Yajun Xu is the Sr. Vice President of Corporate development at Shangphama Incorporation & ChemPartner Corporation US, currently located in Waltham, MA, USA. Previously, Yajun was the Vice President of biology and pre-clinical development at Shanghai ChemPartner (one of the business units of Shangpharma) since April, 2007 to Jan. 2009. She has established biology and pre-clinical service capabilities for Shanghai ChemPartner, in Shanghai, China.

Prior to Chempartner, Yajun was the Director of Research in the Department of Inflammation, Millennium Pharmaceutical Inc., MA, US. where she worked for 6 years. Yajun led a small molecule inhibitor program and delivered 2 clinical development candidates with one entered into clinic in August 2006. Yajun’s group responsibilities were providing in vitro biology and pharmacology support for all kinase and enzyme programs, ranging from target identification, validation, enzymology, cellular biochemical assay development, in vitro and ex vivo compound profiling.

Previously, Yajun worked at BASF Bioresearch Corp. (now Abbott Bioresearch Corp.) for 5 years in biochemistry department supporting drug discovery programs in both inflammation and oncology. Yajun received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry training in enzymology with professor Robert H. Abeles at Brandeis University in US in 1992. She obtained three years of postdoctoral training at Harvard School of Public Health in department of Cell Biology and Molecular Toxicology. She received MS and BS degrees in Chemistry from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in China.