Recently, a reporter from China Securities Journal visited the Shanghai Frontier Biomedical Innovation Center. Driving into the core area of the Zhangjiang Science City, a national-level biomedical base, one can see a modern, curved building from afar. Approaching closer, the open interior, visible through the yellow and white glass, creates a sense of freedom and positivity.

"Currently, 10 resident companies and 11 ecological partners have signed cooperation agreements with Shanghai Frontier," a representative from Shanghai Frontier stated. The center aims to create a "wall-less R&D center," breaking down traditional barriers and promoting interaction and collaboration among experts, scholars, businesses, and investors from various fields and backgrounds, including industry, education, research, healthcare, and finance. Looking ahead, Shanghai Frontier will focus on cutting-edge biotechnologies such as gene and cell therapy, nucleic acid drugs, and conjugated drugs, hoping to discover and nurture highly innovative and competitive companies and projects while encouraging high-potential innovations oriented toward clinical value.

Establishing a "National Team" for Biomedical Innovation

Biomedical science is one of the three key pioneering industries in Shanghai. Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Government's General Office released a series of policies to support the full-chain innovation development of the biomedical industry, including measures to "strongly enhance the capability for innovation," "accelerate the application and promotion of innovative products," and "strengthen investment and financing support." These 37 policy measures will inject strong momentum into the accelerated innovation development of Shanghai's biomedical sector.

In this fertile ground for biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship, Shanghai Frontier was born. It is jointly established by Shanghai Pharmaceuticals and top universities and research institutions, aiming to create a life sciences innovation incubation engine, adhering to the principles of leadership, synergy, support, integration, and co-creation, ultimately establishing a "national team" for biomedical innovation that fully showcases China’s cutting-edge innovative strength.

On September 10, Wu Jincheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal Government and Head of the Pudong New Area, stated at the opening ceremony of Shanghai Frontier that Zhangjiang Science City is the core cluster area for the development of Shanghai's biomedical industry. Under the coordinated promotion of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Government, Pudong New Area continues to optimize the business environment and supports leading enterprises to cluster and develop in Zhangjiang Science City. Shanghai Shihua Group and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals are leveraging Shanghai Frontier to create an open-source innovation ecosystem, actively playing the role of "chain leader," linking various innovative elements from industry, academia, research, healthcare, and finance, and facilitating all stages from R&D innovation to product production and market promotion.

"We hope to use Shanghai Frontier as a platform to benchmark against successful international experiences, and create a world-class biomedical innovation incubation, transformation, and industrialization service platform through market-oriented operations. We aim to establish a ‘one table’ mechanism to promote the aggregation effect of the innovation chain, industry chain, capital chain, and talent chain, collectively building a vibrant and dynamic biomedical innovation ecosystem. Guided by clinical needs, we will strengthen the empowerment of key elements and help accelerate the transition of more scientific research breakthroughs from the lab to benefit public health. Additionally, we will leverage the advantages of collaboration between Shanghai and Hong Kong to actively explore new avenues in cell therapy, speeding up the advancement of technological innovation and industrial applications," said Cold Wei Qing, chairman of Shanghai Shihua Group.

Chen Zhu, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, President of the Red Cross Society of China, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that the biomedical industry is a material guarantee for advancing Chinese-style modernization and is a frontier position for achieving high-level scientific and technological independence and innovation. Shanghai Shihua Group and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, as responsible state-owned enterprises, rely on Shanghai Frontier to establish an innovative alliance led by leading enterprises, supported by universities and research institutes, and collaborating with various innovative entities, fully promoting the incubation, transformation, and industrialization of biomedical innovations, which is of great significance. Looking forward, there is a need to focus on the forefront and continually enhance original innovation capabilities; to build better ecosystems and accelerate the conversion and realization of innovative results; and to adhere to a combination of "going out" and "bringing in," integrating into the global industrial innovation system.

Breaking Down Traditional Barriers

Innovation is the inexhaustible driving force for the development of the biomedical industry. "Shanghai Frontier is committed to creating a ‘wall-less R&D center’ that breaks down traditional barriers and promotes collaboration and exchange among experts, scholars, businesses, and investors from various fields and backgrounds," said Li Xiaodong, general manager of Shanghai Frontier.

Li also highlighted the hardware aspect, stating that the park occupies more than 120,000 square meters and is a vibrant research and development ecosystem. It currently includes R&D office buildings, laboratory buildings, multifunctional service buildings, and pilot production facilities, forming a diversified research ecosystem. Shanghai Frontier provides resident companies with advanced infrastructure and professional support, including modular laboratories and first-class research equipment.

"Additionally, Shanghai Frontier will offer full-cycle growth support and policy capital acceleration to resident enterprises, speeding up the conversion and industrialization of scientific research results and attracting global biomedical innovation resources. We have received accreditation from the GOI (Grand Open Innovation Center), a mechanism in Pudong New Area that encourages large enterprises to engage in innovative entrepreneurship alongside emerging companies, linking and driving innovative development in technology-based SMEs," Li stated.

"In terms of investment and financing, the investment entity responsible for the 21.5 billion yuan mother fund for the biomedical industry is also based in the Shanghai Frontier park. We are also establishing an incubation transformation fund with a scale of 500 million yuan in collaboration with our partners. We possess strong investment capabilities and will provide a range of financial support from incubation to transformation," Li further added.

"Currently, the occupancy rate of the R&D area within the Shanghai Frontier park is nearing 90%," said Guan Jingjing, the strategic cooperation director of Shanghai Frontier. She mentioned that the center focuses on meeting the core needs of innovative companies such as financing, brand building, and industry chain resource integration, helping businesses grow rapidly in a competitive market. "Different sub-sectors of biomedical companies have unique needs, such as acquiring high-end or large-scale equipment, and we will do our best to connect relevant resources to meet these demands."

Notably, the unveiling ceremony for Shanghai Kangjian Sheng (Shanghai Kangjian Life) was held in tandem with the opening ceremony of Shanghai Frontier. Shanghai Kangjian Sheng, spearheaded by Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, collaborates with partners including Ruijin Hospital, Children’s Medical Center, and Stem Cell Group, focusing on key core technologies for developing and industrializing cell therapy drugs.

"In the future, Shanghai Frontier will focus on gene cell therapy, nucleic acid drugs, and conjugated drugs, seeking to discover and nurture highly innovative and competitive enterprises and projects while encouraging high-potential innovations oriented toward clinical value that can help companies hasten industrialization," Guan noted.

Guan added that in the future, Shanghai Frontier will also hold policy workshops and seminars to help companies within the park understand policies deeply, grasp policy directions, and integrate resources from research institutions, enterprises, and investment institutions within the area, collaboratively building a synergistic innovation ecosystem that promotes knowledge sharing, technology exchange, and collaborative research and development.

Accelerating the Transformation of Scientific Achievements  

Budding optimism flows like a stream, invigorating growth. As a comprehensive lifecycle biopharmaceutical service park that combines academic exchanges, project transactions, and talent development, Shanghai Frontier is actively working to accelerate the creation of an open-source innovation ecosystem in the biomedical sector.

To date, 10 resident companies, including Bayer, Yufang Biotechnology, and XunYao Biotechnology, along with 11 ecological partners such as Sartorius, Shanghai Guotou, and the Shanghai Biomedical Fund, have signed cooperation agreements with Shanghai Frontier.

As an innovation-driven research and development company, Yufang Biotechnology was established in 2021 and has developed a gene therapy drug targeting myocardial cell telomeres. Discussing the reasons for setting up in Shanghai Frontier, co-founder and chief scientific officer Zhang Jiayu stated, "We mainly focus on gene therapy research for heart failure. As our project enters the clinical phase, being located in Shanghai Frontier will help us effectively connect with relevant medical resources and conduct clinical trials more effectively. The external resources here are particularly valuable, as they can strengthen our communication and collaboration with international enterprises."

"We have attracted several top international biomedical companies, including Bayer and Sartorius, to facilitate communication and collaboration among enterprises and provide a vibrant open cooperation platform for biomedical innovators in China and globally," Li Xiaodong further explained.

For instance, Sartorius, a century-old German company, is dedicated to simplifying and accelerating the drug development process and bioprocessing, thereby introducing more effective and cost-efficient new drugs. "In the Shanghai Frontier park, not only are there numerous innovative companies but also connections to top universities like Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical School and other research institutions. Many medical innovations require conversion. As an ecological partner, we can assist in training related equipment and create an environment conducive to collaboration, which may spark even more innovative ideas," stated Wang Xuyu, General Manager of Sartorius China.

As a strategic partner for biological technology solutions at Shanghai Frontier, Sartorius will provide comprehensive solutions and innovative process technology empowerment across divisions such as antibody-drug conjugates, cell therapy, and gene therapy. They will also open the Sartorius Shanghai Application Center as a satellite incubator for Shanghai Frontier, providing services such as process development, technical training, and regulatory consultation for resident companies.

"In the future, Shanghai Frontier will attract even more partners to jointly create a sustainable and vibrant life sciences innovation ecosystem," Li Xiaodong declared. Shanghai Frontier aggregates various innovative elements, bridging the gaps among government, industry, academia, healthcare, and research, providing a platform for enterprise collaboration and comprehensive resource support. Looking ahead, Shanghai Frontier is committed to offering resident companies abundant facility resources and advanced technical support to accelerate the conversion of global scientific achievements and the development of products, supporting the growth of the biomedical industry.

Source：https://finance.eastmoney.com/a/202409133182327458.html