 | This articlecontainspromotional content. Please helpimprove it by removingpromotional language and inappropriateexternal links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from aneutral point of view.See ouradvice if the article is about you and read ourscam warning in case someone asks for money to edit this article.(October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Patrick Soon-Shiong | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_cropped.jpg) Soon-Shiong in 2014 | |||||||||||
| Born | (1952-07-29)July 29, 1952 (age 73) | ||||||||||
| Citizenship | South Africa United States[1] | ||||||||||
| Education | University of the Witwatersrand (MBBCh,MD) University of British Columbia (MSc) | ||||||||||
| Occupations |
| ||||||||||
| Known for | Inventor ofAbraxane Developer of transplant techniques forpancreatic islets | ||||||||||
| Title | Founder & CEO Nantworks LLC Owner ofLos Angeles Times Minority owner of Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||
| Spouse | Michele B. Chan | ||||||||||
| Children | 2, includingNika | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃馨祥 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄馨祥 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Patrick Soon-Shiong (Chinese:黄馨祥; born July 29, 1952) is a South African and American businessman, investor, medical researcher, and transplant surgeon. He is the inventor of the drugAbraxane, which is used forlung,breast, andpancreatic cancer. He has received US FDA approval for a new class of immunotherapy drug calledAnktiva in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer in 2024. Soon-Shiong is the founder of NantWorks, a network of healthcare, biotech, andartificial intelligence startups;[2] an adjunct professor of surgery and executive director of the Wireless Health Institute at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles; and a visiting professor atImperial College London andDartmouth College.[3][4][5] He is currently Executive Chairman, Global Chief Medical & Technology Officer at ImmunityBio.
Soon-Shiong is the chairman of Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, a non-profit foundation. He has been a minority owner of theLos Angeles Lakers since 2010, and since June 2018, he has been the owner and executive chairman of theLos Angeles Times.[6]
Soon-Shiong's net worth is US$12.0 billion as of 2025 according to theBloomberg Billionaires Index andForbes.[7] He has been called the richest man in Los Angeles and one of the wealthiest doctors in the world.[8]
Soon-Shiong was born inPort Elizabeth in theUnion of South Africa in present-daySouth Africa, toChinese immigrant parents who fled China during theJapanese occupation inWorld War II.[9][10] His parents wereHakka originally fromMeixian District inGuangdong province.[10][9] Hisancestral surname isHuang (黃).[10]
Soon-Shiong graduated from theUniversity of Witwatersrand, where he was fourth in his class of 189 and received a bachelor's degree in medicine (MBBCh) at age 23.[11] He completed his medical internship at Johannesburg's General Hospital.[12] He then studied at theUniversity of British Columbia, where he earned a master's degree in surgery in 1979.[13] He also has anM.D. fromUniversity of Witwatersrand.[14] He received research awards from theAmerican College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the American Association of Academic Surgery.[15]
He immigrated to the United States and began surgical training atUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and became a board-certified surgeon in 1984.[16] Soon-Shiong is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada) and aFellow of the American College of Surgeons.[15][3] He is a United States citizen.[Note 1][1][17]
Soon-Shiong served on the faculty of theUCLA Medical School from 1983 until 1991[18][3] as a transplant surgeon.[9] Between 1984 and 1987, he served as an associate investigator at the Center for Ulcer Research and Education.[3] Soon-Shiong performed the first whole-pancreas transplant done at UCLA.[19][20] He developed and first performed the experimentalType 1 diabetes-treatment known as encapsulated-human-islet transplant, and the "first pig-to-man islet-cell transplant in diabetic patients."[19] After a period in private industry, he returned to UCLA in 2009, serving as a professor of microbiology, immunology, molecular genetics, and bioengineering. Soon-Shiong was a visiting professor at Imperial College, London, in 2011.[21]
In 2010, in partnership withArizona State University and theUniversity of Arizona, Soon-Shiong established the Healthcare Transformation Institute (HTI).[22] HTI's mission is to promote a shift in health care in the United States by better integrating the three now separate domains of medical science, health delivery, and healthcare finance.[2][23]
In early 2016, Soon-Shiong launched the National Immunotherapy Coalition to encourage rival pharmaceutical companies to work together to test combinations of cancer-fighting drugs.[24] He also met withJoe Biden in 2015 to discuss approaches to fighting cancer, including conducting genomic sequencing of 100,000 patients to create a large database of potential genetic factors.[25]
In January 2017, as announced by press secretarySean Spicer, then President-electDonald Trump met with Soon-Shiong at Trump'sBedminster,New Jersey, estate to discuss national medical priorities.[26] According toPolitico, Soon-Shiong was seeking a cabinet position.[27] In May 2017, Soon-Shiong was appointed by House SpeakerPaul Ryan to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee, a committee established by the21st Century Cures Act.[28]
In 2017, Soon-Shiong and his wife were invited by theSmithsonian to be part of the permanent exhibit "Many Voices, One Nation" in theNational Museum of American History in Washington DC.[29]
By summer 2021, ImmunityBio had developed aT cell-inducing universalCOVID-19 vaccine booster shot that had reached Phase III trials in his native South Africa, with a stated goal of completely blocking transmission and stemming an endemic tide of COVID-19 variants.[30] In December 2021, Soon-Shiong shared pre-clinical results of giving two different vaccine platforms (heterologous) and showed beneficial T cell levels using anadenovirus andmRNA technology.[31]
In September 2021, Soon-Shiong and PresidentCyril Ramaphosa of South Africa announced via a virtual press conference a new venture called NantSA with NantWorks to expand the capability of vaccine development for Sub-Saharan Africa.[32] NantWorks has signed a collaboration agreement with the South African government'sCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research, theSouth African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation.[33]
In February 2022, Soon-Shiong announced results from ImmunityBio regarding a clinical trial in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with a 24.1 median duration and 71% complete remission.[34] The drug was approved by the FDA on April 2024 under the name nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln "ANKTIVA".[35]
Furthering cancer related studies, Soon-Shiong and colleagues identified a consistent association between absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and overall survival across multiple solid tumor types. Their analysis of data from the QUILT clinical trial program suggested that patients withlymphopenia (ALC <1.0 ×10³/μL) had markedly worse outcomes, and that restoration of ALC following treatment correlated with prolonged survival. To test whether lymphocyte restoration could be therapeutically induced, the group investigated nogapendekin alfa inbakicept (NAI, also known as N-803 and marketed as ANKTIVA), aninterleukin-15 (IL-15) superagonist designed to stimulate proliferation and activation ofnatural killer (NK) andCD8⁺ T cells without expandingregulatory T cells. In June 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grantedExpanded Access authorization for ANKTIVA in patients with solid tumors who had progressed after first-line therapy,[36] allowing its use for the treatment of lymphopenia and immune reconstitution in this setting. The work proposed that lymphopenia itself represents a modifiable pathophysiologic state rather than a byproduct of disease or treatment, positioning immune restoration through IL-15 agonism as a potential therapeutic strategy across malignancies.
In 1991, Soon-Shiong left UCLA to start a diabetes and cancer biotechnology firm called VivoRx Inc. This led to the founding in 1997 of APP Pharmaceuticals, of which he held 80% of the outstanding stock, and which was ultimately sold toFresenius SE for $4.6 billion in July 2008.[37] Soon-Shiong purchased Fujisawa, which sold injectable generic drugs, in 1998. Soon-Shiong later foundedAbraxis BioScience, with which he would develop Abraxane,[5] which took an existing chemotherapy drug,paclitaxel, and wrapped it in protein that made it easier to deliver to tumors. He became rich after it was approved by regulators and entered the market.[38] Abraxis was sold toCelgene in 2010 in a cash-and-stock deal valued at just $2.9 billion, earning Soon-Shiong about $533 million in profits.[39]
Soon-Shiong foundedNantHealth in 2007 to provide fiber-optic, cloud-based data infrastructure to share healthcare information.[40] Soon-Shiong went on to foundNantWorks in September 2011, whose mission was "to converge ultra-low power semiconductor technology, supercomputing, high performance, secure advanced networks and augmented intelligence to transform how we work, play, and live."[41][42] It owns a number of technology companies in the fields of healthcare, commerce, digital entertainment as well as aventure capital firm in the healthcare, education, science, and technology sectors. Particular technologies includemachine vision,object andvoice recognition,low powersemiconductors,supercomputing, and networking technologies.[43] In January 2013, he founded another biotech company,NantOmics, to develop cancer drugs based onprotein kinase inhibitors. NantOmics and its sister company, NantHealth, were subsidiaries of NantWorks.[44]
In 2013, Soon-Shiong became an early investor inZoom, the video conferencing company.[45]
In September 2014, NantWorks LLC, a company headed by Soon-Shiong, invested $2.5 million inAccuRadio.[46]
In 2015, Soon-Shiong's NantPharma purchased the drug Cynviloq from Sorrento Therapeutics for $90 million, including more than $1 billion in compensation for reaching regulatory and sales milestones.[47] Soon-Shiong did not push forward with FDA approval as the agreement dictated, and instead allowed critical patents and deadlines to lapse, presumably due to his financial interest in another drug that would compete with Cynviloq. This "catch and kill" method of eliminating competition follows a pattern of questionable business practices by Soon-Shiong,[48] and claims of "looting" by the celebrity actress and musicianCher.[49][50]
In 2015, NantWorks LLC invested in Wibbitz in their $8 million series B funding.[51] In July 2015, Soon-Shiong initiated anIPO for NantKwest (formerly ConkWest) that represented the highest value biotech IPO in history, at a market value of $2.6 billion.[52] In April 2016, theLos Angeles Times reported that Soon-Shiong received a pay package in 2015 from NantKwest worth almost $148 million, making him one of the highest paid CEOs.[53] Soon-Shiong is also a member of theBerggruen Institute's 21st Century Council.[54][55]
In September 2018, his company NantEnergy announced the development of azinc–air battery with a projected cost of $100 per kilowatt-hour, which is less than one-third the cost oflithium-ion batteries.[56]
In 2019, Soon-Shiong became an investor in Directa Plus, a European-based graphene-based technology company, where he owns 28 percent of the company.[57]
In early 2021, Soon-Shiong merged publicly traded NantKwest (NASDAQ: NK) with privately held ImmunityBio (formerly NantCell).[58] The new public entity after the merger is known as ImmunityBio, Inc., trading on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol IBRX.
In 2021, Soon-Shiong announced a new investment of $29 million in abiorenewables company called NantRenewables at SeaPoint inSavannah, Georgia.[59][60]
In January 2022, Soon-Shiong opened a new manufacturing facility and campus in Cape Town, South Africa with President Ramaphosa.[61] Soon-Shiong and his entities are reported to be investing over 4 billion RAND (~$250 million) into the continent.[62] In February, Soon-Shiong invested in Sienza, a lithium battery company inPasadena, California.[63]
In February 2018, Soon-Shiong's investment firm NantCapital reached a deal to purchaseLos Angeles Times andThe San Diego Union-Tribune fromTronc Inc. for "nearly $500 million in cash" as well as the assumption of $90 million in pension obligations.[64] Soon-Shiong, with this acquisition, became one of the first Asian-Americans to be amedia proprietor through ownership in a major daily newspaper in the United States.[65] The sale closed on June 18, 2018.[6]
In 2020, Soon-Shiong blocked the editorial board from making any endorsement in theDemocratic presidential primaries, overruling its intended endorsement ofElizabeth Warren; the paper did endorse Biden in the general election.[66]
During Soon-Shiong's ownership of theLos Angeles Times, his daughter,Nika Soon-Shiong, became interested in the newspaper and sought to influence coverage, in both the newsroom and opinion pages.[67] ManyTimes staffers expressed alarm at the younger Soon-Shiong's activity, which they viewed as meddling, including privately and publicly contacting staffers to advocate her views.[67]
In July 2023, Soon-Shiong sold theSan Diego Union-Tribune toMediaNews Group.[68][69]
In October 2024, as theLos Angeles Times editorial board was preparing to endorseKamala Harris in the2024 United States presidential election, Soon-Shiong blocked the newspaper from making any endorsement.[66][70] This was the first time since 2004 that the newspaper had not endorsed a presidential candidate.[66] In response to Soon-Shiong's decision to block the Harris endorsement, there was a wave of subscription cancellations, staff anger, and several members of the paper's editorial board resigned in protest including editorials editor Mariel Garza and two editorial writers,Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Greene and Karin Klein.[70][71]Harry Litman, a senior legal affairs columnist for the Times’ opinion page, also resigned stating, "My resignation is a protest and visceral reaction against the conduct of the paper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong."[72] Nearly 2,000 subscribers to the paper unsubscribed in the wake of the decision.[70] A day later,TheWrap reported that the Los Angeles Times editorial board had planned a series of articles tentatively titled "The Case Against Trump" which was killed by Soon-Shiong.[73][74]
In November 2024, theLos Angeles Times fired its entire editorial board, and Soon-Shiong announced plans to replace them with a new team. Soon-Shiong defended the restructuring for a "fair and balanced newspaper,” echoing theFox News slogan. Soon-Shiong further promised a "rebirth" for the newspaper, adding "Every American’s views should be heard."[75][76]
In December 2024, Soon-Shiong announced that theLos Angeles Times would employ anAI-poweredbias meter into the newspaper's coverage. The announcement came after Soon-Shiong expressed his desire to include moreconservative voices in the paper's opinion section, following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election.[72][77][78]
In January 2025, Soon-Shiong was accused of diverting the meaning of aLos Angeles Times op-ed which opposed theconfirmation ofRobert F. Kennedy Jr. asHealth and Human Services Secretary. Soon-Shiong had previously endorsed Kennedy Jr. for the role. The op-ed's author, Eric Reinhart, said that portions of his piece which explicitly called against the confirmation were cut out without his approval, shortly before publication.[79] One of the removed excerpts argued that Kennedy Jr. would "inflict preventable death on [millions of Americans]" due to his "egomaniacal disregard for scientific evidence".[80] The op-ed was published under the headline "Trump’s healthcare disruption could pay off — if he pushes real reform". In contrast, Reinhart's suggested title was "RFK Jr’s Wrecking Ball Won’t Fix Public Health". When the op-ed was published, Soon-Shiong shared it onX along with a comment saying that Kennedy Jr. was "our best chance of [pushing reform in the American healthcare system]".[79]
In October 2025, Soon-Shiong joinedThe Megyn Kelly Show to discuss theLos Angeles Times' refusal to publish an endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.[81] He also discussed taking theTimes public and other media trends.[82]
A 2017Politico report found that Soon-Shiong's research foundation, the Chan Soon-Shiong NantHealth Foundation, which he named after his wife, had spent over 70% on businesses and non-profit organizations he controlled. Furthermore, it found that most of its grants were awarded to organizations that did business with Soon-Shiong's companies. The Foundation also paid some employees from Soon-Shiong's companies, which is a potentially inappropriate use of charitable funds to cover unrelated businessoverhead.[27]
The foundation contributed a quarter of a $12 million donation by Soon-Shiong-controlled organizations to theUniversity of Utah to set up agene mapping project. Control over the grant specifications was given over to Soon-Shiong's donating organizations, and hisNantHealth company was awarded the $10 million contract.[27] A subsequent audit report by the Utah government found that the university had failed to follow the state's procurement laws requiring a competitive bidding process for public institutions.[83] Utah House SpeakerGreg Hughes described the audit as showing that the deal was "trying toCinderella-slipper something for one person, or for one entity".[84] The university accepted the results of the audit and said that its recommended changes would be made.[83]
The family foundation has partnered with theClinton Foundation.[27] In 2023, he was recognized as one of the 100 most influential celebrities in oncology by OncoDaily.[85]
Soon-Shiong and his family were major donors to theHillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign.[27] According toPolitico, Soon-Shiong twice met privately with Donald Trump during his 2016–2017presidential transition in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a position in the administration.[27]
Soon-Shiong is married to former actressMichele B. Chan.[86] They have two children, includingNika Soon-Shiong, and live inLos Angeles.[87] He has committed tothe Giving Pledge and has pledged to give away at least half of his wealth to philanthropy.[88]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)The first attempt to cure type 1 diabetes by pancreas transplantation was done at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, on December 17, 1966… [This] opened the door to a period, between the mid-[1970s] to mid-[1980s] where only segmental pancreatic grafts were used... In the late [1970s] – early [1980s], three major events… boosted the development of pancreas transplantation… [At] the Spitzingsee meetings, participants had the idea to renew the urinary drainage technique of the exocrine secretion of the pancreatic graft with segmental graft and eventually with whole pancreaticoduodenal transplant. That was clinically achieved during the mid-[1980s] and remained the mainstay technique during the next decade. In parallel, the Swedish group developed the whole pancreas transplantation technique with enteric diversion. It was the onset of the whole pancreas reign. The enthusiasm for the technique was moderated in its early phase due to the rapid development of liver transplantation and the need for sharing vascular structures between both organs, liver and pancreas. During the modern era of immunosuppression, the whole pancreas transplantation technique with enteric diversion became the gold standard… [for SPK, PAK, PTA].
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
