Dr. Jon Weidanz, MPH, Ph.D., Joins BioNTX Board of Directors

ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BioNTX, the bioscience and healthcare innovation trade organization in North Texas, is proud to announce the appointment of Jon Weidanz, MPH, Ph.D., as its newest member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Weidanz brings an impressive wealth of experience, including extensive knowledge in immunology and immunotherapy research, a distinguished teaching career, a visionary biotech leader, and as a successful biotech entrepreneur. His addition to the board underscores BioNTX's commitment to innovation and excellence in the biotechnology industry.

Dr. Jon Weidanz is currently an Associate Vice President for Research leading strategic initiatives in BioHealth, a tenured Professor at the University of Texas Arlington, in both the College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the College of Engineering, and an esteemed member of the Multi-Professional Center for Health Informatics at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Furthermore, he founded the North Texas Genome Center at UTA in 2018 and served as its director until 2022. Dr. Weidanz's exceptional leadership in academia, groundbreaking research and licensed inventions has earned him membership in the National Academy of Inventors and a well-deserved reputation in the biotechnology community.

Throughout his career, Dr. Weidanz has been a prolific contributor to the field of biotechnology, with over 60 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and published conference proceedings. He holds numerous patents, awarded and pending, including those successfully licensed to industry. Notably, during his tenure at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Dr. Weidanz was honored as a Distinguished Professor and received accolades for his teaching achievements.

Dr. Weidanz is an accomplished biotech entrepreneur.  He has co-founded four startups that have focused on discovering disease targets and inventing novel antibody-based therapeutics for treating cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. His most recent startup exit in September 2021, Abexxa Biologics, a pre-clinical stage immunotherapy company co-founded by Dr. Weidanz, was acquired by the German pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Weidanz continues to work with industry, serving as a consultant for several biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

"I am excited and honored to join BioNTX and contribute to its mission of advancing healthcare through cutting-edge biotechnology," expressed Dr. Jon Weidanz. "I look forward to collaborating with BioNTX's accomplished team and leveraging our collective expertise to drive innovation in the field."

BioNTX continues to demonstrate its commitment to attracting top-tier talent and expanding its capabilities to revolutionize healthcare and bioscience.

About BioNTX

BioNTX works to build a strong life science community through collaborative peer to peer networking events, high-level educational programming, supporting companies with a purchasing consortium and by being the voice and champion for the North Texas biosciences and healthcare innovation community.

Media Contact: Kathleen M. Otto – [email protected]

SOURCE BioNTX