TechImmune Prepares to Start Clinical Trials
Orange County Business Journal – September 8th, 2025
JAMES F. YOUNG, PhD APPOINTED EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF TECHIMMUNE
Executive Chairman of TechImmune, effective August 1,2025.
Dr. Young brings an extraordinary depth of experience in vaccine science, immunology, and pharmaceutical development, with more than 40 years of leadership across academia, government initiatives, and the biotechnology industry. He has been a driving force in advancing vaccine innovation, regulatory strategy, and global health impact.
He was involved in the Operation Warp Speed effort, the U.S. government’s coordinated initiative to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution ofCOVID-19 vaccines during the height of the pandemic. He served as the Novavax Board of Directors Chairman in from 2011, until March of this year as the company emerged as a leading innovator with the development of Nuvaxovid, the only protein-based SARS CoV-2 vaccine marketed worldwide. Prior to Novavax, he served as President of Research and Development at MedImmune, where he oversaw the development of multiple products including, FluMist, the first intranasal influenza vaccine and Synagis to prevent respiratory synticial virus disease which was the first monoclonal antibody marketed for an infectious disease.
In 2005, he was honored with the Albert B. Sabin Humanitarian Award in recognition of his contributions to public health. Earlier in his career, Dr. Young helped establish and lead the Department of Molecular Genetics at SmithKline and French Laboratories (now part of GlaxoSmithKline) and served as a faculty member in the Department of Microbiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and General Sciences from Villanova University and earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. His expertise, vision, and unwavering commitment to medical innovation will be instrumental as TechImmune advances its mission to deliver transformative solutions for Long COVID and other immune-mediated conditions.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. James Young to TechImmune.
TECHIMMUNE was formed in 2021 and is developing a treatment for Long COVID- a medically urgent condition affecting over 10 million Americans for which no FDA-therapies currently exist. Using technology invented by Dr. Lbachir BenMohamed, a professor at University California, Irvine, the project has been a joint UCI-TechImmune effort, with animal model results meeting our initial expectations. We are now preparing to bring this program to the clinical testing stage. We believe our proven technology platform offers a novel immunological approach to this critical unmet medical need.
Read MoreBMC Public Health – “Prevalence of and factors associated with Long COVID among US adults: a nationwide survey”
A cross‑sectional study using the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System reports a 7.2 % age‑adjusted prevalence of Long COVID in US adults and 20.9 % among those with a history of COVID‑19.
CIDRAP – “Studies: 1 in 7 US working-age adults report Long COVID, with heaviest burden on the poor”
Analysis of Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data indicates about 35 million US adults (1 in 7 working-age adults) had experienced Long COVID by late 2023, with lost wages estimated at $211 billion–$218 billion.
ABC News – “5 years ago, the WHO declared COVID a pandemic. Here’s a look at the disease by the numbers”
According to a federal survey, 17.9 % of US adults (~47.6 million people) have experienced Long COVID, and 5.3 % (~14.1 million) are currently living with the condition. The article also notes that about 1.01 million children (1.4 %) have had Long COVID.
World Health Organization – “Post COVID‑19 condition (Long COVID)”
WHO explains that global data suggests roughly 6 % of people with COVID‑19 develop Long‑COVID symptoms, with about 15 % still symptomatic after a year.
University of Oxford – “New study highlights scale and impact of Long COVID”
Summary: A review in The Lancet reports Long COVID affects about 1.8 % of the UK population, with 71 % of those affected experiencing symptoms for more than a year.
