Eighth China Innovation Challenge - Specialized Event on Biomanufacturing Technology Successfully Concludes in Tianjin

On October 26, the on-site competition of the Bio-manufacturing Technology Special Session of the 8th China Innovation Challenge was successfully held in Tianjin. The event was guided by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, hosted by the Tianjin Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and organized by the National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology. Attendees included Wang Yutong, Director of the Regional Innovation Service Division under the Ministry of Science and Technology; Xia Zhenghuai, Party Committee Member and Deputy Director of the Tianjin Municipal Science and Technology Bureau; Xu Zhanwei, Party Committee Member and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone; Zhang Jiangkuo, Deputy Director of the Binhai New Area Science and Technology Bureau; as well as Ma Yanhe, Director of the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with Deputy Directors Zhang Xuecheng, Sun Jibin, and Wang Qinhong. More than 400 participants from nearly 150 entities, including innovation challenge teams, industry experts, demand-side enterprises, universities and research institutes, and service agencies in the field of bio-manufacturing across China, attended the on-site competition.

The Bio-manufacturing Technology Special Competition of this China Innovation Challenge focused on the technical needs of enterprises in the bio-manufacturing sector, launching a “Call for Challenges” and “Response to Challenges” competition. The event was divided into four tracks: “Food Manufacturing,” “Pharmaceutical Manufacturing,” “Material Manufacturing,” and “Future Foundations.” It also conducted an in-depth analysis of industry demands, accurately identifying the critical thresholds for the industrialization of core technologies. A special “Bio-manufacturing Threshold Challenge” was established to break through the biological limits of bio-systems (“theoretical threshold”) and surpass the technical break-even point (“production threshold”). Since its launch on July 18, 2023, the competition has collected over one hundred technical needs from bio-manufacturing enterprises across China. Following diagnosis and selection, 50 enterprise technical needs and four “Threshold Challenge” problems were released in six batches. In late September, 60 shortlisted solutions underwent blind review by judges and experts from each track, with 35 outstanding proposals advancing to the onsite finals.

The on-site competition invited distinguished experts from the fields of scientific research, industry, and investment and financing to serve as judges. These included Deng Zixin, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chen Guoqiang, Professor at Tsinghua University; Zhuang Yingping, Professor at East China University of Science and Technology; Yang Sheng, Researcher at the CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences; Wang Yajun, Professor at Zhejiang University of Technology; Jiang Huifeng, Researcher at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Yan Xiaohui, Professor at Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; as well as representatives from Huaheng Biological Research Institute, Tianjin Zhongke Haihe Biomedical Industry Fund Partnership, Tianjin Ringpu Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Bloomage Biotechnology Corporation, and Tianjin Rianlon New Material Co., Ltd. Thirty-five innovative challenge teams from across China presented their proposals sequentially, showcasing unique and novel solutions that created an exciting and dynamic atmosphere. After eight hours of intense competition and anonymous scoring by the judges, the team led by Zhang Tao from Beijing Weigou Factory Biotechnology Co., Ltd. won the First Prize. The teams led by Zhang Yiheng from the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shen Yanbing from Tianjin University of Science and Technology were awarded the Second Prize. The Third Prize was awarded to the teams led by Chen Jiuzhou from the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chen Yao from Nankai University, and Li Cheng from Suzhou Juwei Yuanchuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

As a key component of the integrated, open, and shared technological innovation platform spearheaded by the National Center for Technological Innovation in Synthetic Biology, five major technical service platforms were officially launched on-site: the High-Throughput Editing and Screening Platform, the Systems Biology Platform, the Biological Design Platform, the Structural Biology Platform, and the Intelligent Biomanufacturing Platform. The High-Throughput Editing and Screening Platform is dedicated to building a technical system for the fully automated construction and high-throughput screening of engineered microbial strains. Its capabilities include a high-throughput gene cloning capacity of up to 10,000 constructs per month, a protein site-directed mutagenesis construction throughput of up to 5,000 variants per day, and genomic editing capacity of 10,000 sites per month. The Systems Biology Platform focuses on developing novel multi-omics methodologies encompassing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and biomolecular interactions. It provides standardized and quantitative analytical services across the entire omics spectrum. Its proteomics analysis can absolutely quantify more than 2,000 proteins in a single run within 30 minutes; its metabolomics quantification covers over 100 metabolites with a screening throughput exceeding 10,000 samples per day; and it possesses the capability for large-scale molecular interaction network analysis and identification. The Biological Design Platform leverages an integrated BT (Biotechnology) + IT (Information Technology) + AI (Artificial Intelligence) framework to deliver high-quality services, including computational power support, protein function prediction and design, metabolic pathway design, and strain design. The Structural Biology Platform establishes a complete technical chain for efficient protein expression, purification, preparation, property characterization, and structural biology research, thereby enabling low-cost, high-throughput, and precise protein structure-function studies and services. The Intelligent Biomanufacturing Platform is positioned to develop new technologies, methods, and equipment, aiming to better provide services such as fermentation optimization and scale-up, as well as support and development for product separation and purification processes.

During the on-site competition, the National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology awarded plaques to representatives from more than 20 co-building units present at the event and signed on-site agreements with eight enterprises, including North China Pharmaceutical Group New Drug Research and Development Co., Ltd. These partnerships will foster in-depth collaboration in pharmaceutical manufacturing, food production, and the joint establishment of laboratories. Meanwhile, under the guidance of the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission and the Hebei Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, a special matchmaking session on “Biomanufacturing” in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was held as part of the “Science-University-Enterprise Close Cooperation” series. The event was jointly organized by the Biomanufacturing Industry (Talent) Alliance, the Hebei Provincial Biomanufacturing Industry Alliance, and the Beijing Pharmaceutical Industry Association, attracting nearly 20 universities and research institutes from across China and 30 key biomanufacturing enterprises from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Guided by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and hosted by local science and technology authorities, the China Innovation Challenge is held simultaneously across the country in the form of thematic competitions and industrial competitions. For the first time, this edition of the competition has integrated its efforts with the work of National Technology Innovation Centers, aiming to leverage their role as the national team and reinforce their mission and responsibilities. As the organizer of this year’s thematic competition, the National Technology Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology was approved and supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2019. It was jointly established by the Tianjin Municipal People's Government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, taking the lead in its construction. By uniting more than 50 leading industry entities nationwide for collaborative innovation, focusing on key core technologies in synthetic biology, and innovating institutional mechanisms, the Center has formed a deep integration pattern of industry, academia, and research characterized by “multi-party co-construction, close collaboration, benefit sharing, and risk sharing,” providing full-chain support for technological innovation and achievement transformation in synthetic biology. Through this thematic competition, the National Technology Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology has further built a platform for precise matchmaking between the demand and supply sides of technological achievement transformation, promoting the establishment of new models for such transformation. Meanwhile, through the innovative competition format of the “Threshold Challenge,” it gathers strength and fosters collaborative breakthroughs, helping to accelerate theoretical breakthroughs and industrial applications in biomanufacturing, thereby driving the high-quality and rapid development of the bioeconomy.