OUR TEAM

CORE TEAM

Jonathan ChenCEO & Co-founder
CEO & Co-founder

Jonathan Chen

Jonathan, Axion founder and Special Advisor to all portfolio companies in Thailand and China, is Co-founder and CEO of Ascendant Biotech. Jonathan is a serial entrepreneur and investor in Silicon Valley and has successfully established new businesses in Thailand, Japan and USA. As co-lead of the $100M Energy Practice for Gemini Management Consulting, he was the Partner responsible for marketing strategy globally. As founder and co-lead of the eVentures Practice at C-Change, he was instrumental in developing the internet strategies for Fortune 50 companies in the US. He graduated from Stanford University (AB) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SM).
Jane Chang, M.D.Chief Medical Officer & Co-founder


Chief Medical Officer & Co-founder

Jane Chang, M.D.

Dr. Chang, biomed tech entrepreneur is Cofounder and Chief Medical Officer of Ascendant Biotech. With her medicine and science background, she’s been actively engaged in Silicon Valley’s med tech startup sector since 2012. Dr. Chang’s track in Neurology while at USF ignited her particular interest in finding solutions for neurological pathologies. At ABC, she identifies and evaluates medical innovations to include on the ABC platform. Additionally, she designs and executes both preclinical and clinical research for technologies developed in-house or licensed. Dr. Chang graduated from University of California, Berkeley (BA with Honors) and University of South Florida (MD).

Suwitcha JogthongProject Manager
Project Manager

Suwitcha Jogthong

Suwitcha, Project Manager at Ascendant Biotech, has over 10 years of experience in therapeutic development in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. At ABC, Suwitcha manages R&D, non-clinical and clinical trials, and is responsible for maintaining the quality of supporting materials to submit to the Thai FDA. She previously led business operations at a pharmacy retailer and led clinical research for Khon Kaen University. As a member of the management team at Hospital Management Training & Development Institute (HMTDI) and at the Thai FDA, Suwitcha applied her scientific expertise in the areas of pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, and clinical pharmacology. Suwitcha graduated from Khon Kaen University (BPharm).
Siraphob PongkritsagornBusiness Analyst
Business Analyst

Siraphob Pongkritsagorn

Siraphob, Business Analyst at Ascendant Biotech, has years of experience in engineering project management in medical device manufacturing. As a Project Manager at Reckitt Benckiser, he managed several capital improvement projects in the healthcare sector and redesigned several production machines, resulting in significant savings and yield improvements. As a Management Consultant at PwC, he developed analytical tools for assessing client operations. Siraphob graduated from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University (BEng with Honors) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (MSc Finance).

ADVISORS

LEGAL TEAM

Brian DardzinskiAdvisor (Regenerative Medicines)
Advisor (Regenerative Medicines)

Brian Dardzinski

Brian is a seasoned medical industry executive with over 15 years of experience in the US and Asia’s Biotech and Stem Cell Industry. Most recently, Brian worked at Bumrungrad International Hospital to transform the development of their Regenerative Medicine Programs. Currently, he is a director of Regenerative Medicine Ltd. Brian graduated from Boston University (BA) and San Jose State University (MA).
Jittaporn Wattanaseree, Ph.D.Advisor (Regulatory Affairs)

Advisor (Regulatory Affairs)

Jittaporn Wattanaseree, Ph.D.

Dr. Jittaporn is a widely respected expert and academic in Thailand and serves as our strategic advisor for the Thai regulatory authority process and the Thai CMO search. She is fervently committed to advancing the state of biotech (especially vaccine technology) in Thailand, and we are grateful for her voluntary assistance.

Having worked in the fields of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical technologies since 1990, Dr. Jittaporn has extensive experience throughout all stages of vaccine development, starting from research to commercialization. Over the years, Dr. Jittaporn lectured, trained, coordinated and managed numerous institutions, initiatives, national research facilities and pilot plants, both locally and overseas. She graduated from Mahidol University (BSc and MSc) and Yale University (PhD).

DFDLLegal Team (General Corporate)
Legal Team (General Corporate)

DFDL

DFDL was established in 1994 and founded on a unique vision: to create an integrated legal and tax advisory firm, with in-depth knowledge of the Southeast Asia and South Asia markets. DFDL provides a full range of legal and tax services to investors interested in developing their operations in our markets.
ILCTLegal Team (Company Council for ICO)
Legal Team (Company Council for ICO)

ILCT

International Legal Counsellors Thailand (“ILCT”) is a one-stop service international law firm based in Bangkok, Thailand. With over half-century of experience in law practices, ILCT have earned reputation by consciously practicing in a group format and using personnel of diverse educational and technical backgrounds, most of which are multilingual (Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian and Spanish), forming teams to deal with each matter by applying diversified expertise. As a one-stop service law firm and through a unique inter-office matrix system, ILCT had developed a unique internationalist approach and able to provide tailored services to a wide cross-section of corporate and individual clients.

ADVISORS

Brian DardzinskiAdvisor (Regenerative Medicines)
Advisor (Regenerative Medicines)

Brian Dardzinski

Brian is a seasoned medical industry executive with over 15 years of experience in the US and Asia’s Biotech and Stem Cell Industry. Most recently, Brian worked at Bumrungrad International Hospital to transform the development of their Regenerative Medicine Programs. Currently, he is a director of Regenerative Medicine Ltd. Brian graduated from Boston University (BA) and San Jose State University (MA).
Jittaporn Wattanaseree Ph.D.Advisor (Regulatory Affairs)
Advisor (Regulatory Affairs)

Jittaporn Wattanaseree Ph.D.

Dr. Jittaporn is a widely respected expert and academic in Thailand and serves as our strategic advisor for the Thai regulatory authority process and the Thai CMO search. She is fervently committed to advancing the state of biotech (especially vaccine technology) in Thailand, and we are grateful for her voluntary assistance. Having worked in the fields of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical technologies since 1990, Dr. Jittaporn has extensive experience throughout all stages of vaccine development, starting from research to commercialization. Over the years, Dr. Jittaporn lectured, trained, coordinated and managed numerous institutions, initiatives, national research facilities and pilot plants, both locally and overseas. She graduated from Mahidol University (BSc and MSc) and Yale University (PhD).

LEGAL TEAM

DFDLLegal Team (General Corporate)
Legal Team (General Corporate)

DFDL

DFDL was established in 1994 and founded on a unique vision: to create an integrated legal and tax advisory firm, with in-depth knowledge of the Southeast Asia and South Asia markets. DFDL provides a full range of legal and tax services to investors interested in developing their operations in our markets.
ILCTLegal Team (Company Council for ICO)
Legal Team (Company Council for ICO)

ILCT

International Legal Counsellors Thailand (“ILCT”) is a one-stop service international law firm based in Bangkok, Thailand. With over half-century of experience in law practices, ILCT have earned reputation by consciously practicing in a group format and using personnel of diverse educational and technical backgrounds, most of which are multilingual (Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian and Spanish), forming teams to deal with each matter by applying diversified expertise. As a one-stop service law firm and through a unique inter-office matrix system, ILCT had developed a unique internationalist approach and able to provide tailored services to a wide cross-section of corporate and individual clients.