AI-Driven Drug Discovery Gains Broad Support Across Industry, Academia, and Investment Sectors to Enhance R&D Efficiency and Reduce Costs

On October 17–18, 2017, the two-day AI + Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Innovation Summit was successfully held in Shenzhen. Guided by the People’s Government of Futian District, Shenzhen, and hosted by XtalPi and Tencent, with Pfizer, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, and Kehui Innovation as organizing partners, the summit focused on research achievements and industrial trends regarding the application of artificial intelligence—a emerging technology—in healthcare and drug R&D. Gao Zimin, Deputy Mayor of Shenzhen, delivered opening remarks, while Qiu Xuan, Party Secretary of the Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Commission, and Liu Zhiyong, Deputy District Mayor of Futian District, jointly attended the opening ceremony.

Deputy Mayor Gao Zimin Delivered the Opening Remarks at the Conference

The conference invited renowned academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and experts, representatives from multinational corporations, leaders of innovative enterprises, and seasoned industry investors. They shared their latest progress and successful experiences on topics such as smart healthcare, precision medicine, AI-driven new drug R&D, genomics and big data, and the incubation and investment of innovative projects. Furthermore, they conducted in-depth discussions on the potential, trends, and opportunities for China in this interdisciplinary field.

Wen Shuhao, Chairman of Shenzhen XtalPi Technology Co., Ltd., the event organizer, stated that with the accumulation of data and the development of cloud computing, the penetration of artificial intelligence into the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors has become an inevitable trend. In particular, AI’s ability to enhance drug R&D efficiency and reduce research costs has gained adoption and recognition from top multinational pharmaceutical companies, demonstrating significant growth potential.

Jiang Yide, Chief Strategy Officer of XtalPi, Introduces XtalPi’s Intelligent Drug Discovery Cloud Platform Layout

This summit aims to enhance cross-sector dialogue and strategic cooperation among industry, academia, research, innovation, and investment communities both domestically and internationally, thereby facilitating resource linkage, academic exchange, and community growth in the emerging field of “AI + Healthcare.” Co-organizers of the summit include the MIT China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum, CUBIC Sino-US Enterprise (Boston) Innovation Center, Startupbootcamp, and Qingsong Camp, with special support from Hong Kong Zhongji No. 1 International Medical Group.

To facilitate the matchmaking and implementation of innovative projects, the conference also featured the “Healthcare Future in the AI Era—Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition,” exclusively titled by Tencent Cloud. Fourteen teams from prestigious institutions such as MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, and Stanford took the stage one by one, and listened to Liu Zhiyong, Deputy District Mayor of Futian District, Shenzhen, introduce Shenzhen’s layout and support policies for the biopharmaceutical industry.

After fierce competition, three teams emerged as winners: Berkeley Technology’s Targeted Macromolecular Drug Monitoring and Accelerated Development Platform, XY-AIMED’s Application of Imaging AI in Clinical Efficacy Evaluation of New Drugs, and VESSEL AIDS’ Vascular Imaging for Stroke Prevention. They were awarded the Most Investment-Worthy Award, the Most Market-Potential Award, and the Best Technological Innovation Award, respectively, and each received a startup support resource package worth RMB 1 million from Tencent Cloud as part of its “Tengfei Plan.”

Investors’ Roundtable: Panelists Discuss Investment Opportunities and Challenges in the AI + Healthcare Sector in China

(From left to right: Lu Qinchao, Partner at Sequoia Capital China; Zhao Chunlin, Chairman of Kehui Innovation; Ye Guantai, Partner at Mingwei Ventures; Li Feng, Founding Partner of FreeS Fund; Liu Qikai, Founding Partner of Fosun Tonghao Capital; Luo Fei, Founding Partner of Sinowood Capital)

At the Tencent Cloud-sponsored innovation and entrepreneurship competition, 14 teams from around the world in the field of AI + medicine and health competed on the same stage

In his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on behalf of the 18th Central Committee, Xi Jinping proposed that China should “accelerate the building of a manufacturing powerhouse, speed up the development of advanced manufacturing, and promote the deep integration of the internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and the real economy.” It is believed that the successful holding of this summit will play a positive role in promoting the application and innovation of technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data in the fields of healthcare and drug research and development.

About XtalPi

XtalPi is a world-leading, computation-driven innovative drug R&D company. By applying quantum chemistry, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based high-performance computing to drug research and development, XtalPi significantly enhances the efficiency and success rate of key stages in drug design, solid-form screening, and development, thereby accelerating drug innovation and delivering more high-quality, effective medicines to patients.

Founded in 2014 on the MIT campus, XtalPi has built an elite team spanning Shenzhen, Beijing, Boston, and Silicon Valley, with quantum physicists and senior pharmaceutical experts at its core. Leveraging its technological advantages and broad application prospects, XtalPi has established in-depth collaborations with top-tier global pharmaceutical companies. The company secured tens of millions of RMB in Series A financing led by Tencent, followed by tens of millions of USD in Series B financing from several renowned investment institutions, marking one of the largest single funding rounds in the field of AI-driven drug discovery.