Guangzhou Aims to Build a World-Class Biomedical Industry Ecosystem, Showcased at the Inaugural Guanzhou International Bioforum

Chen Zhiying, Member of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and Executive Vice Mayor, Delivers Remarks

On the afternoon of July 3, the inaugural Guanzhou International Bioforum (Innovative Development in Medical Laboratory Testing and the Bioindustry) was held on Guangzhou International Bio Island (formerly Guanzhou Island). The forum was hosted by the Chinese Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Administrative Committee of Guangzhou Development District, and organized by KingMed Diagnostics Group.

Against the backdrop of Guangzhou’s accelerated implementation of the IAB plan and its active efforts to build a world-class bio-pharmaceutical industry ecosystem, government officials, authoritative experts and scholars, and leaders from the domestic and international bio-industry have gathered together. They are not only discussing how to establish the Guanzhou International Bio-Forum as an international professional forum for the biosciences but also offering insights and recommendations to foster the innovative development of the bio-pharmaceutical industry in Guangzhou and across China.

The inaugural Guanzhou International Bioforum was held in the academic lecture hall on the first floor of KingMed Diagnostics, located on Bio Island. Three hundred participants, including renowned domestic and international experts, as well as representatives from biopharmaceutical companies and medical institutions, engaged in brainstorming sessions on topics such as biopharmaceuticals, gene technology, regenerative medicine, and precision medicine. They explored the future of the global bioindustry and offered active suggestions to enhance the international influence of the Guanzhou International Bioforum.

Discussing the Core Area of the International Biotech Innovation Hub

The inaugural Guanzhou International Bioforum consisted of two segments: the Main Forum and the Specialized Forums. The Main Forum focused on promoting the Guanzhou International Bioforum, gathering insights to ensure the successful organization of this international professional biological forum. The Specialized Forums, themed “Innovative Development in Medical Laboratory Testing and the Bioindustry,” featured keynote addresses providing guidance on the innovative development and prospects of various industry chains—including in vitro diagnostics (IVD), third-party testing and inspection, big data and biobanks, and biomedical R&D—as well as on research achievements and their translation into applications. These sessions also explored new patterns of mutual promotion and cooperation between upstream and downstream sectors. Extensive exchanges were held on issues of common concern, jointly fostering innovative development in the biomedical industry.

It is understood that, against the backdrop of Guangzhou’s accelerated implementation of the IAB Plan (Next-Generation Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Biomedicine) and its active efforts to build a world-class biopharmaceutical industry ecosystem, the decision to host the Guanzhou International Bioforum represents a significant strategic initiative by the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government.

The forum will be permanently hosted on Guangzhou International Bio Island and held annually. As the inaugural edition, this year’s forum has garnered significant attention from all sectors. Ren Xuefeng, Deputy Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, instructed that the conference should be organized to a high standard and proposed holding the first “Guanzhou International Bio Forum” in conjunction with the 10th China Bio Industry Conference, so as to further enhance the influence of Guangdong’s and Guangzhou’s bio-industries.

The organizers stated that the Guangzhou International Bioforum aims to become a core hub for international biomedical technological innovation, as well as a global headquarters and advanced R&D base for pharmaceutical companies specializing in precision medicine and regenerative medicine.

Rooted in Guangzhou and connected to the world, it serves as a key window into forward-looking global industrial development trends and a vital platform for collaboration and matchmaking among government, industry, academia, and research institutions in the global bioscience sector. It aims to become the “Davos Forum” of the global bioscience industry, enabling Guanzhou to go global and drawing worldwide attention to Guanzhou.

Building a World-Class Biopharmaceutical Industry Ecosystem

One of the key objectives of hosting the inaugural Guanzhou International Bioforum is to provide insights and recommendations for the innovative development of Guangzhou’s biopharmaceutical industry.

Guangzhou is currently in a critical period of striving to build itself into an important national central city and a hub for scientific and technological industrial innovation. To thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on Guangdong’s work, namely the “Four Adherences, Three Supports, and Two Walks in the Forefront,” and in particular to accelerate supply-side structural reform, implement the innovation-driven development strategy, and establish a new system for an open economy, Guangzhou has proposed the IAB Industry Development Plan.

Among these sectors, the biopharmaceutical industry will lead the IAB initiative. In mid-June, Guangzhou released the Draft for Comments of the Five-Year Action Plan for the Development of Guangzhou’s Biopharmaceutical Industry (2017–2021), proposing to establish Guangzhou as a major Chinese hub for biopharmaceutical innovation and a globally influential center for the biomedical and health industry.

Currently, Guangzhou’s biomedical industry enjoys rare opportunities and a solid foundation, positioning it as the sector with the greatest potential to evolve into a future pillar industry. It is reported that synergies have already emerged among biomedical enterprises in Guangzhou; for instance, the presence of third-party medical testing companies such as KingMed Diagnostics alongside reagent manufacturers has fostered upstream–downstream industrial collaboration.

Guangzhou also boasts abundant medical resources and higher education institutions specializing in medical training. Furthermore, international giants such as GE have established medical equipment production bases in the city. In terms of strategic planning and layout, Guangzhou will accelerate the radiating and driving effects of its leading development hubs, including Guangzhou Science City, Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, and Guangzhou International Bio Island. This may eventually give rise to an industrial pattern characterized by R&D incubation on Bio Island, testing and pilot-scale trials in Science City, and manufacturing in Knowledge City.

These conditions give Guangzhou many advantages that lead the nation in developing the bioindustry. It is believed that in the near future, Guangzhou may emerge as a world-class biopharmaceutical ecosystem.

Fostering New Business Models in the Biopharmaceutical Industry

To further promote the development of Guangzhou’s biopharmaceutical industry, the inaugural Guanzhou Bio Forum has specially launched a professional forum themed “Medical Laboratory Testing and Innovative Development of the Biotechnology Industry.” This forum aims to explore how medical laboratory testing can serve as a nexus to integrate industrial chains—including in vitro diagnostics, big data and biobanking, and biopharmaceutical R&D—thereby fostering new business models and jointly driving innovative growth in the biotechnology sector.

Data shows that as of March 2017, there were a total of 53 registered third-party medical laboratories in Guangdong Province, with Guangzhou accounting for 26 of them. The number of third-party medical laboratories in Guangdong Province ranks third nationwide, after Beijing and Zhejiang. Well-known national enterprises headquartered in Guangzhou include KingMed Diagnostics, Da An Gene, and Yishan Biotechnology. Among them, KingMed Diagnostics holds a 30% share of the total market for third-party medical laboratories, ranking first.

According to reports, KingMed Diagnostics is a pioneer and leader in China’s third-party medical testing industry. It has currently established 34 central laboratories across mainland China and Hong Kong, offering more than 2,300 test items, far exceeding the average of over 600 items available at Grade III Class A hospitals. The annual volume of tested samples exceeds 40 million, equivalent to the annual sample volume of 40 large provincial-level Grade III Class A hospitals. KingMed Diagnostics has established stable cooperative relationships with 21,000 medical institutions, and its service network covers more than 90% of China’s population. In 2016, KingMed Diagnostics reported operating revenue exceeding RMB 3.2 billion, with a compound annual growth rate surpassing 30% for three consecutive years.

In the future, in addition to further deepening its medical testing platform, KingMed Diagnostics plans to leverage the Guangzhou International Bio Island as a base to expand upstream into the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry. By driving growth through industry leadership, clustering, and collaborative innovation, the company aims to build an internationally renowned, domestically leading medical diagnostics innovation center. It will also deeply explore the value of healthcare big data by establishing a big data platform tailored for Asian populations, and vigorously promote the research and application of artificial intelligence in pathological diagnosis, thereby advancing digitalization and informatization across the industry.

Liang Yaoming, Chairman of KingMed Diagnostics, stated that using medical laboratory testing as a link to integrate the industrial chain—including in vitro diagnostics, big data and biobanking, AI-powered pathology, and biopharmaceutical R&D—and to aggregate upstream and downstream elements, not only drives innovative development in the bioindustry but also ushers in a new round of innovation-driven opportunities for the medical laboratory testing sector.