotec R&D Center.

Dr. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from Seoul National University, as well as a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology.

Sungkyu Lee is a professional with a unique combination of expertise in both law and biological sciences. With a background in intellectual property and corporate law, Sungkyu has demonstrated his ability to provide strategic legal counsel to companies across various industries and stages.

Before joining 1ST Biotherapeutics, Sungkyu held a key role at Ilias Biologics as the Director of R&D strategy and head of legal affairs. Prior to that, he was at Orum Therapeutics where he was responsible for handling legal, patent, and compliance matters at Orum Therapeutic.

Sungkyu holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biological sciences from KAIST. Additionally, he passed the Korean bar exam and received training at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

Brian YoungHoon Kim is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in global investment, corporate strategy, and investor relations. With a strong foundation in both the financial sector and the biotech industry, he brings a unique blend of expertise in capital markets, IPO readiness, and value-driven corporate communications.

Before joining 1ST Biotherapeutics, YoungHoon led investor relations efforts at Cerecin as Head of IR-Korea. He also served as Director and Head of IR at Avellino Lab, and as Team Leader of IR & PR at ISU Abxis, where he played key roles in enhancing company visibility and investor engagement. His earlier career in investment banking includes senior positions such as Sales Director at NH Securities, Head of Asia Sales at KDB Daewoo Securities, and Sales Trader and Equity Sales at Dongwon Securities. Throughout these roles, he built a robust global investor network and gained hands-on experience in IPO execution, legal compliance, and strategic fundraising.

YoungHoon holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Korea University and an MBA from the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business.

Dr. Leila Alland joined 1ST Biotherapeutics in 2024 to serve as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Alland is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist with deep expertise in biopharmaceutical drug development.

Previously, Leila served as CMO of PMV Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ, PMVP), developing first-in-class p53-directed therapies to treat cancers, and prior to that, served as CMO of Affimed (NASDAQ: AFMD), an immuno-oncology company, and Tarveda Therapeutics, a precision oncology company. Her career includes leadership roles at AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis and Schering-Plough, where she contributed to the development and approvals of Tagrisso®, Opdivo®, Tasigna®, and Caelyx®. As Head of Oncology Early Clinical Development at AstraZeneca, she oversaw the company’s early oncology portfolio. She also serves as a biotech advisor, working with companies and academic groups advancing new treatments in oncology and hematological malignancies. She serves on the board of Abeona Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ABEO), Jubilant Therapeutics, and Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX: RAD). Leila is a scientific advisor to Columbia University’s Center for Radiological Research and is a scientific reviewer for the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas.

Leila received her B.A from U. Penn and M.D. from New York University. She completed training in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Hematology/Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and served on the faculty of Albert Einstein College of Medicine during which she received multiple grants and awards for her research on oncoproteins and epigenetics.

Mrs. Griffith-Eskew has more than 25 years of clinical development and operations experience in oncology drug development, phases I – IV. Mrs. Griffith- Eskew has been a part of multiple successful NDA and BLA submissions, including Ofatumumab, Temozolomide, the early Venetoclax trials in AML, and label expansions for Avelumab. During her career Rebecca has managed, monitored, and overseen on an executive level multiple solid tumor and hematological malignancy trials and oncology portfolios.

Mrs. Griffith-Eskew was the head of clinical operations at Immatics, a small biotech company focused in T-Cell therapy, as well as an Executive Director/ Franchise Area Lead overseeing a portfolio of oncology trials at Worldwide Clinical Trials. Most recently, she serves as the Vice President of Clinical Operations for Salarius Pharmaceuticals.

Mrs. Griffith-Eskew earned a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma and is a candidate for a M.S. in Sport Psychology from Walden University.

Soon Myung Paik is a leading pathologist and Professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine, where he heads the Severance Biomedical Science Institute, the Yonsei Genome Center, and the Yonsei Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy.

Prof. Paik has co-authored more than 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles, evaluating current protocol and therapies for breast and bowel cancers and the role of hormones and genes in driving tumor biology. In 2017, he was awarded the HOAM Prize in medicine and the Presidential Medal (South Korea).

Phil Hyu Lee is a practicing neurologist and Professor at Yonsei University’s Department of Neurology and Severance Biomedical Science Institute. He is an expert on Parkinson’s disease and has been recognized as a top Young Investigator by the Korean Neurological Association and the Korean Movement Disorders Society.

Prof. Lee is first or corresponding author on more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Neurology.

Ae Nim Pae heads the Convergence Research Center for Diagnosis, Treatment and Care System of Dementia (DTC) at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). She oversees both basic research and drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia; conditions that are becoming and more and more prevalent with the aging of developed nations, but that still lack effective treatments.

Prior to joining the Convergence Research Center in 2012, Dr. Pae was the Head of the KIST Center for Neuro-Medicine. She is widely published in top journals and has received a Ministry of Science and ICT award, a Presidential Award (Korea), and a Prime Minister Award (Korea) for her scientific achievement.