With an aggregation of 69 projects, the establishment of 5 provincial-level and above R&D institutions, and a talent pool exceeding 3,700 professionals, the gene technology industrial cluster has been included in Shandong Province's future industrial clusters. In recent years, the Qingdao Area of China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as "Qingdao FTZ Area") has proactively planned and developed its life and health industry, coordinating the advancement of basic research, applied research, and industrial transformation to create a powerful synergy for development.
"The Phase II clinical trial report for BG136, the world's first immuno-oncology marine polysaccharide new drug, will be released this March," said Chen Yangsheng, Vice President of Qingdao Guoxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. He explained that this new marine drug, developed through a collaborative innovation effort by Guoxin Pharmaceutical, the Qingdao Marine Biomedical Research Institute, Ocean University of China, and other research institutions, holds broad-spectrum anti-tumor potential that will benefit a wider range of patients.
Focusing on technological innovation, the life and health industry in the Qingdao FTZ Area has achieved breakthroughs in multiple cutting-edge fields. Qingdao Qingyuan Agriscience has been granted over 100 patents for molecular breeding inventions and more than 200 international invention patents under the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty). Meanwhile, BGI is preparing for the mass production of the T20, the world's highest-throughput gene sequencer.
Currently, three industry-leading enterprises—Guoxin Pharmaceutical, BGI-Qingdao, and Qingyuan Agriscience—have established their presence in the area. Leveraging these key players, the Qingdao FTZ Area has developed a 288,000-square-meter industrial platform for the life and health sector. By deepening industrial chain investment promotion, it has successfully attracted high-growth enterprises to settle in clusters, including over 10 biomedical companies. According to Gao Shanwu, Director of the Qingdao FTZ Area Management Committee, the area aims to newly introduce and register 18 globally leading projects in fields like exosome and cell transformation applications by 2025, doubling the number of projects within two years and demonstrating a budding industrial agglomeration effect.
"This year, we will further explore pilot application scenarios to better serve corporate development, promote project attraction and platform operation, and optimize the entire industrial chain ecosystem for the life and health sector," said Gao Shanwu. (By reporter Liu Cheng)
Editor: Yuan Ruichen
