Profile
Wellgenex identifies and develops product reach and market entry strategy and execution in target marketplaces and segments. Recognizing each client has different needs, the company always strives to maximize value for its clients through customized approaches and tailor-made solutions to capitalize on product potentials and maximize market opportunities.
Focus
Wellgenex is sharply focused on science and technology developments, regulatory updates and market opportunities in the nutrition and health industry in North America and Asia Pacific. The company generally serves clients in the biopharmaceutical, medical, nutrition, functional foods and natural health product businesses in bringing science-based products to existing or new target marketplaces.
Professionals and Associates
Wellgenex has a team of talents with diverse technical and industry knowledge and expertise from R&D, product development, regulatory affairs, and production; to marketing and operation in the biopharmaceutical, medical, nutrition and natural health product industries in North America and Asia Pacific.
Michael ZC Li, MD, MSc, MBA,
has over 30 years of experience in the medical, nutrition, and natural health products sectors in Asia Pacific and North America with expertise in R&D, clinical trials, technology assessment, new product development, commercialization, business and market development as well as strategic planning. He has worked as a general physician and held various positions and project management roles in a number of private, public and multinational companies including H.J. Heinz, Chai-Na-Ta, UBC Life Sciences Centre, National Research Council Canada, and Zuellig Group.
At the University of British Columbia, Li currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in Food, Nutrition & Health. He has also been active in volunteering in a number of charitable and professional organizations such as the World Eye Organization (President, Canada Operations) and Canadian Health Food Association (NHP Regulatory Advisory Council). Li is the past Vice Chair of Monte Jade Science & Technology Association Canada and Co-founder of Western Canada Functional Food & Natural Health Product Network.
Li earned his medical degree with honors at Jinan University. He also holds a M.Sc. in Human Nutrition from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in Strategic Management from Sauder School of Business.
Xinsheng Yao, PhD,
is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is a professor at Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Tsinghua University and Jinan University. He is also an honorary and visiting professor in 19 universities in China, Taiwan and Japan. Prof. Yao currently co-chairs the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, and acts as an evaluation member for the Chinese government’s Natural Science Foundation.
Prof. Yao, has been a dedicated teacher and researcher of the medicinal chemistry of natural health products for more than 50 years. As the inventor of 36 patents and chief editor of The Chemistry of Natural Products, Structure Elucidation of Organic Compounds, and The Elucidation of FT-NMR Spectra, Prof. Yao has published over 250 scientific papers. In addition, he has been a contributing editor and associate chief editor for a number of scientific journals, including Journal of Asian Natural Products, Medicinal Chemistry, Medicine World, Journal of Chinese Prescription Drugs, and Journal of Chinese Traditional Medicine.
Prof. Yao served as president of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University from 1996 to 2002. Presently he serves as honorary president of the School of Pharmacy and director of the Institute of Natural Product and Natural Products Chemistry at Jinan University. He also serves as director of Shenzhen Research Centre of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products. Prof. Yao is a committee member in 9 national key laboratories in China for new drug research, natural medicines, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.
So far a total of 15 national and international awards have been granted to Prof. Yao for his scientific contributions. Prof. Yao received his B.Sc. in pharmaceutical sciences from the Northeast Pharmaceutical University and his PhD in pharmacognosy and natural product chemistry from the University of Tokyo.
David Kitts, PhD,
is a professor and Director of the Food, Nutrition and Health (FNH) Program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Kitts teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Food Chemistry, Functional Foods, Advances in Food Chemistry and Food Toxicology. His areas of research also specialize in the disciplines of Food Chemistry, Toxicology and Nutrition. He is a former president of BC Food Technologists and one of the founding directors of BC Functional Food and Nutraceuticals. Dr. Kitts has served on many national committees that have worked to develop standards for nutritional labeling and nutritional claims. His research is focused on the production, or development, of food products that are safe and nutritious. Research activities in the past and present include the identification of potential toxicants in foods and evolution of processes for removal or inactivation from the food supply. In addition, active current research interests include characterization of antioxidant structure-functional activity of several bioactive plant and animal products and evaluation of potential physiological responses of bioactive components in foods. The determination of both chemical and biochemical activities of antioxidant end-point measures has been used as a parameter for assessing structure-activity relationships of different bioactive components for evaluating standards of evidence for affinity and safety.
Prof. Kitts obtained his BSc, MSc and PhD from UBC, and completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Davis.
George Simpson, Pharmacist,
is a pharmacist by profession and is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He has over 50 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical and natural health product industries. Most recently he has served as Executive Advisor and Plant Manager at the Rhema Group. He also held senior technical and management positions with several multinational pharmaceutical companies including General Manager and Quality Control Director of Quest Vitamins, and Vice-President of Plant Operations at Stanley Pharmaceuticals. George brings extensive knowledge and expertise in quality assurance, quality control, validation, GMP audit and compliance, plant design and construction, as well as operations.
Abdul Azzam, M.Sc, M.B.A,
has amassed over 27 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in validation, quality assurance, regulatory affairs and compliance. His extensive knowledge centres around FDA and Health Canada regulations, particularly within the drugs, supplements, and natural health product sectors. He has extensive experience in managing regulatory and third party inspections and has a track record of maintaining licences and certifications relating to GMP manufacturing and packaging activities. Abdul developed testing programs, validation programs and continuous improvement programs that are cost effective and contributed to growth of organizations he worked with and clients that he served. In his most recent role, Abdul served as the Director of Quality & Compliance at PNP Pharmaceuticals, where he played the role of ensuring adherence to industry standards. Currently, he operates as an independent consultant where he continues to provide expert guidance and solutions to clients in areas of his expertise. Abdul’s educational background includes a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree, both of which have contributed to his well-rounded understanding of the pharmaceutical field. Additionally, he maintains active membership with various Pharmaceutical Groups.
In Memoriam
It is with a great sense of sadness and loss that we announce the passing of our longtime friend Dennis V.C. Awang, in Ottawa, Canada, after a long illness. He died just one day short of his 85th birthday, which would have been on Valentine’s Day 2022.
Dennis was a highly skilled natural products chemist; he specialized in the chemistry of herbs and medicinal plants. For many years he was the leading expert on herbs and medicinal plants as head of Natural Products Section at the Bureau of Drug Research, the Health Protection Branch, Health and Welfare Canada (later renamed Health Canada), before the Natural Health Products category for herbal products was created as a subcategory of medicines in the Canadian regulatory framework. During one period in the 1990s he was a key spokesperson for the Canadian government on matters related to the science, safety, and regulation of herbal products in the Canadian market.
Dennis V.C. Awang, PhD, FCIC, was head of Natural Products in Bureau of Drug Research in Health Canada where he directed research in support of the regulatory bureau of the Drugs Directorate till retiring. He was for many years the official spokesperson in natural medicine for the Canadian government. The author of over one hundred research and scientific publications, Dr. Awang had been author and member of numerous editorial advisory boards of peer- reviewed scientific journals and newsletters, as well as regular lecturer and media commentator on medicinal plant/natural products science. He was a member of the American Botanical Council (ABC) Advisory Board, and had served on the USP Advisory Panel on Identification and Standardization of Natural Products and the faculty of Columbia University’s annual course on Herbal Medicine for physicians and surgeons. Dr. Awang had also served on the External Advisory Committee of the University of Illinois at Chicago/U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center (BDSRC), and as Chair of the Advisory Board of the NIH BDSRC of Purdue University – University of Alabama. Dr. Awang was recently appointed Co-editor for North America of the journal Phytomedicine. Dr. Awang was granted the Martin de la Cruz award by the Mexican Academy of Traditional Medicine for distinguished contribution to medicinal plant research in 1994. He received his BSc and PhD from Queen’s University, and did postdoctoral studies in organic chemistry at the Universities of Michigan and Illinois.