International Perspectives Drive Innovation in Healthcare: The 5th Future Healthcare 100 Summit Concludes Successfully

On April 18, the third day of the “Top 100 Future Healthcare Companies” conference continued. The event was organized by VCBeat, co-hosted by the People’s Government of Wujiang District, Suzhou City, and the Guangdong Zhong Nanshan Medical Foundation, with support from Suzhou Wujiang Dongfang State-owned Capital Investment & Operation Co., Ltd., and Alibaba Health as the exclusive strategic partner.

Although the conference is drawing to a close, enthusiasm remains undiminished. The agenda for Day 3 features the main forum, the International Summit on Healthcare Innovation, alongside parallel sessions including the Forum on Innovative Development of Smart Hospitals, the Forum on Health Management Innovation, the Forum on Digital Pharmaceutical R&D, the Forum on Early Cancer Screening, and the Forum on Innovation in the Medical Aesthetics Industry.

Below are the key highlights from the speeches delivered by guests at the International Medical and Health Innovation Summit’s main forum on the 18th, as compiled by VCBeat:

Wang Gang, Chief Scientist for Greater China at Clarivate

In his presentation titled “Global Frontiers of Pharmaceutical Innovation and Challenges in China,” Wang Gang, Chief Scientist for Greater China at Clarivate, noted that the top three therapeutic areas for global drug launches in 2020 were oncology, central nervous system disorders, and anti-infectives. Currently, global new drug R&D resources are heavily skewed toward immuno-oncology. The challenges facing innovative drugs in China lie in the translation of scientific research into clinical applications, the realization of commercial value, and product internationalization. The internationalization of Chinese new drugs can be pursued in three steps: leveraging external resources to expand market presence; testing overseas markets to solidify foundations; and targeting G7 countries to establish a firm foothold.

Tao Ran, General Manager of Cloud Computing Commercial Solutions, Microsoft Greater China

In his article, “Co-building a Digital Healthcare Cloud Ecosystem to Support Chinese Healthcare Enterprises in Going Global,” Tao Ran, General Manager of Commercial Cloud Solutions for Microsoft Greater China, stated that starting this year, Microsoft China has intensified its efforts to assist domestic healthcare enterprises in expanding overseas. Leveraging Microsoft’s robust global ecosystem of healthcare industry partners and clients, the company provides cloud computing, compliance, and healthcare data architecture support to established Chinese pharmaceutical companies and healthcare startups. This initiative aims to accelerate their expansion into new markets while mitigating the risks associated with international expansion.

Feng Ren, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Drug Discovery at Insilico Medicine

Feng Ren, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Drug Discovery at Insilico Medicine, highlighted in “AI Accelerating New Drug Development” that new drug development faces three major pain points: high costs, long timelines, and low or uncertain success rates. Therefore, artificial intelligence technology is needed to disrupt the new drug development process. To address these three pain points, Insilico Medicine has launched PandaOmics, Chemistry42, and InClinico. Alex Zhavoronkov, founder of Insilico Medicine, is dedicated to addressing issues related to human aging and holds a strong affinity for China.

Medable Senior Vice President Ching Tain

Ching Tain, Senior Vice President at Medable, pointed out in “How to Drive Better Patient Engagement in Decentralized Clinical Trials” that 15% of clinical trials in the biopharmaceutical sector face significant obstacles, including insufficient patient recruitment and the unsustainability of traditional models. Medable believes that the decentralized clinical trial model can substantially shorten trial timelines, enhance patient engagement and experience, and ultimately lead to better clinical trial outcomes.

Naveen Jain, Founder and Chairman of Viome

In his article “Progress and Challenges in Personalized Nutrition and Health,” Naveen Jain, Founder and Chairman of Viome, pointed out that even beneficial bacteria can exert detrimental effects under unfavorable conditions, while harmful bacteria can play a positive role in a favorable environment. Following this logic, although an individual’s DNA remains unchanged before and after the onset of obesity, gene expression undergoes alterations. By understanding these changes in gene expression, appropriate dietary recommendations can be provided to promote population health.

Innocent Clement, Founder of Ciba Health

In his article “Current Status and Future of Digital Therapeutics,” Innocent Clement, founder of Ciba Health, pointed out that leveraging digital technologies to understand patient data and assess patient conditions, and integrating these insights into solutions, enables better identification of patients’ disease risks and the delivery of precise diagnosis and treatment. Only by conducting a detailed analysis of the disease and understanding its underlying etiologies and pathogenic factors can personalized therapies be provided to patients.

Bart Boschmans (Lin Bosen), Consul for Trade, Flanders Region, Consulate-General of Belgium in Shanghai

Mr. Bart Boschmans, Consul for Flanders Trade and Investment at the Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai, delivered a keynote speech titled “Overview of the Biopharmaceutical Industry and Investment Opportunities in Flanders, Belgium.” He highlighted that Belgium provides substantial support to the biopharmaceutical sector. In addition to policy incentives, the region boasts numerous prestigious universities and high-quality R&D resources, while the government fosters a favorable entrepreneurial environment to promote corporate innovation and growth. Currently, relevant industrial parks are home to more than 150 biotechnology companies and over 380 life sciences enterprises.

Song Yijun, Counselor of Canada to China & Chief Representative of Ontario to China

Song Yijun, Canadian Counselor to China and Chief Representative of Ontario in China, delivered a keynote speech titled “Ontario, Canada: The Gateway to North America’s Life Sciences Sector.” He introduced Ontario, noting that Canada has signed 14 free trade agreements with more than 50 countries. Ontario is home to over 1,900 life sciences companies, 23 teaching and research hospitals and institutions, and more than 16,000 researchers. All of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies have chosen Ontario for clinical trials, as well as for R&D and manufacturing. Annual life sciences investment in Ontario exceeds RMB 8.5 billion. Dozens of research institutions affiliated with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine constitute Canada’s largest medical and life sciences cluster.

Wang Tong, Co-founder of the China-Canada Angel Alliance and Zhongguancun Dahe Capital

Mr. Wang Tong, Co-founder of the China-Canada Angel Alliance and Zhongguancun Dahe Capital, delivered a speech titled “Accelerating Canada-China Innovation and Ecosystem Development,” analyzing from a venture capital perspective why companies are encouraged to choose Canada. He pointed out that China and Canada have complementary advantages, with Canada boasting top-tier talent, an innovative ecosystem, and high-tech innovative enterprises. Ontario is particularly leading in the field of life sciences. Furthermore, the China-Canada Angel Alliance has launched the China Angel Mentor Program to encourage innovative development among enterprises.

Chen Fangxia, Director of Business Development, Asia Technology Transfer Center, Western University

Chen Fangxia, Director of Business Development at the Asian Technology Transfer Center of Western University in Canada, delivered a keynote speech titled “Practical Experience in the Transfer of Technological Innovations in Medical Research Between Canada and Asia.” She pointed out that the Technology Transfer Center began its operations in China in 2009 and established its Nanjing office in 2012. It is currently the only university in North America to have set up a permanent technology transfer office in Asia, with its technology projects covering biotechnology, medical devices, innovative drugs, and artificial intelligence.

Xu Jun, Executive Chief Representative of the Nanjing Representative Office of Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia International Business Agency

Xu Jun, Executive Chief Representative of the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) International Business Agency’s Nanjing Office, delivered a keynote speech titled “North Rhine-Westphalia: A Premier Hub for Investment and Cooperation in the European Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Industry.” He highlighted the highly business-friendly environment in NRW. Leveraging the state’s robust medical device industry cluster and its growing market influence, the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf has become Europe’s largest medical device exhibition. The pharmaceutical, healthcare, and life sciences sectors account for 13% of NRW’s GDP. The region boasts significant advantages in terms of numerous research institutions, universities, and industrial clusters, while actively encouraging enterprises to establish and expand their operations there.

Plug and Play Technology Center Project and Cooperation Manager Louiza Chitour

Louiza Chitour, Project and Partnership Manager at Plug and Play Tech Center, a leading medical incubator in the Middle East, delivered a keynote address titled “The Digital Health Ecosystem and Development Trends in the Middle East.” She pointed out that the pandemic prompted the healthcare industry to embrace the internet. Over the past year, the healthcare sector in the Middle East has witnessed rapid growth, with significantly more capital flowing into the field than ever before.

Michael Wilkinson, CEO and Founder of Inavya, delivered a speech titled “How AI Empowers Personalized Diagnosis and Treatment,” pointing out that AVATAR digital twins can help hospitals better manage patients digitally and deliver more precise diagnosis and treatment. Hilary Thomas, Chief Medical Advisory Consultant at KPMG UK, gave a presentation on “The Digital Wave in Healthcare and Life Sciences.” He noted that for pharmaceutical companies and life sciences enterprises, supply chains are critical for drugs, devices, and other aspects. Digitalization is increasingly highlighting its role and importance in this process.

Nick Rodgers, Chairman of the South East Academic Health Science Network and Chairman of Destiny Pharma, delivered a presentation titled “Current Status of Digital Health Development in the UK and the Broad Impact of Digital Medical Technologies.” He pointed out that, driven by the need to reduce costs and improve efficiency, the NHS had already established digital technology as a strategic development goal as early as 2019. Zhou Lu, CEO of BeyondSpring Laboratories, presented on “R&D of New Drugs for Rare Diseases and China-UK Collaboration,” noting that patients with rare diseases in China currently face significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment, along with a substantial financial burden. She emphasized that global collaboration in rare disease research and orphan drug development will help improve the current situation.

With this, the International Healthcare Innovation Summit has come to a close, marking the conclusion of the 5th Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference, which featured 19 forums over three days. The excitement continues, as VCBeat will subsequently curate and share highlights from guest speeches and interviews for our readers.

The 6th Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference—See You in 2022.