Wuxi International Life Sciences Innovation Park Debuts at CIIE with AstraZeneca's Enhanced Innovation Commitment

Shanghai, November 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park, jointly established by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the Wuxi Municipal Government and the Wuxi High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Administration, made its debut at the AstraZeneca booth during the China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to as the CIIE), where a signing ceremony for partnership agreements was held. Government officials in attendance included Wang Jinjian, Deputy Mayor of Wuxi Municipal Government, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the High-Tech Zone, and Secretary of the Xinwu District Party Committee; Lei Wang, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca, President of International Operations and China; and representatives from partner organizations.

At this juncture, the healthcare industry fund jointly established by AstraZeneca and CICC Capital has officially signed an agreement with the Wuxi New District Government, announcing its support for enterprises settled in the Wuxi International Life Science Park, thereby promoting the incubation, growth, and commercialization of high-quality innovative projects. This marks another significant milestone for the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park, following the project’s initial announcement at the Boao Forum in March, its official opening in September, and the settlement of the first batch of ten enterprises.

Since its establishment several months ago, the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park has attracted sustained attention from numerous government and industrial institutions, as well as innovative forces in the life sciences sector, both domestically and internationally. Recently, multiple domestic and overseas enterprises and institutions have entered into collaborations with the Park. The Park has signed a strategic cooperation intent with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, and has executed occupancy agreements with Novoheart Biotechnology Co., Ltd. from Hong Kong, China, and Ninehealth Global Ltd. from the United Kingdom.

The Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park is the first site in mainland China to implement AstraZeneca’s global innovation incubation concept, representing another strategic innovation initiative following the launch of the China Health Internet of Things Innovation Center. In this project, AstraZeneca fully leverages its role as a bridge for multinational enterprises, drawing on its years of insights from deep engagement in the Chinese market, as well as its extensive global resources and operational experience. It provides comprehensive support to companies stationed in the Innovation Park, ranging from disease area insights to commercialization, and engages in business collaborations with these tenant companies to effectively facilitate the genuine establishment and growth of innovative enterprises in China. During this China International Import Expo, AstraZeneca’s Cardiovascular and Oncology business units reached cooperation agreements with two of the park’s first batch of tenant companies—Tricog, an Indian cardiac healthcare technology company, and Abcodia, a UK-based medical company—launching comprehensive and substantive collaborations in fields such as ECG diagnosis and ovarian cancer screening.

Regarding the grand unveiling of the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park with major signings at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), Lei Wang, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and President of International Business and China, stated: “The CIIE is an open and integrated platform. It not only allows the world to feel the strong pulse of the integration and interaction between China’s economy and the global economy, and demonstrates China’s determination to pursue open cooperation and embrace an open economy, but also provides valuable opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation and win-win development for AstraZeneca as well as innovative enterprises from both home and abroad. The Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park is a platform that gathers global medical wisdom and innovative strength. We hope to leverage the CIIE platform to showcase overseas innovations, promote the introduction of innovative solutions, foster collaboration between domestic and international partners, and jointly build a life science ecosystem that benefits patients in China and around the world.”

Wang Jinjian, Deputy Mayor of Wuxi Municipal People’s Government, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Wuxi High-tech Industrial Development Zone, and Secretary of the Xinwu District Committee, also expressed his expectations for the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park at the ceremony: “The life sciences industry, led by biopharmaceuticals, is the most dynamic emerging industry in the world today and a focal point of global competition in future industries. Over the years, Wuxi has been committed to developing its biopharmaceutical sector, forming a biopharmaceutical industrial cluster dominated by four key segments: innovative drugs, medical devices, smart healthcare, and health services. We look forward to the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park establishing an innovation ecosystem that will lead the development of the regional healthcare and medical industry.”

WuxiThe International Life Science Innovation Park also showcased four innovative exhibits at AstraZeneca’s CIIE booth. These cutting-edge devices, provided by resident enterprises, attracted numerous domestic and international attendees: ClearSky Medical, a UK-based medical device company, presented its LID Monitor for monitoring levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease, which utilizes finger-tapping movements and evolutionary algorithms to differentiate, diagnose, and monitor neurodegenerative disorders; Novoheart, a Hong Kong-based biotechnology company specializing in artificial heart engineering, unveiled its “Human Heart-on-a-Chip” miniaturized multi-layered bioreactor; and MindMAG Medical Electronics from Taiwan displayed its portable nebulizer, Pulmogine, among other products.

Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park is located in the Wuxi High-Tech Zone. With a planned core R&D area of approximately 300,000 square meters, it aims to build an innovation incubation platform covering the entire life science lifecycle—from R&D to incubation, and from demonstration to commercialization. The park encompasses key industry sectors such as drug development, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health, gathering global innovative expertise to provide comprehensive disease management solutions for patients in China. It is expected that within the next three years, the Innovation Park will attract more than 50 innovative enterprises, further establishing itself as an influential international innovation industrial park at the intersection of the “Belt and Road” initiative.