Global biopharma leaders flocking to Shanghai
Shanghai will broaden support for cutting-edge research and deeper integration between researchers and commercial drug operations to fuel development of the strategic biopharma industry, Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng said on Monday.
Industry changes and wider awareness for health and well-being amid the pandemic are pushing innovative development of the biopharma industry, while the International Biopharma Industry Week Shanghai is expected to become an important platform where the latest research will be unveiled and partnerships established, Gong told the opening ceremony.
International Biopharma Industry Week Shanghai will host dozens of forums and industry discussion panels under the theme "Striving Together, Shaping Tomorrow."
Biopharmaceutical is one of Shanghai's three frontier industries, along with integrated circuits and artificial intelligence.
Michael Levitt, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and Professor of Structural Biology & Computer Science at Stanford University, shared computational drug research activities, latest health-care trends, and challenges arising from the use of computers in health care.
"Computers are expected to play a bigger role by monitoring health situations and vital signs," he said in the keynote speech.
A total of 15 leading biopharma companies and investment institutions including AstraZeneca, Shanghai Pharma, Fosun Pharma and J.P. Morgan, became the first batch of World-class Biopharma Industry Cluster Partners of Shanghai as the city strives to become an international industry hub.
Shanghai also aims to attract a large group of science talent and research teams to enhance research for groundbreaking new drugs.