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Executive Leadership
Dr. Hongwei Cheng M.D., Ph.D.
As Founder and CEO, Dr. Hongwei Cheng brings over two decades of experience in preclinical and translational drug development, guiding pharmaceutical and biotech partners through the complex path from discovery to clinical validation. Under his leadership, TME Scientific has become a trusted CRO recognized for scientific precision, innovation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Before founding TME Scientific, Dr. Cheng spent many years conducting cancer research at BC Cancer. Some of his previous works include: collaborating with Harvard University to develop a preclinical breast cancer model that has since become widely adopted for therapeutic validation; establishing Patient Derived Xenographs (PDX) models for academic and industry demands etc. His extensive experience in oncology, immunology, and pharmacology continues to shape TME’s approach to model design, data interpretation, and translational strategy.
Beyond TME, Dr. Cheng is also the founder of PharmaPlanter Technologies, Onquera Therapeutics, Jachin Naturals and the Biotech Alliance of Pan Pacific (BioAPP)- initiatives dedicated to advancing innovative biotechnologies and fostering international scientific collaboration across North America and Asia. He has authored over 50 scientific papers in plastic surgery, cancer biology, disease modelling and drug discovery, with many of them published in prestigious journals including Nature, Cancer Cell, and Blood. He is the first scientist to discover that BMP9 is the most potent osteogenetic growth factor among all the 14 BMP protein family members.
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Na Li M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Translational Officer
As Chief Translational Officer, Dr. Na Li leads the integration of in vivo, in vitro, and molecular biology programs to advance cancer and immunotherapy research. She oversees translational study design, recombinant protein production, and preclinical model development- ensuring scientific precision and meaningful clinical relevance across every project.
With a career that spans China, Japan, the U.S., and Canada, Dr. Li has built a strong reputation among her peers as a respected scientist and mentor. Her work in immune-related disorders and oncology includes major contributions to prostate cancer research at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, where she focused on the molecular mechanisms driving castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
Known for her collaborative leadership and deep technical insight, Dr. Li continues to guide TME’s scientific direction and mentor the next generation of researchers working at the interface of discovery and translation.
Sunil Joseph Ph.D.
In Vitro Director
As Director of In Vitro Research, Dr. Sunil Joseph leads assay development, molecular pharmacology, and translational in vitro programs that bridge discovery science with preclinical validation.
He brings over eight years of research and leadership experience from the Jack Bell Research Centre and Applied Biological Materials (ABM), where he specialized in immunology, cellular modelling, and assay optimization. Before joining TME Scientific, Dr. Joseph founded and served as Chief Scientific Officer at his biotechnology start-up focused on advancing cellular assay innovation and custom R&D services. His entrepreneurial work gave him deep insight into bridging scientific innovation with commercial execution - a perspective he now applies to designing efficient, industry-ready in vitro workflows at TME Scientific.
Hannah Sanford-Crane Ph.D.
In Vivo Director (Consultant)
As Consulting Director of In Vivo Research, Dr. Hannah Sanford-Crane leads the design, optimization, and execution of preclinical studies that bridge discovery research to IND-enabling development. She specializes in in vivo model development, biomarker discovery, and translational pharmacology, helping biotech and pharmaceutical partners achieve data packages with both scientific depth and regulatory readiness.
Dr. Sanford-Crane brings extensive experience in preclinical pharmacology, having previously worked at Chinook Therapeutics (now part of Novartis), where she developed and characterized disease models in kidney and metabolic research. Her combined academic and industry background allows her to integrate mechanistic insights with practical study design, ensuring translational and reproducible outcomes.
Our Faces
Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Nahum Sonenberg,
Ph.D.
Scientific Advisory Board Chair
Dr. Poul Sorensen, M.D., Ph.D.
Scientific Advisory Board Member
