Who We Are
Lectenz Bio is a company dedicated to providing novel, effective glyco-research and bioprocessing tools. Our mission is to empower innovation by making glycoscience simple. We accomplish this goal by employing a strong team with diverse expertise in high performance computing and wet lab science. It is through this interdisciplinary approach that we developed our patented Lectenz® and GlycoSense™ platforms—offering new, easy to use ways to study glycobiology.
Where We Came From
Lectenz Bio (fka Glycosensors and Diagnostics) was spun-out from the research group of Prof. Robert J. Woods at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, located at the University of Georgia. We established operations in 2009 at Innovation Gateway, home to several biotechnology companies in Georgia’s Innovation Crescent. In 2013, the company established its satellite operations in San Diego, California as a resident company of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS. In 2016, we graduated from JLABS and relocated to the San Diego Science Center. In 2017, as part of commercialization the company rebranded as Lectenz Bio.
Since establishing operations, we formed collaborations with experts in academia and industry and secured non-dilutive funding through grants, contracts, and partnerships. We have received multiple awards, honors, and recognitions. These accomplishments were achieved by validation of key aspects of the Lectenz® platform, addition of our GlycoSenseTM platform, and led to the development of the Lectenz® product pipeline. The company was issued a patent for the Lectenz® platform technology and is expanding and protecting its intellectual property portfolio.
Management
Lori Yang, Ph.D.
CEO, CSO, & Co-Founder
Shengcheng “Sean” Wu, Ph.D.
Vice President of R&D
Board of Directors
Lori Yang, Ph.D.
CEO, CSO, & Co-Founder
Robert J. Woods, Ph.D.
President, Co-Founder, & Scientific Advisory Board Chair
Kausar N. Samli, Ph.D.
Associate Founder
Scientific Advisory Board
Robert J. Woods, Ph.D.
President, Co-Founder, & Scientific Advisory Board Chair
Gerald W. Hart, Ph.D.
John Nolan, Ph.D.
Michael Pierce, Ph.D.
Dr. Yang received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia and her Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. Her expertise is in protein engineering, molecular evolution, and flow cytometry. As CEO and CSO, she leads the development of Lectenz Bio’s platform technologies, corporate partnerships, and non-dilutive funding. Then known as Glycosensors and Diagnostics, she established satellite operations at Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS San Diego in 2013. The company is now an alumnus and based at the San Diego Science Center.
Dr. Wu brings extensive experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, glycobiology, and project management. During his tenure at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at University of Georgia he contributed to research management, technology development, and staff mentorship. His contributions to the field of glycoscience include the development of the Glycoenzyme Repository, a key resource for the scientific community. His current responsibilities include scientific and project leadership overseeing the development and validation of the sialic acid Lectenz
Dr. Samli brings a blend of scientific and business experience to leverage his core expertise in strategy, technology, and organizational development. He leads initiatives in product commercialization, strategic partnership development, and investor relations. He has co-founded startups, provided business leadership to technology startups, and received additional training in technology entrepreneurship at Singularity University located at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. Dr. Samli co-developed aspects of the Lectenz
Prof. Woods holds joint faculty appointments in the Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Dept. of Chemistry, the Dept. of Infectious Diseases, and the CCRC at the University of Georgia. From 2008 to 2014, he was also Chair of Computational Glycosciences at the School of Chemistry at the National University of Ireland, Galway. His academic expertise is in biophysical carbohydrate chemistry. He is creator of the GLYCAM force field for modeling carbohydrates, a developer of the AMBER molecular modeling package, and integrates experimental and theoretical methods in his research. Prof. Woods guides the productization, commercialization strategy, and research.
Dr. Cooper specializes in selecting novel Lectenz
Ms. Paul assists in the validation of Lectenz