March 01, 2023

Mei Mei Hu, CEO and Co-Founder of Vaxxinity – Taking a Shot: Chronic disease prevention and democratizing healthcare with vaccine technology

30 minutes

We get to hear from a lot of smart people with incredible ideas on this show, but it's extra exciting when they also have a world-changing vision, and our guest today has just that.

On this week's episode we're talking with Mei Mei Hu, CEO and Co-Founder of Vaxxinity, which trades under the symbol VAXX. Mei Mei is also a member of the Executive Committee of United Biomedical, and has overseen the launch of one of the first antibody vaccines in the world, and the successful spin out of five companies, including Vaxxinity's IPO in 2021. She currently leads an active pipeline of chronic disease immunotherapeutic candidates, including for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, migraine, hypercholesterolemia, and variant inclusive COVID booster.

Mei Mei has been named to the Time 100 Next List, Fortune 40 under 40, and is a member of the Young Global Leaders of World Economic Forum. She holds a BA from University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Harvard Law School. We recorded this episode with Mei Mei in January 2023, and talked about the fascinating science behind Vaxxinity's work, and their amazing vision for making these vaccines accessible to the world.

Highlights:
• Mei Mei breaks down what drew her to the biotech field (3:03)
• Vaxxinity's origin story (3:58)
• Mission statement and company goals (5:37)
• Vaccine technology and Vaxxinity's approach to solving health problems (6:48)
• How chronic diseases are chosen and prioritized (9:09)
• How the vaccine works against Alzheimer's (10:38)
• A vaccine for Parkinson's, and working with the Michael J. Fox Foundation (12:37)
• A vaccine for cholesterol and simplifying cholesterol medication (13:57)
• The undiscussed disability: Migraines (16:28)
• How the economics work, and the company business model (18:14)
• COVID-19 vaccine developments, and short term vaccine studies (20:57)
• Taking the business public (23:00)
• Vaxxinity's leadership strategy and characteristics for a great team (24:47)
• Biotech trends for 2023 (26:55)
• Mei Mei's predictions for the future of chronic disease management (28:09)

Links:
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ICR Website
Mei Mei Hu
Vaxxinity on LinkedIn
Vaxxinity Website

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By ICR