Merck and Danwang Medical Enter Strategic Collaboration to Advance Organoid Innovation in China

Shanghai, October 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, a globally leading technology companyMerckAnnounced today a partnership with a Shanghai-based biotech startupDanwang MedicalExpand strategic cooperation and sign a strategic cooperation agreement to accelerate its 3D cell culture technology inPatient-Derived Organoid Model (PDO）Applications in.

“In the government“Against the backdrop of macro-policy support and continuously increasing R&D investment in the industry, we are witnessing the rise of innovative biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in China,” said Steve Vermant, Managing Director of Merck Life Science China and Vice President of Research Solutions China. “Our collaboration with Danwang Medical demonstrates Merck’s active fulfillment of its long-term commitment to supporting local innovation, particularly in the emerging biotechnology sector.”

As part of the collaboration, Merck plans to provide Danwang Medical with innovative 3D cell culture products and solutions, including specialized application support from Merck’s China team and its global R&D headquarters, to jointly optimize 3D cell culture technologies and processes for organoid models. Organoids are three-dimensional cell cultures derived from human tissues that mimic the biological characteristics of tumors in vivo.

“Building a successful 3D cell culture system is one of the key challenges and critical factors in obtaining stable, reproducible organoid models with long-term functionality,” said Professor Hua Guoqiang, founder of Danwang Medical. “Our in-depth collaboration with Merck will help us optimize state-of-the-art 3D cell culture technologies and solutions, shorten the R&D cycle for our organoid platform, and thereby accelerate the commercialization of our products.”

Danwang Medical specializes in the research and development of organoids. Organoids are in vitro cellular structures derived from tissue-specific stem cells that can self-organize into "miniature organs" resembling in vivo tissues, and can be used for studying cancer development, drug screening, and disease modeling.

Merck recognizes that innovative technologies such as organoids, gene editing, and stem cell therapy have brought significant advancements to life science research and medicine. Merck supports the exploration of new ethical norms and legal standards, and has established independentStem Cell Oversight CommitteeandBiotechnology Advisory CommitteeProvide guidance.Merck’s Corporate Development PhilosophyProposed clear and feasible company strategies based on a thorough consideration of scientific and social issuesPositioning, and has publicly disclosed these clearly defined conceptsPublish。