Patrick Soon-Shiong

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Patrick Soon-Shiong
Soon-Shiong in 2014
Patrick Soon-Shiong
Born29 7, 1952
BirthplacePort Elizabeth, Union of South Africa
NationalitySouth African, American
OccupationPhysician, businessman, investor, medical researcher
TitleFounder & CEO, NantWorks LLC; Owner, Los Angeles Times; Executive Chairman, ImmunityBio
Known forInventor of Abraxane, developer of transplant techniques for pancreatic islets, owner of the Los Angeles Times
EducationUniversity of the Witwatersrand (MBBCh, MD)
Spouse(s)Michele B. Chan
Children2
AwardsTemplate:Unbulleted list

Patrick Soon-Shiong (Template:Zh; born July 29, 1952) is a South African-born American surgeon, medical researcher, businessman, and investor whose career has spanned transplant surgery, pharmaceutical development, biotechnology, and media ownership. He is the inventor of Abraxane, a nanoparticle albumin-bound form of paclitaxel used in the treatment of lung, breast, and pancreatic cancers, and is known for his early work developing transplant techniques for pancreatic islets. Soon-Shiong is the founder of NantWorks, a network of companies spanning healthcare, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence, and serves as Executive Chairman and Global Chief Medical & Technology Officer at ImmunityBio, a commercial-stage immunotherapy company. He is also an adjunct professor of surgery and executive director of the Wireless Health Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a visiting professor at Imperial College London and Dartmouth College.[1] Since 2010, he has been a minority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, and in June 2018 he became the owner and executive chairman of the Los Angeles Times.[2] His career, which began in academic medicine in South Africa, has been shaped by an interest in combining scientific research with large-scale commercial enterprise, and his ventures have generated both considerable financial wealth and scrutiny from the scientific and business communities.

Early Life

Patrick Soon-Shiong was born on July 29, 1952, in Port Elizabeth, in the Union of South Africa. He is of Chinese descent; his parents were immigrants from China who had settled in South Africa.[3] Growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, Soon-Shiong was classified as "Chinese," which placed his family in a legally disadvantaged position under the country's racial classification system. Despite the social and political constraints of the period, he pursued an education in medicine, entering university studies at a young age.

Soon-Shiong enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, one of South Africa's leading research universities. He completed his medical degree (MBBCh) at Witwatersrand, followed by a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the same institution.[4] He completed his undergraduate medical training and earned his degrees at a relatively young age, which led to early entry into the surgical profession.

After completing his medical training in South Africa, Soon-Shiong relocated to North America to pursue further surgical training and academic work. He undertook surgical residency and fellowship programs in Canada and the United States, eventually obtaining fellowship qualifications including Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCS(C)) and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).[5] His early clinical and research interests centered on transplant surgery, particularly involving the pancreas and pancreatic islets, laying the groundwork for what would become a career straddling medicine and business.

Education

Soon-Shiong received his primary medical education at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he obtained both a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) degree and a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.[4] The University of the Witwatersrand has recognized him as one of its distinguished alumni.[4] Following his graduation, he pursued postgraduate surgical training in Canada and the United States, achieving fellowship status in both the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and the American College of Surgeons.[5] His academic career later extended to teaching positions at UCLA, where he became an adjunct professor of surgery, and visiting professorships at Imperial College London and Dartmouth College.[1]

Career

Early Medical and Research Career

Soon-Shiong's early career was rooted in academic medicine and transplant surgery. After completing his surgical training, he joined the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he became involved in surgical research. His work at UCLA focused on transplant techniques for pancreatic islets, with the goal of developing treatments for diabetes. This research contributed to the advancement of techniques for transplanting insulin-producing cells as a potential therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes.[6]

His academic career at UCLA would continue in various forms throughout the following decades, and he maintained his affiliation with the university as an adjunct professor of surgery and as executive director of the Wireless Health Institute.[1][7]

Pharmaceutical Ventures and Abraxane

Soon-Shiong transitioned from academic medicine into pharmaceutical development, founding a series of companies focused on drug development and healthcare technology. His most commercially significant pharmaceutical achievement was the invention of Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel), a chemotherapy drug that uses nanoparticle albumin-bound technology to deliver the cancer-fighting agent paclitaxel. The drug was developed to improve upon conventional formulations of paclitaxel, which required the use of a solvent called Cremophor EL that caused significant side effects in patients. By binding paclitaxel to albumin nanoparticles, Abraxane was designed to be administered without the solvent, potentially reducing adverse reactions and improving the drug's delivery to tumors.[8]

Abraxane received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of breast cancer and was subsequently approved for non-small-cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. The drug became a significant commercial product in oncology.

Soon-Shiong's pharmaceutical company, Abraxis BioScience, was the entity through which Abraxane was developed and commercialized. In 2010, Celgene Corporation acquired Abraxis BioScience, a deal that represented a major financial event in Soon-Shiong's career. The acquisition provided him with a substantial stake in Celgene as well as cash proceeds.[9]

Prior to the Abraxis sale, Soon-Shiong had also founded American Pharmaceutical Partners (APP), a company focused on injectable pharmaceutical products. In 2008, German healthcare company Fresenius SE agreed to acquire APP for up to $4.6 billion, another major transaction that contributed significantly to Soon-Shiong's wealth.[10]

NantWorks and Biotechnology Ventures

Following the sale of Abraxis BioScience and APP, Soon-Shiong channeled his resources into building a network of companies under the umbrella of NantWorks LLC. Founded in 2011, NantWorks was structured as a holding company for a collection of healthcare, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence startups. The organization's stated mission was to apply data science, genomics, and proteomics to transform healthcare delivery and cancer treatment.[11][12]

The NantWorks ecosystem included numerous subsidiary companies. One of the most prominent was NantKwest (later renamed ImmunityBio), which focused on harnessing natural killer cells for immunotherapy. NantKwest went public in July 2015, and its shares experienced a significant increase on the first day of trading.[13]

Soon-Shiong's involvement in broader cancer research coalitions also drew attention. In 2016, he participated in efforts to build coalitions for testing combination cancer drugs, working alongside other researchers and institutions to advance immunotherapy approaches.[14]

ImmunityBio and Anktiva

ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX), formerly NantKwest, became the central vehicle for Soon-Shiong's immunotherapy ambitions. The company developed Anktiva (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), an immunotherapy drug designed to activate the body's immune system, particularly natural killer (NK) cells and T cells, to fight cancer. In 2024, Anktiva received FDA approval for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, representing a new class of immunotherapy drug.[15]

Soon-Shiong has served as Executive Chairman and Global Chief Medical & Technology Officer at ImmunityBio. The company has pursued expanded applications for Anktiva in other cancer types, though this process has been subject to scrutiny. In January 2026, STAT News reported that Soon-Shiong had mischaracterized the nature of talks with the FDA regarding the drug's expanded approval, with sources indicating discrepancies between the company's public statements and the agency's communications.[16] Earlier, in September 2025, STAT also published an analysis questioning claims made by ImmunityBio regarding its cancer treatment results.[17]

Despite the scrutiny, Soon-Shiong has continued to advocate for immunotherapy-based approaches to cancer treatment. In December 2025, he discussed the use of NK cells to treat tumors without chemotherapy, describing what he characterized as a paradigm shift in the treatment of women's cancers.[18] In February 2026, ImmunityBio announced that Soon-Shiong would speak at the Milken Institute and Richard Nixon Foundation "Cancer 2035: A Roadmap for the Future" summit alongside Nobel laureates, former NIH directors, and oncology researchers.[19]

Executive Compensation

Soon-Shiong's compensation as a chief executive attracted attention. In 2016, the Los Angeles Times reported on his CEO pay, which placed him among the highest-compensated executives in the region.[20]

Media Ownership: Los Angeles Times

In February 2018, it was announced that Soon-Shiong had agreed to acquire the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune from Tronc (formerly Tribune Publishing) for $500 million in cash. The deal, which closed in June 2018, made Soon-Shiong the owner and executive chairman of one of the largest and most historic newspapers in the United States.[2]

The acquisition was a significant event in American media, as it returned the Los Angeles Times to local ownership after years under the control of corporate media conglomerates. Bloomberg News noted the scale of Soon-Shiong's investment in the Los Angeles community, reporting on his $500 million commitment to the city and his acquisition of major local institutions.[21]

As owner of the Times, Soon-Shiong has taken an active role in the newspaper's direction, which has generated public discussion about the intersection of media ownership and his other business interests, particularly in healthcare and biotechnology.

Los Angeles Lakers

Since 2010, Soon-Shiong has held a minority ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, the storied National Basketball Association franchise. His investment in the team added to his profile as a significant figure in the Los Angeles business and civic landscape.

Global Policy Engagement

Soon-Shiong has participated in global policy discussions through his membership in the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council, a body that brings together political leaders, business figures, and scholars to address global governance challenges.[22]

Personal Life

Patrick Soon-Shiong is married to Michele B. Chan, a filmmaker and philanthropist. The couple has two children, including their daughter Nika.[3] The family resides in the Los Angeles area.

Soon-Shiong and his wife established the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organization. Through the foundation, they have directed funds toward healthcare, education, and community development initiatives.[15]

Soon-Shiong holds dual citizenship in South Africa and the United States. His personal wealth, derived primarily from the sales of his pharmaceutical companies and his ongoing business interests, has placed him among the wealthiest individuals in the United States. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes have estimated his net worth at approximately US$16.6 billion as of 2026.

In terms of industry innovation, Fast Company profiled the analysis of Soon-Shiong's approach to value creation through medicine, examining how his career trajectory combined scientific research with commercial enterprise on a large scale.[23]

Recognition

In December 2025, ImmunityBio announced that Soon-Shiong had been named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Oncology in 2025," a recognition of his work in immunotherapy and cancer drug development.[24]

The University of the Witwatersrand has recognized Soon-Shiong as one of its distinguished alumni, noting his achievements in medicine and business following his graduation from the institution.[4]

His invitation to speak at the Milken Institute and Richard Nixon Foundation "Cancer 2035" summit in 2026, alongside Nobel laureates and former NIH directors, reflected his standing within the oncology policy community.[19]

Soon-Shiong's career has attracted a range of assessments. His supporters point to the FDA approval of Abraxane and Anktiva as evidence of meaningful contributions to cancer treatment. At the same time, investigative reporting by STAT News and other outlets has raised questions about the accuracy of certain claims made by his companies regarding clinical trial results and regulatory interactions.[16][17] This duality — between significant pharmaceutical achievements and ongoing critical scrutiny — has characterized his public profile.

Legacy

Patrick Soon-Shiong's career represents an intersection of medical research, pharmaceutical entrepreneurship, and media ownership that is unusual in scope. His invention of Abraxane introduced nanoparticle albumin-bound drug delivery technology into mainstream oncology, and the drug has been used in the treatment of multiple cancer types worldwide. The FDA approval of Anktiva in 2024 for bladder cancer added another approved therapeutic to his record, extending his contributions into the field of immunotherapy.

His founding of NantWorks and its subsidiary companies reflected an ambition to build a vertically integrated healthcare technology platform, combining genomics, data analytics, and drug development. Whether this model will produce the transformative results that Soon-Shiong has described remains a subject of ongoing evaluation by the scientific and investment communities.

His acquisition of the Los Angeles Times placed him in a dual role as both a major healthcare industry figure and a media proprietor in one of America's largest cities. The purchase returned the newspaper to local ownership and made Soon-Shiong one of the most prominent media owners in the Western United States.[2]

As an immigrant from apartheid-era South Africa who built a multibillion-dollar portfolio of companies and acquired one of the nation's most prominent newspapers, Soon-Shiong's trajectory has been the subject of attention from both the business press and the medical community. His continued role at ImmunityBio, combined with his ownership of the Los Angeles Times and his minority stake in the Lakers, makes him one of the most visible figures in Los Angeles business and civic life.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Patrick Soon-Shiong".UCLA Institute for Technology Advancement.http://www.ita.ucla.edu/patrick-soon-shiong/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Los Angeles Times sold to local billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong".Los Angeles Times.http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-los-angeles-times-sold-20180207-story.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Patrick Soon-Shiong".GoldSea.http://goldsea.com/Text/index.php?id=10298.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Patrick Soon-Shiong – Wits Alumni Achievers".University of the Witwatersrand.https://web.archive.org/web/20150413112812/https://www.wits.ac.za/alumni/news/achievers/3329/patrick_soon_shiong.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., FRCS(C), FACS".NantKwest.http://nantkwest.com/project/patrick-soon-shiong-m-d-frcs-c-facs/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. ↑ "Patrick Soon-Shiong CV".UCLA California NanoSystems Institute.http://www1.cnsi.ucla.edu/INC5/cv/SoonShiongPatrickCV.pdf.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ↑ "Advisory Board – Patrick Soon-Shiong".UCLA Institute for Technology Advancement.http://www.ita.ucla.edu/people/advisory-board/patrick-soon-shiong.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. ↑ "Patrick Soon-Shiong".Forbes.2003-10-06.https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/1006/126.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Celgene Closes Abraxis Acquisition".Los Angeles Business Journal.2010-10-18.http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2010/oct/18/celgene-closes-abraxis-acquisition/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ↑ "Fresenius Agrees to Buy APP for Up to $4.6 Billion".Bloomberg News.2008-07-07.https://web.archive.org/web/20160827004201/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2008-07-07/fresenius-agrees-to-buy-app-for-up-to-4-6-billion.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. ↑ "Soon-Shiong's Big Rollup Gets a Name: NantWorks".MobiHealthNews.http://mobihealthnews.com/13083/soon-shiongs-big-rollup-gets-a-name-nantworks.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ↑ MoukheiberZinaZina"Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong Wants To Remake The U.S. Health Care System".Forbes.2011-11-10.https://www.forbes.com/sites/zinamoukheiber/2011/11/10/billionaire-patrick-soon-shiong-wants-to-remake-the-u-s-health-care-system/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ↑ "NantKwest Shares Pop in First Day Trading".The Wall Street Journal.2015-07-28.https://www.wsj.com/articles/nantkwest-shares-pop-in-first-day-trading-1438096121.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  14. ↑ "Cancer Coalition for Combination Drugs".STAT.2016-01-11.https://www.statnews.com/2016/01/11/cancer-coalition-combination-drugs/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Patrick Soon-Shiong: Seeing is Believing – A Paradigm Change in Cancer Treatment".Oncodaily.2026-01.https://oncodaily.com/voices/patrick-soon-shiong-442258.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "ImmunityBio's Soon-Shiong mischaracterized talks with FDA over cancer drug, sources say".STAT.2026-01-29.https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/immunitybio-soon-shiong-anktiva-bladder-cancer/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Piercing the hype around Patrick Soon-Shiong's 'Bioshield' cancer treatment".STAT.2025-09-11.https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/11/soon-shiong-immunitybio-cancer-trial-results/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  18. ↑ "The Immune System as the Cure: A Paradigm Shift in Women's Cancers".Los Angeles Times.2025-12-14.https://www.latimes.com/b2b/business-visionaries/inspirational-women/story/2025-12-14/patrick-soon-shiong-immunotherapy-cancer-treatment.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "ImmunityBio Founder Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong to Speak at Milken Institute and Richard Nixon Foundation "Cancer 2035: A Roadmap for the Future" Summit".MarketWatch.2026-02-24.https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/immunitybio-founder-dr-patrick-soon-shiong-to-speak-at-milken-institute-and-richard-nixon-foundation-cancer-2035-a-roadmap-for-the-future-summit-3740dcc7.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Soon-Shiong CEO Pay".Los Angeles Times.2016-04-28.http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0428-soon-shiong-ceo-pay-20160428-story.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ "'Homeless' Billionaire Gets L.A. Welcome After $500 Million Gift".Bloomberg News.2016-05-04.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-04/-homeless-billionaire-gets-l-a-welcome-after-500-million-gift.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  22. ↑ "21st Century Council Members".Berggruen Institute.http://governance.berggruen.org/councils/21st-century-council/members.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  23. ↑ "Shawn Baldwin Analyzes Patrick Soon-Shiong's Value Creation Through Medicine".Fast Company.http://www.fastcompany.com/3006413/innovation-agents/shawn-baldwin-analyzes-patrick-soon-shiongs-value-creation-through-medicin.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  24. ↑ "ImmunityBio Founder Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong Recognized as One of the "100 Most Influential People in Oncology in 2025"".ImmunityBio.2025-12-29.https://immunitybio.com/immunitybio-founder-dr-patrick-soon-shiong-recognized-as-one-of-the-100-most-influential-people-in-oncology-in-2025/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.

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