Next Growth Catalyst for the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Industry Post-mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Boom

Amid the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines catapulted mRNA technology to prominence, successfully establishing it as a new generation of best-selling vaccine products. Driven by the momentum of the mRNA vaccine industry, nucleic acid drug development has also achieved rapid advancement, once again becoming a focal point in the global pharmaceutical sector and a hotbed for investment and financing.

As a highly promising new generation of innovative drugs, nucleic acid therapeutics are attracting a surge of investment from numerous institutions, making them a star sector in the primary market. According to Evaluate Pharma, the global market size for nucleic acid therapeutics is projected to exceed $8 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of up to 35% from 2018 to 2024. In the post-pandemic era, the global vaccine industry will undergo a significant reshuffle. Under the pressure of epidemic prevention and control, countries are actively seeking breakthroughs in various cutting-edge vaccine technologies, propelling nucleic acid therapeutics into an industry experiencing rapid development.

Amid this wave, domestic nucleic acid drug developers have become highly favored by the capital market, with continuous M&A transactions, product licensing-in deals, and active investments from venture capital firms aiming to capitalize on the trend. In this context, the Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference will join forces withHillhouse HCareThe “Nucleic Acid Drug Innovation Development Forum” is hereby convened to gather domestic industry stakeholders across various application scenarios of nucleic acid therapeutics, comprehensively covering the development of the nucleic acid drug sector. The forum aims to provide collaboration opportunities while exploring the next steps in industrial development, thereby supporting the new journey of the nucleic acid drug industry.

Forward-Looking Vision: Striking Gold in the New Frontier of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has created development opportunities for the R&D and industrialization of nucleic acid vaccines, propelling the industry into a phase of comprehensive acceleration. With broad application scenarios and diversified R&D breakthroughs, nucleic acid drugs are poised to provide new impetus in the fields of common infectious diseases, therapeutic cancer vaccines, and rare diseases, warranting close attention in the future. In the volatile landscape of the nucleic acid drug sector, those who can master cutting-edge industry insights and accelerate commercial realization will be more likely to break through and secure a competitive advantage. This forum brings together nucleic acid drug companies to provide you with in-depth insights into frontier technologies and market trends.

Industry-Finance Interaction: Integrating Industry and Investment to Drive Multi-Point Layout

With continuous breakthroughs in core technologies such as chemical modification and delivery systems, nucleic acid therapeutics have gradually demonstrated significant therapeutic potential and presented broad market prospects. The nucleic acid therapeutics sector has become an attractive area for investment institutions to flock into. According to the latest statistics from China Business Industry Research Institute, there were 29 financing events in China’s nucleic acid therapeutics field in 2021, an increase of 17 compared to 2020. The total financing amount reached RMB 12.912 billion, an increase of RMB 8.256 billion year-on-year. Meanwhile, from 2021 to early 2022, 22 nucleic acid therapeutics companies in China completed financing rounds. With promising industry prospects, the number of participants continues to grow. In this context, which innovative achievements and high-potential projects should venture capital firms support? Leading domestic nucleic acid therapeutics companies will share their insights at the forum.

Industrial Upgrading: Ensuring the Domestic Production of Innovative Drugs

The widespread attention garnered by mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has injected substantial capital investment and conferred significant era-specific dividends into the field of nucleic acid drug R&D, positioning the industrial chain for historic opportunities. Nucleic acid drugs face complex challenges across multiple dimensions, including process control, engineering assurance, large-scale manufacturing processes, quality control, and quality systems. Controlling production costs and establishing a stable supply chain are critical to their successful commercialization. The domestic sector for nucleic acid drugs in China has entered a phase of rapid development, with more related enterprises poised to benefit from the industry’s rising prosperity. This forum will invite innovative Chinese companies with independent intellectual property rights in nucleic acid therapeutics to discuss the upgrading of the nucleic acid drug industrial chain.

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Nucleic Acid Drug Innovation and Development Forum

Forum Time: Morning of June 14, 2022

Forum Organizers: VB100, VCBeat, Artery Orange, Eggshell Research Institute, Artery New Medicine

Co-hosted by:Hillhouse HCare

● 09:00-09:20

Research on In Vivo Delivery and Disease Treatment of Novel Lipid-Encapsulated Nucleic Acid Drug Conjugates

Yang Zhenjun | Professor, Peking University; Doctoral Supervisor; Deputy Director, Department of Medicinal Chemistry

● 09:20-09:40

Unlocking Nucleic Acid Therapeutics with Novel Delivery Systems (Draft)

Hu Rongkuan | CEO of StarryPharma

● 09:40-10:00

Applications and Exploration of mRNA Technology in the Field of Cancer Therapy

Wang Yi | Co-founder and CEO of Xinhe Biologics

● 10:00-10:20

Why siRNA Is a Scarce Therapeutic Area in China (Proposed)

Wang Weimin | Founder of Shengyin Biotech

● 10:20-10:40

Current Status of saRNA Development (Draft)

Li Longcheng | Chairman and CEO of Zhongmei Ruikang

● 10:40-11:20

Expert Forum: Opportunities and Challenges in the Development of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics (Proposed)

Roundtable Moderator:

Chang Bonan | Executive Director, Hillhouse Ventures

Roundtable Guests:

Hu Rongkuan | CEO of StarryMed

Wang Weimin | Founder of Shengyin Biologics

Tang Qiusong | Head of Roche Accelerator

Li Jie | Senior Vice President, Linglu Pharmaceuticals; Deputy Director of the Cell Therapy and Gene Therapy Committee, China Drug Regulatory Research Association