COMPANY

Founded in 2019, Zenitar is a late-stage clinical biotechnology company focused on developing highly differentiated small-molecule therapies with FIC or BIC potential. Leveraging three integrated R&D platforms – structural biology, AI-powered drug design, and clinically relevant disease models – we aim to address major unmet medical needs across Hem/Onc, CNS, and I&I. Our pipeline spans clinical and preclinical programs, with two lead assets currently in Phase 3 registrational development, alongside multiple programs advancing toward global clinical development.

We have established three highly synergistic technology platforms. The structural biology platform enables rational small-molecule design through in-depth understanding of disease-relevant targets, protein structures, and key molecular interactions. The AI-powered drug design platform integrates computational chemistry, molecular modeling, and data-driven algorithms to accelerate lead optimization and clinical candidate selection. The clinically relevant disease model platform emphasizes translational in vitro and in vivo systems to validate mechanisms of action and predict efficacy and safety, improving the probability of clinical success.


In hematology, one of our lead assets, flonoltinib maleate (FM), is being developed to establish a new standard of care for myeloproliferative neoplasms. FM is a proprietary JAK2/FLT3/CDK6 inhibitor designed to address key disease drivers in myelofibrosis, with the goal of delivering durable spleen and symptom improvement while maintaining a manageable safety profile across a broad patient population. FM has demonstrated competitive efficacy and safety signals in multiple clinical studies and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 registrational trial in China, alongside ongoing overseas clinical and regulatory interactions.


In oncology, purinostat mesylate (PM) represents another late-stage lead asset of us. PM is a highly selective, next-generation HDAC I/IIb inhibitor enabled by a differentiated molecular design, aimed at enhancing antitumor activity while improving tolerability. PM is primarily being developed for B- and T-cell malignancies and multiple myeloma, where it has shown promising efficacy and a predictable, manageable safety profile in early- and mid-stage studies, and has been granted conditional approval pathway in China. We have continued to advance PM’s development while exploring its potential in combination regimens and additional oncologic indications.


Our Founder

Lijuan Chen, PhD

Founder, Chairman, CEO & Chief Scientific Officer

Experience:

  • 2019-Present: Chairman, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at Zenitar

  • 2012-2016: Chief Scientific Officer at Guangdong Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (002317.SZ)

  • The third batch of innovation and entrepreneurship leader in the Guangdong Pearl River Talent Program “Cancer and diabetes research and development”

  • 20 years of experience in new drug research and development


Personal Honor:

  • Professor of West China Hospital, Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy

  • Academic and technical leader of Sichuan Province

  • Tianfu Ten Thousand Plan leading talent, Chengdu “Rong Piao plan” entrepreneur

  • Winner of the Wuxi AppTec Prize in Life Chemistry


Major scientific and technological achievements:

  • Leading 10 innovative drugs development from preclinical to clinical trial  including tumor, autoimmunology disease and pulmonary fibrosis, of which 7 were approved for clinical trials, 3 entered phase II and 4 entered phase I

  • Responsible for a number of major new drug development projects from the National Ministry of Health and Science and Technology in the 11th, 12th and 13th Five-Year Plan

  • Published over 400 papers as the corresponding author in Nat. Commun., Sci. Adv., Clin. Cancer Res., J. Med.Chem., etc

  • Ranked in the top 2% of the world's top scientists list released by Stanford in 2021 and 2022

  • Been authorized 60 international and domestic patents, many of which were authorized by the United States, Australia, Japan and other countries

Executive Team Scientific Advisory Board
  • Haoyu YeVice President of Research & Development

    PhD

  • Taijin WangVice President, Head of Drug Design

    PhD

  • Tao JiaDirector of Medicinal Chemistry

    PhD

  • Rui LiangDirector of Clinical Development

    MMed

  • Ke TanDirector of Medical and Biostatistics

    DrPH

  • Xiaowei ZhangDirector of CMC & API Development

    MS

  • Bikun YangDirector of QC & QA

    MS

  • Yuhang LiaoAssociate Director of Formulation

    MS

  • Xiaoyan LiuDirector of Pharmacology and Toxicology

    PhD

  • Neil WangChief of Staff to the Chairman & Director of Business Development

    MS & MFin

  • Prof. Ting NiuPrincipal Investigator
    Director of the Department of Hematology, Professor, and Chief Physician at West China Hospital, Sichuan University.
  • Prof. Weili ZhaoPrincipal Investigator
    Professor and PhD supervisor, Vice Dean of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Distinguished Young Scholar, and Changjiang Scholar. Executive Vice Director of Shanghai Blood Research Institute, and Vice Chair of the Hematology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association.
  • Prof. Yi FangPrincipal Investigator
    Professor and PhD supervisor, currently serving as the Director of the Phase I Clinical Trial Research Lab at Peking University People's Hospital.
  • Prof. Zhijian XiaoPrincipal Investigator
    Deputy Director, Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Director, MDS and MPN Diagnosis and Treatment Center; Director, Hematopathology Diagnostic Center; Tenured Professor, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Hematology Vice Chair, Chinese Medical Association
  • Prof. He SunGlobal Clinical Advisor
    Executive Council Member of the Chinese Society of Quantitative Pharmacology, Council Member of the Chinese Pharmacological Society. Professor at School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Chair Professor and PhD Supervisor at China Medical University, and Visiting Professor at the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy.
  • Prof. Lei ZhangPrincipal Investigator
    Deputy Director, Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Deputy Director, National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases; Deputy Director, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology; Director, Key Laboratory of Gene Therapy, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Editor-in-Chief, Global Medical Genetics; Editorial Board Member, Chinese Journal of Hematology

Corporate Culture

Our Philosophy

Exploring the unknown
Pioneering new frontiers

Our Mission

To translate scientific breakthroughs into life-saving therapies

Our Values

Innovation
Pragmatism
Win-win collaboration

Our Aspiration

Co-creation
Shared success
Harmonious growth