"Origin Without Boundaries": 2025 Zhangjiang Life Sciences International Innovation Summit Kicks Off with Main Forum and First New Drug & Technology High-Level Forum

On April 9, under the guidance of the People’s Government of Pudong New Area, Shanghai; with support from the Science and Technology and Economic Commission of Pudong New Area, Shanghai, and the Zhangjiang Science City Construction and Management Office, Shanghai; hosted by Shanghai Zhangjiang (Group) Co., Ltd.; and organized by Shanghai Pudong Life Science Industry Development Co., Ltd.Opening Main Forum and the First New Drugs and New Technologies Summit of the 2025 Zhangjiang Life Science International Innovation Summit & The 6th BIONNOVA Biopharmaceutical Innovators ForumOpened at the Zhangjiang Science Hall.

This summit, themed“Boundless Origin”as the theme, joining hands with innovation entities and linking innovation elements, with plans to concentrate efforts in 2025 on building1 Annual Opening Keynote Forum、3 Sub-sector Summit Forums(New drugs and technologies, advanced therapies, and innovative medical devices) and1 Industry Week Concurrent Forum(In the field of AI for Science), upgrade to establish a year-round “1+3+1” combined global industrial exchange conference platform.

The biopharmaceutical industry is one of Shanghai’s three leading strategic industries, designated for “concentrating elite resources to accelerate development and achieve breakthroughs,” and it represents a key arena in the new round of technological revolution and competition. The Pudong New Area has consistently attached great importance to and provided strong support for the development of hard-core industries, exemplified by biopharmaceuticals, adhering to a systematic, whole-industry-chain approach encompassing “R&D, clinical trials, manufacturing, and application.” As the core hub leading biopharmaceutical innovation, Zhangjiang has now become one of the regions with the most complete industrial chain, the most robust ecosystem, the highest concentration of talent, and the most vibrant innovation in the biopharmaceutical sector.

At the opening keynote forum, Xu Lai, Member of the Standing Committee of the Pudong New Area District Committee and Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the District Government, pointed out in his address that the scale of Pudong’s biopharmaceutical industry reached RMB 410 billion in 2024.On the one hand, innovative products are accelerating their market launch., since 2019, a total of 21 Class 1 innovative drugs and 31 innovative medical devices have been approved; in the first quarter of this year alone, two Class 1 innovative drugs and four innovative medical devices have received marketing approval.Cell and Gene Therapies Maintain First-Mover Advantage, among the six CAR-T cell therapy drugs marketed in China, three are from Pudong;On the other hand, accelerate the global expansion of innovative products.，Three self-developed Class 1 innovative drugs have been approved for marketing in major markets such as Europe, the United States, and Japan, while a large number of innovative medical devices have entered the international market;Promoting Pudong as the Premier Launch Site for Innovative Products of Multinational Pharmaceutical CompaniesCurrently, only three First-in-China products have been launched in the Chinese market, all of which are based in Shanghai. Among them, two products from Roche and Boehringer Ingelheim were launched first in China, achieving “synchronous R&D, synchronous clinical trials, and synchronous registration.” Moving forward, Pudong will focus on strengthening the agglomeration effect, enhancing original innovation, advancing forward-looking strategic layouts, expanding reform pilots, and improving efficient services, with the aim of elevating its overall competitiveness and striving to build a new highland for industrial clusters.。

At the Global Innovation Launch Session,“Top 15 Zhangjiang Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies with Global Competitiveness in 2025”andPudong Life Science Ecosystem Partner CommunityOfficial Release。

To showcase the global innovation strength and core competitiveness of Zhangjiang's innovative pharmaceutical enterprises,“Top 15 Zhangjiang Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies with Global Competitiveness in 2025”Major Announcement. The list is selected fromLaunched Products, Products in Development, Clinical TrialsandPharmaceutical TradingConducting a comprehensive assessment across four major dimensions to selectDizal Pharmaceutical, Harbour BioMed, Hutchmed, GenFleet Therapeutics, Lixin Medicine, Mabwell Bioscience, Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals, Bowang Pharma, Chengyi Biopharma, HUYABIO International, Junshi Biosciences, Regor Therapeutics, ImmuneOnco, Insilico Medicine, Zai Lab15 “Zhangjiang Homegrown” enterprises were centrally unveiled and promoted to the industry at the forum.

Building on the “Pudong Life Sciences Industry Ecosystem Service Map 1.0” released in 2024, Zhangjiang has continued to expand and deepen these service resources, bringing together institutions and organizations that break down industrial collaboration barriers and unlock innovation potential, with the launch taking place on-site.Pudong Life Science Ecosystem Partner Consortium. Shanghai Zhangjiang (Group) Co., Ltd.,Shanghai Pudong Life Science Industry Development Co., Ltd., in collaboration with the Shanghai Biomedical Technology Industry Promotion Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai Pudong New Area Public Hospital Affairs Management Center, Shanghai Institute for Clinical Innovation and Translation, School of Management, Fudan University · Sci-Tech Innovation Acceleration Center, Life and Health Professional Committee of Tsinghua University Shanghai Alumni Association, and Shanghai Wailianfa Business Consulting Co., Ltd.and other relevant entities jointly took the stage to press the launch button.

Currently, the global biopharmaceutical industry is undergoing multiple transformations driven by technological breakthroughs, cross-sector integration, and international competition. How can interdisciplinary collaboration spark innovation momentum? How can ChinaSeizing the High Ground in the International Market?

In the first “Topic Discussion: “The Biopharmaceutical Industry Driven by Innovation: Multidimensional Cross-Border Integration and International Market Competition” SessionModerated by Tan Weihong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Academician of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and Director of the Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study of UCAS, CAS, the event featured insightful contributions from Deng Zixin, Academician of CAS, Academician of TWAS, and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism; Yan Xiyun, Academician of CAS, Academician of TWAS, and Researcher at the Institute of Biophysics, CAS; Ma Dawei, Academician of CAS, Researcher and Doctoral Supervisor at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, CAS, and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic Chemistry; and Wu Yuzhang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Major General Professor at Army Medical University, and Member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

From precision repair to the regenerative revolution, life science technologies that are continuously optimized and iterated are redefining the limits of life. Among these, cell and gene therapy stands out as a key representative technology. From CAR-T therapy to gene editing technologies, cell and gene therapy has not only achieved major technological breakthroughs in recent years but also reshaped the treatment landscape for major diseases such as cancer and genetic disorders. Professor Michael Ott, Tenured Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology at Hannover Medical School, and Director of the Center for Liver Gene and Cell Therapy at Hannover Medical School, shared his insights on-site.“Gene and Cell Therapy Reshaping Clinical Practice in Liver Disease: From Precision Repair to Regenerative Revolution”keynote address on the theme of.

Driven by the wave of globalization, the biopharmaceutical industry is integrating into the international market and linking with the global ecosystem at an unprecedented pace. For biopharmaceutical companies, this is an era filled with both opportunities and challenges. In the second“Topic Discussion: Integrating into the International Market, Linking with the Global Ecosystem—How to Pursue a Path of Differentiated Innovation and International Development” SessionModerated by Fu Daotian, Co-Founder of Yiming Kangda, the session featured insightful presentations from Wang Xingli, Executive President and CEO of the Global R&D Center at Fosun Pharma; Chen Bo, Chief Scientist at China Resources Pharmaceutical; Jiang Shan, Chief Technology Officer at Hansoh Pharma; Wu Yihan, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Simcere Pharmaceutical; and Lin Kai, Chief Scientist at HEC Pharm. Their contributions highlighted diverse possibilities and practical pathways for differentiated innovation and internationalization within the pharmaceutical industry.

As an international biopharmaceutical industry exchange platform meticulously crafted by Pudong New Area, the Zhangjiang Life Science International Innovation Summit is committed to building a global community of innovation. By establishing an international bridge that deeply integrates industry, academia, and research, it connects a comprehensive empowerment ecosystem spanning from basic research to commercial translation, facilitating global dialogue and industry-wide gatherings in Zhangjiang.

On the afternoon of April 9 and throughout the day on April 10, 22 parallel forums were launched simultaneously. Among them: 10 specialized sub-forums featuring cutting-edge presentations focused onAntibodies, Peptide Drugs, Novel-Target Small Molecules, Cell and Gene Therapies, Radiopharmaceuticalsdiscussions on popular technology fields; 12 specialized forums supporting the industrial chain centered aroundProcess Optimization and Enhancement, Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials and Delivery, Clinical Development and CommercializationShare.