In the "12218" modern industrial system in Guangzhou, the cell and gene industry is one of the six major future industries and also the main development direction of the biopharmaceutical industry in the future. The cell and gene industry has typical characteristics such as forward-looking, exploratory, disruptive, and pioneering. With continuous breakthroughs in the foundation and application of cutting-edge fields, cell and gene technology is providing innovative solutions for the treatment of systemic, degenerative, and tumorous diseases, meeting the growing health needs of people. Through multiple efforts such as policy empowerment, technological breakthroughs, and industrial ecosystem construction, Guangzhou is expected to become a global innovation hub for cell and gene therapy, contributing as a "Guangzhou sample" to a healthy China.

The intensive implementation of innovative achievements accelerates the formation of the entire chain ecosystem

Under the strategic layout of Guangzhou's "12218" modern industrial system, the cell and gene industry has entered a period of rapid development, gradually building a complete ecological chain from basic research to industrial transformation. The breakthrough progress in the construction of major scientific research platforms and the national leading innovation achievements of some enterprises all demonstrate the strong development potential of Guangzhou's cell and gene industry.

In March of this year, the first national level large-scale scientific facility in the field of life sciences in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, the Human Cell Lineage Large Science Research Facility, was launched and constructed on Guangzhou International Bio Island. The facility plans to draw a dynamic evolutionary map of 40 trillion cells in the human body, providing underlying technical support for research in fields such as regenerative medicine and precision medicine. At the same time, the "Bio OS system" developed by the Guangzhou laboratory has integrated over 560000 sets of global genome data from international mainstream databases such as TCGA and GEO. As a biomedical big data operating system, it has become an important tool for supporting research in the fields of cells and genes by encapsulating the entire process of bioinformatics analysis and integrating AI big model technology.

In the "2024 Global Unicorn List" released by Hurun Research Institute, six Guangzhou companies including Yunzhou Biotechnology were listed. As a global leader in gene delivery services, Yunzhou Biotechnology serves customers from over 4500 research institutes and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Its core business, gene delivery technology, is the underlying support for mRNA vaccines, CAR-T therapies, and other fields. The rapid development of the company is attributed to the dual empowerment of technology research and development and capital, "said Huang Rui, Executive President of Yunzhou Biotechnology. The good competition driven investment model has enabled Yunzhou Biotechnology to develop rapidly with the dual support of capital and technology. After several years of technological accumulation and market precipitation, in 2022, Yunzhou Biotechnology participated in the entrepreneurship and innovation competition as a "growth group" enterprise. After careful preparation, we won first prizes in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, and the whole country. When we won the first prize in the provincial competition, we successfully completed a Series C financing of over 400 billion yuan, "said Huang Rui.

High concentration of scientific research resources' top grid 'supports injection of strong momentum

In September 2024, the Guangdong Provincial Government issued the "Action Plan for Accelerating the Cultivation and Development of Future Industries", which further refined the layout of future industries throughout the province, requiring Guangzhou to focus on developing segmented industries such as cell and gene therapy, and organoids, providing direction for Guangzhou's development. In the competition between the cell and gene industries, Guangzhou fully leverages its advantages in policies, scientific research resources, and industrial chains, shortens the transformation cycle through mechanism innovation, breaks through transformation bottlenecks, and seizes development opportunities.

The Work Plan for Accelerating the High Quality Development of the Biomanufacturing Industry in Guangzhou, released in October 2024, clearly focuses on promoting the large-scale development of nucleic acid drugs, cell and gene therapy in key areas such as gene editing and bioinformatics. In Nansha, the "Support Measures for Promoting High Quality Development of the Biomedical Industry in Nansha New Area (Free Trade Zone) of Guangzhou" further takes the lead and innovates in cell and gene therapy, supporting cell and gene therapy enterprises to carry out clinical applications of restricted cell transplantation therapy technology; Support Hong Kong and Macau enterprises to conduct medical research beyond human stem cells, gene diagnosis, and treatment. At the same time, foreign investors are encouraged to develop and apply genetic diagnosis and treatment technologies, and will be rewarded at a rate of 2% of their foreign investment amount.

In addition, Guangzhou has a high concentration of scientific research resources and strong technological sourcing capabilities. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou Institute of Health, Guangzhou Laboratory and other national scientific research platforms provide technical support for the industry; Sun Yat sen University, South China University of Technology and other universities jointly cultivate professional talents with medical institutions in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and annually deliver a large number of graduates in the field of biomedicine.

Promote the interconnection between upstream and downstream industries, strengthen the cultivation of high-end talents

The cell and gene industry is the main development direction of the biopharmaceutical industry in the future. Guangzhou has a strong foundation in the biopharmaceutical industry and also has certain first mover advantages in the cell and gene industries.

In 2024, Huangpu District International Biomedical Innovation Park has obtained a total of 115 clinical trial approvals, accounting for 50% of the province's total, covering cutting-edge fields such as tumor immunotherapy and gene editing. The biopharmaceutical industry carrier centered around Huangpu District Knowledge City and International Bio Island has gathered over 200 upstream and downstream enterprises, forming an industrial cluster covering fields such as gene sequencing and cell therapy.

Zhang Chaocheng, Vice President of Ruibo Biotechnology, believes that further development of the cell and gene industry requires the creation of an ecological environment for the biopharmaceutical industry. "We will continue to attract talent through policies, strengthen the upstream and downstream connectivity of the industry, support the construction of local CDMO platforms, and reduce research and development costs for enterprises." He mentioned that the largest oligonucleotide raw material drug production base in Asia, located in Huangpu District, already has the ability to serve the world. In the future, we can leverage the geographical advantages of the Greater Bay Area to deepen cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, and connect with international resources. In addition, Zhang Chaocheng pointed out that there is still a shortage of high-end technical talents in the field of nucleic acid. He suggested establishing a discipline direction for nucleic acid technology and providing practical subsidies for career orientation. At the same time, he optimized the policy for introducing overseas talents to provide talent support for the development of the cell and gene industries.

Source: Guangzhou Daily