Patrick Soon-Shiong

Patrick Soon-Shiong
Born	(1952-07-29) July 29, 1952 Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, investor, medical scientist, transplant surgeon
Years active	1983–present
Known for	Creator of Abraxane; founder of NantWorks; owner of Los Angeles Times

Patrick Soon-Shiong (born July 29, 1952) is a South African-American entrepreneur, investor, medical scientist, and transplant surgeon. He is credited with creating the drug Abraxane, which is utilized in treating lung cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Soon-Shiong established NantWorks, an interconnected group of startups focusing on healthcare, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence. He holds the position of adjunct professor of surgery and serves as executive director of the Wireless Health Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. Additionally, he is a visiting professor at both Imperial College London and Dartmouth College.

He leads three charitable organizations: the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, dedicated to funding research on healthcare and education accessibility; the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, which concentrates on the dissemination of healthcare information; and the Healthcare Transformation Institute, a collaborative effort with the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. Since 2010, he has been a minority stakeholder in the Los Angeles Lakers, and from June 2018 onward, he has owned and acted as executive chairman of the Los Angeles Times.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Soon-Shiong's net worth was estimated at US$11.3 billion in 2025. He is acknowledged as the wealthiest individual in Los Angeles and ranks among the richest physicians worldwide.

Early life and education

Born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Soon-Shiong is the son of Chinese immigrants who escaped China during World War II's Japanese occupation. His family traces its roots to the Hakka community in Guangdong province, with the ancestral surname Huang (黃).

He earned his medical degree (MBBCh) from the University of Witwatersrand by age 23 and completed his internship at Johannesburg's General Hospital. In 1979, he obtained a master's degree from the University of British Columbia and later earned an M.D. from Witwatersrand. His research achievements have been recognized by honors from the American College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the American Association of Academic Surgery.

After relocating to the United States, he completed surgical training at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), achieving board certification in 1984. He is a Fellow of both the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada) and the American College of Surgeons. Soon-Shiong holds U.S. citizenship.

Career

Soon-Shiong began his tenure at UCLA Medical School in 1983 as a transplant surgeon until 1991. Between 1984 and 1987, he contributed as an associate investigator at the Center for Ulcer Research and Education. He performed UCLA’s inaugural whole-pancreas transplant and pioneered experimental encapsulated-human-islet transplantation, including conducting the first pig-to-human islet-cell transplant for diabetic patients. After spending time in private industry, he returned to UCLA in 2009 as a professor specializing in microbiology, immunology, molecular genetics, and bioengineering. In 2011, he served as a visiting professor at Imperial College London.

In 2010, Soon-Shiong co-established the Healthcare Transformation Institute (HTI) alongside Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. HTI’s mission is to merge medical science, healthcare provision, and financial frameworks to revolutionize healthcare across the United States.

Early in 2016, he initiated the National Immunotherapy Coalition to encourage cooperation among pharmaceutical companies developing combination cancer therapies. In 2015, he met with then-Vice President Joe Biden to discuss strategies against cancer, including plans for genomic sequencing involving 100,000 patients to create a comprehensive genetic database.

In January 2017, President-elect Donald Trump visited Soon-Shiong’s estate in Bedminster, New Jersey to consult on national health priorities. Reports indicated that Soon-Shiong was pursuing a cabinet role. Subsequently, in May 2017, House Speaker Paul Ryan appointed him to serve on the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee formed under the 21st Century Cures Act.

In 2017, Soon-Shiong and his spouse were featured in "Many Voices, One Nation," a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of American History operated by the Smithsonian Institution.

By mid-2021, ImmunityBio developed a universal T cell-activating COVID-19 vaccine booster entering Phase III trials in South Africa aimed at preventing transmission and managing variants. In December 2021, he revealed preclinical evidence demonstrating improved T cell responses through heterologous vaccination using adenovirus and mRNA platforms.

In September 2021, Soon-Shiong joined South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce NantSA alongside NantWorks to enhance vaccine manufacturing capabilities within Sub-Saharan Africa. NantWorks collaborated with South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), and Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation.

In February 2022, ImmunityBio released clinical trial outcomes for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), reporting a median remission duration of 24.1 months with a complete remission rate of 71%.

Business career

In addition to his contributions to medicine and science, Soon-Shiong ventured into entrepreneurship in the late 1990s and began investing actively in the early 2010s.

Pharmaceutical, biotech, and energy

Soon-Shiong departed UCLA in 1991 to establish VivoRx Inc., a biotechnology company focused on diabetes and cancer. He went on to found APP Pharmaceuticals in 1997, retaining an 80% ownership stake; this company was acquired by Fresenius SE in 2008 for $4.6 billion. The following year, he acquired Fujisawa, a distributor specializing in injectable generic medications. Subsequently, he launched Abraxis BioScience, which created Abraxane, a chemotherapy agent encapsulated in protein to enhance tumor targeting. Following regulatory approval, this venture significantly increased his wealth. Abraxis was sold to Celgene in 2010 for $2.9 billion, earning Soon-Shiong approximately $533 million from the transaction.

In 2007, he initiated NantHealth with the goal of delivering fiber-optic and cloud-based data infrastructure tailored to healthcare. Four years later, he founded NantWorks to unify semiconductor technology, supercomputing power, secure networking, and augmented intelligence across healthcare, commerce, and digital entertainment industries. NantWorks also operates a venture capital division focusing on investments in healthcare, education, science, and technology sectors. In 2013, he created NantOmics to develop cancer therapeutics based on protein kinase inhibitors; both NantOmics and NantHealth function as subsidiaries under NantWorks.

Soon-Shiong was an early backer of Zoom Video Communications in 2013. That same year, NantWorks invested $2.5 million into AccuRadio. In 2015, NantPharma acquired Cynviloq from Sorrento Therapeutics for $90 million upfront plus potential milestone payments exceeding $1 billion. However, Soon-Shiong did not aggressively pursue FDA approval for Cynviloq, allowing patents to expire—an approach criticized as protecting competing interests and resulting in legal controversies over questionable business conduct.

Additionally, NantWorks participated in Wibbitz’s $8 million Series B financing round in 2015. In July of that year, Soon-Shiong spearheaded the initial public offering of NantKwest (previously ConkWest), which became the largest biotech IPO with a valuation of $2.6 billion. His compensation from NantKwest totaled nearly $148 million during that period. He also serves as a member of the Berggruen Institute’s 21st Century Council.

In September 2018, NantEnergy unveiled a zinc–air battery technology projected to cost less than $100 per kilowatt-hour—approximately one-third the expense of lithium-ion batteries.

By 2019, Soon-Shiong owned a 28% share in Directa Plus, a European company specializing in graphene technology.

In early 2021, he merged publicly traded NantKwest with private ImmunityBio (formerly NantCell), creating ImmunityBio, Inc., which trades under NASDAQ: IBRX. That year also saw him invest $29 million through NantRenewables into biorenewable projects at SeaPoint in Savannah, Georgia.

In January 2022, Soon-Shiong inaugurated a vaccine manufacturing facility and campus in Cape Town alongside South African President Ramaphosa; his total investments across Africa exceed $250 million. The following month, he invested in Pasadena-based lithium battery manufacturer Sienza.

Ownership of the Los Angeles Times

In February 2018, Soon-Shiong’s investment firm NantCapital reached an agreement to acquire the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune from Tronc Inc., paying nearly $500 million in cash plus assuming $90 million in pension liabilities. This purchase positioned Soon-Shiong among the first Asian-American owners of a major U.S. daily newspaper. The transaction was finalized in June 2018.

In 2020, Soon-Shiong prevented the editorial board from endorsing any candidate during the Democratic presidential primaries by overruling their planned endorsement of Elizabeth Warren; however, the paper endorsed Joe Biden during the general election.

Throughout his ownership tenure, his daughter Nika Soon-Shiong attempted to influence coverage and opinion pieces at the Times, raising staff concerns about possible editorial interference.

In July 2023, Soon-Shiong divested the San Diego Union-Tribune to MediaNews Group.

In October 2024, he barred the Los Angeles Times editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris for president—marking the first presidential election since 2004 without an endorsement from the paper. This decision led to subscription cancellations, resignations including editorials editor Mariel Garza along with Pulitzer Prize winners Robert Greene and Karin Klein, and widespread criticism. Reports also disclosed that an intended editorial series titled "The Case Against Trump" was canceled by Soon-Shiong.

By November 2024, Soon-Shiong dismissed the entire editorial board and announced plans to appoint a new team aimed at creating a "fair and balanced newspaper," promising a "rebirth" that would represent diverse American perspectives.

In December 2024, he unveiled plans to introduce an AI-driven bias measurement tool within the newspaper’s reporting processes designed to include more conservative viewpoints following Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory—an initiative that met resistance from newsroom staff.

In January 2025, accusations arose that Soon-Shiong altered an op-ed opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as Health and Human Services Secretary published by the Los Angeles Times. The author Eric Reinhart claimed critical content against Kennedy Jr., whom Soon-Shiong had publicly endorsed for the position, was removed without consent prior to publication. The released article featured a headline endorsing Trump’s healthcare policies rather than Reinhart’s original critical title. Soon-Shiong reaffirmed his support for Kennedy Jr., sharing the op-ed despite its modifications.

Philanthropy

A 2017 analysis revealed that the Chan Soon-Shiong NantHealth Foundation, named in honor of Soon-Shiong's spouse, allocated more than 70% of its funds to enterprises and non-profit entities under his control. The majority of the grants were directed toward organizations engaged in business with his companies, and some foundation employees were paid through these affiliated companies, prompting concerns about the use of charitable resources for unrelated corporate expenses.

The foundation was responsible for contributing 25% of a $12 million gift to the University of Utah for a gene mapping initiative. Oversight of grant criteria was assigned to organizations linked to Soon-Shiong, with his NantHealth firm securing a $10 million contract. A state audit in Utah determined that the university breached procurement regulations by failing to implement a competitive bidding procedure. Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes characterized the arrangement as an effort to discreetly favor a single entity. The university acknowledged the audit's conclusions and agreed to implement the suggested reforms.

Collaboration between the family foundation and the Clinton Foundation has also taken place. In 2023, Soon-Shiong earned recognition from OncoDaily as one of the 100 most impactful figures in oncology.

Politics

Soon-Shiong and his family were significant contributors to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Reports from Politico indicate that he held two private meetings with Donald Trump during the 2016–2017 presidential transition period, aiming for an administrative role, though these efforts did not result in an appointment.

In January 2025, Soon-Shiong engaged in discussions with Cheryl Hines and comedian Rob Schneider about developing a talk show concept that Schneider envisioned as a conservative counterpart to The View.

Personal life

Soon-Shiong is married to former actress Michele B. Chan. Together they have two children, including Nika Soon-Shiong, and their family resides in Los Angeles. He has pledged to donate at least half of his fortune through the Giving Pledge, demonstrating a commitment to philanthropy.