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Builder Series Salon
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Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD

EIR Builder Series · Session 03

Su-Chun
Zhang

Scientific founder
BrainXell, Inc. BrainXell Therapeutics, Inc.

Su-Chun Zhang

Biography

Translating laboratory discoveries to therapeutics – A path from academic research to industrial products.

Su-Chun Zhang is scientific founder of BrainXell, Inc.and BrainXell Therapeutics, Inc..

He is a pioneer in human pluripotent stem cells and regenerative medicine, developing technology to guide human stem cells to functionally specialized neural cell types and platforms for studying neural function and testing drugs for neurological diseases.

Aspired to translate his academic discoveries to therapeutics for patients, Dr. Zhang started BrainXell in 2015 to produce specialized human neural cells and tissues for research and drug testing. Building on it, he established BrainXell Therapeutics in 2022 to develop personalized regenerative therapy for neurological diseases with a clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease scheduled for 2026.

Dr. Zhang is presently professor and director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Prior to that he was professor and director of the Program in Neuroscience & Behavioral Disorders at Duke-NUS Medical School and professor of Neuroscience and Neurology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a founding member of WiCell Institute.

Interview topics

Each Builder Series Salon follows a conversational framework — from origin story to ecosystem-shaping vision.

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Introduction & Current Activities
  • What problem or motivation led you to start the company?
  • Could you tell us about your background — research, industry, and entrepreneurship?
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The Startup Journey & Early Challenges
  • What differences between academia and startups did you notice early on?
  • What was the most difficult challenge during the early stage?
  • How did you build your initial team?
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Advice for Researchers & Students
  • What advice would you give to young researchers or students considering startups?
  • What have you learned about communicating research to broader audiences?
  • Are there any lessons you learned from failures or pivots?
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Future Vision / EIR / IRCN
  • What role do you think institutes like IRCN can play in innovation ecosystems?
  • What are your expectations for EIR-style programs?
  • What is needed to foster a stronger NeuroTech ecosystem?