# Joan Shen

> Joan Huaqiong Shen is the founder and CEO of NeuShen Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech with R&D centers in Shanghai and Boston that develops treatments for psychiatric and neurological disorders. A physician-scientist trained in psychiatry and neurology, she spent decades leading central-nervous-system drug programs at Eli Lilly, Wyeth, Pfizer, Hengrui and Johnson & Johnson before running R&D and serving as CEO at I-Mab Biopharma, where she took the company public on Nasdaq and struck a global partnership with AbbVie. In 2026 NeuShen closed a Series A+ round led by Lilly Asia Ventures as its lead compound NS-136 advanced into Phase 2 trials.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at NeuShen Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** NeuShen Therapeutics, I-Mab Biopharma, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen China), Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Pfizer, Wyeth, Eli Lilly and Company
- **From:** China
- **Nationality:** American (born in China)
- **Education:** MD, Southeast University Medical College, MS, Anatomy, West China University of Medical Sciences (now Sichuan University School of Medicine), PhD, Anatomy/Neuroscience; clinical residency and three postdoctoral fellowships, Indiana University School of Medicine
- **Known for:** Founded NeuShen Therapeutics, a clinical-stage CNS biotech with research centers in Shanghai and Boston, Led I-Mab Biopharma to a Nasdaq listing and a global partnership with AbbVie on the CD47 compound lemzoparlimab, Directed multiple NDA/BLA drug approvals in China as head of development at Janssen (J&J China)

## Career timeline

- **1983** — Earned MD from Southeast University Medical College in China
- **1989** — Earned a master's in anatomy from West China University of Medical Sciences
- **1996** — Completed PhD in neuroscience at Indiana University School of Medicine, plus residency and three postdoctoral fellowships
- **1990s-2000s** — Held CNS clinical development roles at Eli Lilly, Wyeth and Pfizer in the United States
- **2000s** — Chief Medical Officer at Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, where she built the largest clinical team among Chinese domestic pharmas
- **2010s** — Head of development at Janssen Pharmaceutical (J&J China), leading multiple NDA/BLA approvals with China's NMPA
- **2017-2020** — Head of R&D and CEO of I-Mab Biopharma; led its Nasdaq IPO and a global collaboration with AbbVie on the CD47 antibody lemzoparlimab
- **2021** — Named to Endpoints News' 20 Women in Biopharma R&D and Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech in China
- **2022** — Named Bay-Helix 'Woman Leader of the Year'
- **2023** — NeuShen Therapeutics funded ALS research at UMass Chan Medical School
- **2026** — NeuShen closed a Series A+ round led by Lilly Asia Ventures; lead compound NS-136 advanced into Phase 2

## Achievements

- Founded NeuShen Therapeutics, a clinical-stage CNS biotech with research centers in Shanghai and Boston
- Led I-Mab Biopharma to a Nasdaq listing and a global partnership with AbbVie on the CD47 compound lemzoparlimab
- Directed multiple NDA/BLA drug approvals in China as head of development at Janssen (J&J China)
- Built the largest clinical team among Chinese domestic pharmaceutical companies while CMO at Hengrui
- Selected as one of Endpoints News' 20 Women in Biopharma R&D (2021)
- Listed among Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech in China (2021)
- Named Bay-Helix 'Woman Leader of the Year' (2022)
- Board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — NeuShen Therapeutics closed a Series A+ financing round led by Lilly Asia Ventures, with Pivotal bioVenture Partners, Shanghai Healthcare Capital, Lapam Capital and TTM Capital participating.
- **2026-01** — NeuShen's lead compound NS-136 advanced into Phase 2 clinical development for schizophrenia and Alzheimer's-related agitation.

## Links

- Website: https://neushen.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-huaqiong-shen-4714247/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/joan-shen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-16