Sujuan Ba, Ph.D.
Dr. Sujuan Ba joined the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) as Science Director in 1999 and was then promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Chief Science Officer in 2002. She oversees NFCR’s organizational strategic and tactical operations; fundraising and partnership development; and financial planning and management. Among the more noteworthy accomplishments during her tenure at NFCR has been the establishment of a powerful network of research centers and laboratories in the United States, Europe, and Asia – a network which has enabled NFCR Scientists to focus on critical aspects of cancer research. These centers and the NFCR-funded scientists located in each of them work collaboratively, across disciplinary, institutional, and geographic boundaries, on a wide array of innovative basic and translational research.
One of the highest-profile and most significant research programs to emerge from this cross-center collaborative approach was the ScreenSaver-LifeSaver Project. Dr. Ba established a partnership between NFCR, United Devices, Inc., Intel Corporation, and Oxford University in the U.K. to launch the ScreenSaver-LifeSaver Project, a distributed computing technology-based application which sped up the drug screening process by linking together more than 3 million PC users around the world to create the world’s largest supercomputer. This program enabled scientists to perform virtual screenings of 3.5 billion small molecules against some twelve target proteins to identify new anti-cancer drug candidates. The project was said to cut a couple of years off the lengthy drug discovery process for many potential cancer therapies and has received widespread publicity.
Dr. Ba received major interviews on CNN, ABC, PBS, Phoenix TV, and many major international newspapers and journals for this initiative. This initiative also led to the creation of a spin-off company, Inhibox, Ltd., a computational drug discovery company based in the United Kingdom, that provides the development of creative and cutting edge computational discovery methods and drug screening technology platforms.
In addition to her work with NFCR, Dr. Ba also founded the Asian Fund for Cancer Research (AFCR) which is a Hong Kong-based, China-focused, worldwide charity to fight cancer. As President of AFCR, Dr. Ba strategically oversees both collaborative research initiatives and the much-needed public education programs of AFCR in Hong Kong, China, and throughout Asia.
Dr. Ba was also very instrumental in the establishment of the annual Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research, an international prize in recognition of outstanding scientific achievement in the war against cancer. She has served as the co-chair of the Prize Selection Committee since 2005. During the past four years, the prize has grown notably as one of the premier cancer research awards in the world.
Dr. Ba serves as the President and the Director of the Board of the Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association–USA (Rockville, MD). She also serves on the Board of Directors of Avolix Pharmaceutical Corp. (Scottsdale, AZ) and on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Medelis, Inc. (Fountain Hills, AZ). Dr. Ba also serves on the Membership Committee of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC). She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for The American Breast Cancer Guide.
Prior to joining NFCR, Dr. Ba was the Director of Chiral Chemistry and Fine Chemical Consulting Services at Technology Catalysts International (TCI) where she conducted market research, business evaluation, and competitive intelligence for an international clientele of major chemical and pharmaceutical companies. From 1991-1997, she was a Principal Research Chemist and then Project Manager of Technology Development and Research Planning at Arco Chemical Company (ARCO).
Dr. Ba received her B.S. in radiochemistry from Peking University and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2002 Dr. Ba was elected as a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, a prestigious private club for people who have demonstrated leadership and accomplishment in their fields. She serves on the Activities Steering Committee of the Cosmos Club. She is also a member of BayHelix, an invitation-only organization of leaders of Chinese origin in the global life sciences and healthcare community based in San Francisco with regional offices in Shanghai and Beijing. She was honored with an Outstanding Alumna Award by Peking University in 2005; and was invited as one of the Eminent Young Overseas Chinese by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of PRC to join the international delegation to visit China in 2008.
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