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.

Born in Yunlin, Taiwan, Dr. Shen's early years were shaped by hardship and resilience. The lessons of his youth — that knowledge and courage must walk hand in hand — became the foundation of everything he would build. As his career expanded across industries, he began asking a deeper question: how does one preserve inner clarity amid the noise of high-stakes decisions?

Spiritual practice as the foundation of leadership

Inspired by Japanese management philosopher Kazuo Inamori, Dr. Shen came to believe that running a company is itself a form of practice. He adopted a daily discipline of vegetarianism, tai chi, and meditation — not as personal rituals separate from work, but as the very foundation of how he leads. In a world that prizes speed and scale, he chose stillness as his competitive edge.

"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."

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.