Who needs Elon Musk if we have Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong?
I expect the same is true for most nations, but South Africans thrive on stories of their fellow countrymen and women conquering the world. From the entertainment world, people like Charlize Theron and Trevor Noah are prime examples. And we L-O-O-O-V-E them for it. Perhaps our shared culture and heritage can propel us to similar heights, we wonder? More broadly, they “give us hope”, a phrase that’s been doing the rounds.
We’d love to lay claim to Elon Musk, arguably the most famous pioneer on the planet at this point, but regrettably, he’s cut ties with his country of origin. But who needs Elon when we have Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, a remarkable South African operating mostly below the radar (in South Africa at least). I only found out about him this week, thanks to a referral from a Building Blocks reader (thanks Nic!). Today I’m sharing a snapshot of an inspiring man who has dedicated his life to improving human lives. Amongst many other achievements, he’s a billionaire that’s fought cancer, worked with NASA, advised US presidents, acquired newspapers and basketball teams and, most recently, has set his sights on helping South Africa and the rest of the world fight Covid-19.
Grab a cup of coffee ☕️ and enjoy today’s edition.
From China 🇨🇳 to Africa 🇿🇦
The son of Chinese immigrants, Soon-Shiong was born in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), a small coastal town in South Africa. His folks were of Hakka origin (a Chinese ethnic group) and made their way to South Africa following the Japanese invasion of China during WW2. His father was a shopkeeper and a herbalist who concocted remedies for anyone who would knock on the door of the family home with a cough or a fever. This was Soon-Shiong’s first exposure to the human body’s miraculous self-healing capabilities.
According to Soon-Shiong, he was formed by his South African upbringing. Born in 1952, he describes his childhood as strangely normal despite growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa, where he was neither black nor white. Segregation laws didn’t impact his circle of friends that included kids from white, black, Indian, and Chinese homes. But from a young age, he recognized that the odds were stacked against him and his non-white friends. This made him appreciate the underdog's dignity and strength, and fighting for the underdog has remained close to his heart since. Despite the hardship and inequity, he recalls that those around him were happy and believes that South Africans are, in essence, happy people.
Patrick becomes Dr Soon-Shiong 🩺
At the tender age of 16, Soon-Shiong went to medical school at the University of Witwatersrand, where he graduated as one of the top students. Following his studies, he interned at the Johannesburg General Hospital and was the first person of Chinese origin allowed to work in a white hospital. However, he received only half the salary of his white peers and his admission required government approval. Soon-Shiong recounts a story of a white cancer patient who had been gravely ill in the hospital for three weeks, but refused to be treated by a Chinese doctor. It was only after an intervention from a ranking doctor that the man agreed to be treated by Soon-Shiong. To the patient’s amazement, Soon-Shiong successfully treated him and, after that, the patient walked around the hospital proclaiming: “Make sure that the Chinese doctor examines you!” (the man used more derogatory language).
During this time, he volunteered to help treat students shot or beaten during the 1976 Soweto Uprisings and worked in tuberculosis clinics in the Eastern Cape in the most basic of conditions. His time as a young doctor in South Africa shaped him as a physician and nurtured his interest in using technology in medicine.
At the University of Witwatersrand, he met his wife Michele, another South African from the Eastern Cape with Chinese origins. Like him, Michele had to fight hard for what she wanted and was the first Chinese student in a South African drama school - her admission too required approval from the interior minister. Michele and Patrick have been married since 1977, and she has been pivotal to his success.
The American Deam 🇺🇸
The newlywed couple made their way to Vancouver, Canada in the late ’70s for Patrick’s junior residency. Their time in Canada was brief, and Soon-Shiong was soon recruited to Los Angeles, where he became the youngest ever professor of surgery at UCLA. By the age of thirty, he did the first successful pancreas transplant on the west coast of America. He also worked on stem cell and nanotechnology at NASA, performing experiments as part of the Shuttle Program. This experience gave Soon-Shiong a unique insight into the human immune system, which has underpinned everything he has done in medicine.
Soon-Shiong ventured into business in the early ’90s and founded VivoRx, a company focused on diabetes treatment. In no time, the company was raking in millions in investments from drugmakers. Soon-Shiong believed that he could use his approach to diabetes to fight cancer, so he founded two more companies, American Pharmaceutical Partners and Abraxis BioScience. Here he developed various medical treatments, most notably Abraxane, that became a blockbuster for its efficacy in cancer treatment. In 2010, Soon-Shiong sold American Pharmaceutical Partners for $4.6 billion and Abraxis BioScience for $3.8 billion.
Of course, he didn’t stop there. He has since founded other companies, including NantWorks, a company devoted to transforming healthcare and using artificial intelligence to win the war against cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Soon-Shiong is the wealthiest doctor on earth and, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal, the richest man in Los Angeles with a net worth exceeding $20 billion. (Elon Musk claimed this spot until his recent move to Texas.)
Basketball 🏀 and Newspapers 🗞
Soon-Shiong is a huge basketball fan and has been a minority shareholder in the LA Lakers since 2010, arguably the most renowned basketball team in America. Here he developed a close relationship with superstar player Kobe Bryant who tragically passed away in 2020. Soon-Shiong was a mentor to the athlete, and Bryant insisted on hugging Soon-Shiong before each home game as he believed it brought him luck. Here’s a short video from Soon-Shiong following Bryant’s passing.
As a youngster in South Africa, Soon-Shiong religiously read The Herald (the oldest newspaper in SA) and The Evening Post and considered them to have played a vital role in his education during Apartheid. He regards newspapers as critical to democracy and a key tool for the public good. He maintained this passion for newspapers and acquired the Los Angeles Times and its sister paper, the San Diego Tribune, in 2018 for $500 million.
With the Los Angeles Times, Soon-Shiong’s goal is to redefine the American newspaper, but he appreciates that there is a lot that needs to be done to catch up with east coast publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Thanks to his South African upbringing, he is no stranger to racial injustice and champions diversity in his organisation, from the newsroom to the editorial level.
Covid-19 💉 and giving back to SA 🙏
Most recently, Soon-Shiong has set his sights on Covid-19. Immunity Bio Inc, a company in which he has an 82% stake, is developing a “second-generation vaccine” called hAd5. Soon-Shiong points out that the first-generation RNA antibody vaccines have been great in reducing the death rate and lightening the load on the hospitals, but don’t prevent transmissions that could lead to further virus mutations. He advises that a booster T Cell DNA vaccine is needed on top of the first generation RNA antibody vaccines to kill or clear the infected cell, thus preventing transmission and providing long-term immunity. Due to its efficacy in preventing transmission, he also fiercely (and logically) argues the continued use of a mask despite receiving the first-generation vaccination. For more on this, check out the video below:
Immunity Bio Inc has started trials in the USA and South Africa. In addition, Soon-Shiong has pledged R3 billion ($200 million) to create a biotech hub in South Africa that will bolster the country’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
I hope that Dr Soon-Shiong’s story inspired you in the same way as it has me. I’ll most definitely be following what he gets up to more closely.
If you have some time to kill this Friday morning, here is an extended interview with him.
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