XtalPi Drives Expansion of China's First AI-Powered Drug Discovery Alliance

Zhangjiang AI New Drug R&D Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the "AI New Drug Alliance") is the first alliance in China focusing on AI-driven new drug R&D. Established in October 2021, it was initiated by several academicians including Kairun Chen and Zihe Rao. The alliance brings together a full ecosystem ranging from original innovation to industrial application. Its members include research institutes such as the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhejiang University's Shanghai Advanced Research Institute; leading companies in AI new drug R&D like XtalPi and Insilico Medicine; CXO service providers such as Medicilon and WuXi Biologics; well-known pharmaceutical enterprises both domestically and internationally, including Hengrui Medicine, Hansoh Pharma, and Roche Pharmaceuticals; and AI internet giants like Baidu and Huawei. The alliance has expanded from its initial single track to now encompassing multiple areas of progress, presenting a flourishing scene of diversity and gradually becoming an indispensable core force in the fields of artificial intelligence and drug discovery.

XtalPi("XtalPi Holdings Limited", Stock Abbreviation: XtalPi-P, XTALPI-P, 2228.HK)) Since September 2023, XtalPi has been elected as the co-chair unit, working alongside the chair unit, Zhangjiang Group, to lead the Secretariat and collaborate with all member units to represent the industry. Using AI technology as a link, they aim to achieve bidirectional empowerment between artificial intelligence and biomedicine, promoting communication, cooperation, and tight coordination across the upstream and downstream industrial chain. Over the past year, they have organized and hosted various events, including Secretariat activities of the AI Drug Discovery Alliance, a technical exchange seminar with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), an innovation dialogue titled "AI Technology Leading the Future of Innovative Drug Industry," the annual meeting of the Biomedical Branch of the Shanghai Association of Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, and the 2024 SAPA-China Pharmaceutical Industry Conference, attracting more new members to join the alliance.

Recently, the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the AI Drug Discovery Alliance was held at the Zhangjiang Science Hall. Ten new member units joined the alliance, including Molecular Heart, MedChemExpress (MCE China), Comed Biotech, LaMont Biotech, United Healthcare, Shuimu Molecular, Yanin Technology, Yaosu Technology, PharmaCube, and Zhiyu Biotech. Yuan Tao, Chairman of the AI Drug Discovery Alliance and Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Zhangjiang Group, together with Ma Jian, Co-Chairman of the AI Drug Discovery Alliance and Co-Founder and CEO of XtalPi, presented membership plaques to representatives of the ten new members.

The Presidium of the AI New Drug Alliance Awards Plaques to New Member Units for 2024

At the conference, Yuan Tao, Chairman of the AI New Drug Alliance, stated: "AI, as an indisputable new productive force in the innovative drug industry, is strongly driving the transformation and upgrading of the industry from 'pharmaceuticals' to 'intelligent drugs.' The alliance has become an important link in promoting the cross-disciplinary integration of AI and pharmaceuticals, sharing data resources, and advancing technological iteration. It is gathering more and more emerging AI forces. In the future, the alliance will continue to play its role as a bridge, connecting industry, academia, research, and application sectors to create a more dynamic and higher-quality AI-driven innovation ecosystem for intelligent drug development."

Chairman of the AI New Drug Alliance, Party Secretary and Chairman of Zhangjiang Group, Yuan Tao

Ma Jian, Co-Chair of the AI New Drug Alliance, stated: "Thank you to all member units for supporting the alliance's work and continuously voicing the industry’s perspective. AI technology has achieved breakthrough results in various fields and has become a consensus in the global scientific and industrial communities. After several years of development, the AI New Drug Alliance has gradually become an industry benchmark, leading innovative technologies and connecting them to industrial implementation. The AI New Drug Alliance is closely connected with all sectors of the industry, and we also look forward to more representative cutting-edge advancements being linked through AI to jointly promote development."

Co-Chair of the AI New Drug Alliance, Co-Founder and CEO of XtalPi, Jian Ma

At the meeting, all members of the AI New Drug Alliance’s Presidential Board, Secretariat, and representatives from various member units were present. Wang Mingtai, Secretary General of the AI New Drug Alliance, presented the annual work review, summarizing the development achievements over the past year in areas such as professional common needs services, key business promotion, cross-disciplinary scenario integration, and collective visibility efforts. He expressed hope for more members to actively participate in alliance activities, contribute to its growth, and collaboratively build a strong AI-driven pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem.

Secretary General of the AI New Drug Alliance, Wang Mingtai

This conference also specially invited Liang Yunchao, Director of the Third Division of the Talent Work Bureau of Pudong New Area, to attend and introduce Pudong's latest talent recruitment and intelligence introduction policies, providing support for enterprises in attracting and retaining talent.

Liang Yunchao, Director of the Third Division of the Talent Work Bureau of Pudong New Area

When AI "enters" the pharmaceutical field, how will it usher in the next era of exponential growth? How will the AI Drug Discovery Alliance work to build a new AI-driven pharmaceutical ecosystem? At the conference, alliance members engaged in panel discussions, focusing on the development of the alliance and industry issues, actively offering suggestions and proposals.

Ren Feng, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, provided valuable suggestions on the sustainable development of the AI Drug Discovery Alliance; Cai-Da Lai, Co-founder and CEO of J Pharma, expressed gratitude to the AI Drug Discovery Alliance for building a bridge of communication and interaction among ecosystem partners and looks forward to achieving more international collaborations; Qiancheng Shen, CEO of Yudao Bio, reviewed past alliance activities and shared expectations regarding promotional displays and overseas collaboration; Xiaobing Li, General Manager of the Life Sciences Division at Deep Potential Technology, shared insights on the industry and discussed possibilities for collaboration among alliance members as well as cross-disciplinary technology integration; Zhen Gong, Senior Director of Computational Chemistry at Hansoh Pharma, and Xun Li, Senior Director of Molecular Informatics at Hengrui Pharma, acknowledged the positive impact of AI technology on the pharmaceutical industry and shared the challenges and opportunities faced by new technologies; Huawei’s representative envisioned, based on its corporate platform, the rich internal and external resources that could be connected through the AI Drug Discovery Alliance in the future…

As a platform organization characterized by "AI + Biomedicine," the AI New Drug Alliance consistently focuses inward to consolidate strength while radiating influence outward during its development in the new era. Within the alliance, close cooperation and communication are always maintained to promote complementary advantages, mutual learning, technical breakthroughs, collaborative innovation, and shared outcomes. The various entities of the AI New Drug Alliance unite with determination, continuously advocating for innovation in biomedicine, allowing more people to see the alliance and hear the voice of technological innovation.

Moreover, the AI New Drug Alliance has actively voiced its opinions in various special research projects organized by the government, and made collective appearances at major events such as the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, China Pharmaceutical Industry Development Conference, Shanghai International Biomedical Industry Week, and Pudong International Talent Port Forum.

AI Plays the Symphony of Innovation, and the "Whirlwind" Stirred by Technology Never Stops.Thanks to Zhangjiang's ecological advantages in biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and other fields, the AI New Drug Alliance, based in Zhangjiang, serves China and the world, continuously promoting the cross-disciplinary integration of AI and biomedicine.In the future, the AI New Drug Alliance will further unleash the new momentum of the AI-powered pharmaceutical industry, drive the innovative development of the biopharmaceutical industry, and warmly welcomes more institutions and companies from upstream and downstream of the industrial chain to pay attention to and join the alliance.