Vibrant China Research Tour | Zhangjiang Drug Valley Incubates World's First Innovative Anti-Hematologic Tumor Drug to Enter Clinical Trials

SHANGHAI — In June, Mabwell (Shanghai) Bioscience Co., Ltd. secured a clinical trial license from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an innovative drug targeting relapsed and refractory hematologic tumors, marking a critical step in its push into overseas markets.

Just two months earlier, in April, the company's clinical trial application had been accepted by China's Center for Drug Evaluation, making it the world's first innovative drug to enter clinical trials in this particular sub-segment.

How did a biotech company in Shanghai achieve a "world's first"? On July 8, reporters visiting Zhangjiang — the city's famed biotech hub known as "Drug Valley" — alongside the "Vibrant China Research Tour" delegation found that the answer lies in a potent combination of talent, ecosystem, and ambition.

"We have witnessed the birth of China's innovative drug industry from nothing in Zhangjiang."

Mabwell is a homegrown Shanghai startup. Chairman and General Manager Liu Datao spent more than a decade at Shanghai Pharma Group before venturing out on his own, drawn by what he saw as a generational opportunity in China's innovative drug sector — particularly in Shanghai, where local universities and enterprises have been accumulating research capacity, and where an influx of overseas returnees has turned the city into a magnet for biotech talent and resources.

"Our headquarters is in Zhangjiang, a place that has witnessed China's innovative drug industry grow from zero," Liu said. "Beyond the supportive policies, there is a complete industrial ecosystem here. Within walking distance or a short drive, you can access the entire chain — target discovery, clinical services, pilot-scale manufacturing, venture capital, and regulatory review. It's truly 'no need to leave the valley for R&D, one-stop support.'"

The birth of an innovative drug involves several major stages: drug discovery, process development, clinical research, and industrial translation. Shanghai boasts top-tier university resources and an international outlook, enabling researchers to align with global frontiers from the discovery stage onward.

In daily R&D, Mabwell can efficiently collaborate with nearby universities and top-tier research hospitals for industry-academia-medicine joint innovation, rapidly advancing sample validation and clinical exploration.

Mabwell Director, Vice President, and Head of Innovation Discovery Gui Xun came directly from academia. He brought research findings from the university to the company, hoping to drive industrial translation of the drug and ultimately benefit patients. Such industry-academia collaboration cases are ubiquitous throughout Zhangjiang Drug Valley.

Meanwhile, Shanghai has attracted a dense concentration of biotech-focused funds and venture capital firms, continuously injecting capital into early-stage innovative pipelines. Pudong's dedicated biotech service center provides end-to-end support for registration, compliance, and industrialization. And as AI increasingly powers drug development, Zhangjiang's large cluster of artificial intelligence companies makes it easy for biotech firms to form powerful partnerships. This comprehensive industrial cluster significantly lowers innovation costs and shortens R&D cycles, accelerating the journey of breakthrough discoveries from the lab to the clinic and the market.

"China's innovative drug R&D is no longer behind Europe and the U.S. — in some areas, we've even taken the lead."

To date, Mabwell has successfully brought four products to market, with one additional product currently under marketing review. The company's partnerships span more than 30 countries worldwide. In 2025 alone, the total contract value of its innovative product collaborations exceeded USD 1.6 billion.

With its complete industrial ecosystem and deep talent pool, Shanghai is witnessing an increasing number of Chinese innovative drugs transitioning from "following" to "running alongside" — and in some cases, "surpassing" their Western counterparts — establishing the city as a new high ground on the global biotech innovation map.

Source: Liberation Daily · Wang Li | Original publication: Shangguan News