BioPhoenix Co

Experience

• Ming-Tain Lai, Ph.D. is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive and accomplished drug discovery scientist with over 30 years of experience advancing diverse therapeutic modalities from discovery through clinical development and regulatory approval.
• Most recently, Dr. Lai served as the Chief Scientific Officer at OBI Pharma from 2019 to 2025. In this capacity, he successfully pivoted the company's R&D focus toward antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), advancing candidates such as OBI-992 and OBI-902 into clinical studies, and OBI-904 in preclinical studies. He led the advancement of proprietary site-specific next-generation ADC platforms, including GlycOBI® and ThiOBI®, and directed the development of bispecific ADCs as well as ADCs with dual payloads.
• Prior to his time at OBI Pharma, Dr. Lai spent over 23 years at Merck Sharp & Dohme, where he held senior scientific leadership roles in drug discovery. During his distinguished tenure, his scientific expertise spanned multiple major therapeutic areas, including Oncology, Neuroscience (Alzheimer's disease), and Infectious Diseases. Under his direction, he led the discovery and clinical advancement of 15 preclinical candidates, and directly contributed to the approvals of doravirine-containing HIV therapies including three FDA- and two EMA-approved HIV medicine.

Academic Background

• A prolific scientific author and inventor, Dr. Lai has published 83 peer-reviewed papers and holds 8 issued patents and 19 applications under review. He earned his Ph.D. in Bio-Organic Chemistry from the University of Minnesota and completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.