Cultivation Meets Enterprise: The Dual Life of Dr. Ethan Shen, Founder of JY BioMed

From left to right: Ethan Shen, PhD, Founder & Chairman of JY BioMed; Benjamin Zhang, MD, Chief Medical Officer; and Adam Chen, PhD, Chief Executive Officer.

In the world of biotechnology, Dr. Ethan Shen is more than a scientist and entrepreneur. As Founder and Chairman of JY BioMed, he leads a team at the frontier of immune cell and exosome research — yet behind the laboratory coat lies a deeply personal story: one of poverty overcome, grief transformed, and a rare philosophy that treats enterprise itself as a form of cultivation.

Dr. Shen was born in Yunlin, where adversity and struggle in his early years forged a character defined by resilience and determination. With years of experience in the biomedical industry, he has always pursued a deeper question: where does the true value of an enterprise lie?

Inspired by Japanese business philosopher Kazuo Inamori, Dr. Shen holds that an entrepreneur must unite spirit with mission to create genuine, lasting value. "Discipline gives me strength; enterprise gives me a stage." This belief informs not only his approach to leadership, but also the vision driving his scientific work.

"Business as Discipline" — His Core Conviction.

A Father's Passing — A Vow to Defeat Cancer

In 2017, the loss of his father to illness led Dr. Shen to make a solemn vow: to find a cure for cancer. He channeled his grief into action — returning to the laboratory in 2018 to pursue doctoral research at Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, with a focus on cancer vaccine development. In 2020, he established an immune cell therapy research platform aimed at strengthening humanity's defenses against disease. That vow remains the core driving force behind JY BioMed today.

"Practice gives me strength. The company gives me a stage. Together, they carry me further than either could alone." — Dr. Ethan Shen

He firmly believes that entrepreneurs who pursue financial metrics alone will eventually lose their way. Only when spirit and mission are unified can a company create genuine, lasting value. This conviction does not stop at philosophy — it flows directly into his path as a scientist.

A vow born from loss

In 2017, the passing of his father from illness became the defining turning point in Dr. Shen's life. In his grief, he made a vow: to find a way to defeat cancer. Drawing strength from Buddhist scripture and meditation, he channeled sorrow into mission. In 2018, he returned to the laboratory, entering the joint PhD program of Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica to pursue cancer vaccine research. When the pandemic arrived in 2020, he launched an immune cell therapy research platform — preparing for humanity's future immune defense. This vow became the deepest driving force behind JY BioMed's research.

JY BioMed: precision science, human purpose

At JY BioMed, Dr. Shen's team develops research-grade (RUO) immune cell and exosome products — including natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, γδT cells, and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes — designed to support the most demanding standards of global immunology, oncology, and regenerative medicine research. Every product carries the weight of his promise: not merely cells in a tube, but instruments of humanity's fight against disease.

"A company is not a cold set of numbers — it is a vehicle for realizing a mission. Practice and purpose have always been my compass."

The discipline of cultivation gave Dr. Shen a broader vision for business. No longer content to focus on Taiwan alone, he set his sights on bringing innovation to the global stage. In 2025, YD Bio Ltd successfully listed on the Nasdaq Global Market — a milestone that signaled Taiwan's biotech potential to the world. And in the moment the opening bell rang, what filled his mind was not financials or stock prices, but the conviction he carries within — and the unfinished wish of his father.

Looking ahead

JY BioMed will continue advancing the clinical development of γδT cell therapy and actively explore combination strategies with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The company is also expanding its technology portfolio — encompassing Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADC), stem cell therapy, and exosome technology — with the ambition of building a diversified, globally competitive biotech platform. Guided by mission, every step JY BioMed takes forward is a deeper act of commitment to science and to the founding spirit that started it all.