Construction underway on high-end medical and research center

Aiming to become a research facility with the latest medical and biomedicine technology and artificial intelligence capabilities, the Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center broke ground in the Pudong New Area on Friday.

The center, which will begin trial operations in 2026, will be both a city-level hospital and high-end research body, targeting major diseases like tumors and diseases in the nervous, respiratory, pan-vascular, rheumatic and immunity as well as muscle and bone systems, said officials from the clinical center, which is managed by ShanghaiTech University.

With the function of clinical diagnoses and treatments, clinical research and scientific innovation, the first phase of the center will have 500 beds, including 200 beds for clinical treatment and 300 for research. In the future, the center will have 1,000 beds.

"In addition to a medical facility with high capabilities in clinical operations and biomedicine development, the center will become a training center for medical scientists, boosting Shanghai's health and biomedicine improvement," said Zhu Chouwen, director of the center.

International communication and cooperation are highlighted in the center.

"It will become a facility with a global perspective and viewpoint. From design, construction, management, operation and research, we are building the center into a medical facility and research body with international standards. In the next step, we will recruit talent from home and abroad," Zhu said.