CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 6, 2026
Nona Biosciences, a global biotechnology company specializing in biotherapeutic discovery and AI-driven drug development technologies, has announced the appointment of Dr. Josh Xiao as its new Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). The strategic leadership appointment is expected to strengthen the company’s global scientific capabilities, accelerate innovation across its drug discovery platforms, and expand its long-term position within the rapidly evolving biotechnology and precision medicine sectors.
Dr. Xiao will operate across both the United States and China and report directly to Dr. Di Hong, Chief Executive Officer of Nona Biosciences. In his new role, he will oversee the company’s global scientific strategy, support the advancement of next-generation therapeutic technologies, and guide the continued evolution of Nona’s integrated biotechnology platforms, including the company’s Hu-mAtrIx™ AI-driven drug discovery platform.
Nona Expands AI-Driven Drug Discovery Strategy
Nona Biosciences stated that Dr. Xiao will play a central role in strengthening the company’s scientific innovation roadmap while advancing platform integration and ecosystem collaboration across its global operations. A major focus of his leadership responsibilities will involve enhancing Nona’s proprietary technology platforms designed to support antibody discovery, translational medicine, and next-generation therapeutic development.
The company highlighted the importance of its Hu-mAtrIx™ artificial intelligence platform, which leverages advanced computational technologies to accelerate therapeutic discovery and optimize biologics development. Nona believes the integration of AI with antibody engineering and preclinical drug development capabilities will continue to drive competitive advantages in the global biotechnology market.
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In addition to scientific leadership responsibilities, Dr. Xiao will oversee Nona’s global Project Leaders organization, helping establish scalable development frameworks aimed at improving scientific execution, resource integration, and collaboration with biopharmaceutical partners worldwide. The company stated that these initiatives are intended to strengthen operational efficiency while enhancing support for drug discovery and translational research programs across multiple disease areas.
Veteran Biotech Executive Brings 25 Years of Industry Experience
According to Nona Biosciences, Dr. Xiao brings more than 25 years of drug discovery and biotechnology leadership experience spanning both major pharmaceutical companies and emerging biotech startups. He previously served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at RA Ventures, the healthcare incubator of RA Capital, and co-founded Starfish Medicines, where he contributed to advancing innovative therapeutic development programs.
Before joining Nona, Dr. Xiao held scientific leadership roles at several major biopharmaceutical organizations including Amgen, Tularik, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, gaining expertise across target discovery, antibody engineering, translational medicine, and Investigational New Drug (IND) filing strategies. His scientific background also includes extensive experience in biologics development and novel therapeutic platform design.
Dr. Di Hong stated that the appointment comes at a critical growth stage for Nona Biosciences as the company continues expanding its global scientific leadership and technology platform capabilities. He emphasized that Dr. Xiao’s track record in building high-performing research teams and advancing innovative therapeutic programs would support the company’s long-term strategy focused on delivering high-quality scientific innovation for global partners.
Nona Strengthens Global Biotherapeutics Innovation Platform
Nona Biosciences continues to position itself as a major biotechnology innovator focused on advancing next-generation biotherapeutics through integrated discovery and development platforms. The company’s proprietary Harbour Mice® technology platforms are designed to generate fully human monoclonal antibodies and heavy-chain-only antibodies supporting a broad range of therapeutic modalities including bispecific antibodies, CAR-T therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), multispecific antibodies, and mRNA therapeutics.
The company also integrates technologies such as single-B cell screening, NonaCarFx™, and AI-driven discovery systems to support end-to-end preclinical drug development services. Nona stated that its expanding biotechnology ecosystem is designed to accelerate therapeutic innovation while enabling partners to advance novel biologics programs from early-stage research through preclinical development and Investigational New Drug submission readiness.
As biotechnology companies increasingly adopt AI-enabled drug discovery and antibody engineering technologies, executive appointments focused on scientific leadership and platform innovation are becoming critical drivers of long-term competitiveness within the global biopharmaceutical industry.
Source: Nona Biosciences press release
