As brain-computer interfaces accelerate from the lab to the clinic, cell and gene therapies (CGT) continue to reshape the oncology treatment landscape, and AI superintelligence reconstructs the paradigm of drug R&D — China's biopharmaceutical industry stands at a critical turning point, transitioning from "following" to "leading."

 

On July 22–23, specialized forums focusing on these three frontier tracks were held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), bringing together over 100 leading scientists, clinical experts, and industry leaders to present the latest breakthroughs and industrial practices in brain-computer interface language decoding, CGT regulatory policy implementation, and AI-native drug design.

 

As a key hub for Shanghai's biopharmaceutical industry, Minhang District's biopharma sector reached a scale of 48.2 billion yuan in 2025, hosting over 1,000 companies with an increasingly完善的 industrial ecosystem. In recent years, Minhang has leveraged its "1+2" policy framework and distinctive clusters such as "DaLingHaoWan" and "Brain Intelligence World," to deliver full-chain support across policy, industrial infrastructure, and capital enablement.

 

The hosting of this series of forums reflects Minhang's continued布局 in frontier tracks and its growing industrial agglomeration effects.

 

Chapter 1: A New Leap in Gene Therapy — From "Order No. 818" to Clinical Translation: Competition, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking Among CGT Companies

 

On the morning of July 22, the "Next-Generation AAV Innovation Pathway" session, co-organized by Tongxieyi and GeneCare, was held. The event brought together founders and CEOs of leading domestic CGT companies, with specially invited top clinical PIs, featuring high-density dialogue and vigorous exchange of views throughout.

 

Liu Xiao, Vice President of GeneCare and Chief Brand Officer of Tongxieyi, noted in his opening remarks that the full implementation of Order No. 818 and the dual-track system has opened an institutional window for China's CGT industry to move from "following" to "leading." During the "round-robin interview" segment, moderated by Cai Yuan, AAV lead at Shanda Network's Metabolic Health Laboratory, founders from Belief BioMed, Gene Journey, BrainStorm Bio, NeuExcell, and GeneVentiv shared their entrepreneurial journeys and perspectives on technology route selection and industry trends.

 

A debate session focused on the industry hot topic: "Should gene therapy expand into major indications?" Yufang Bio, CureGen, and Avirmax took the affirmative side, while Xinya Gene, Qisejin Rare Disease, and Youyin Bio took the opposing side. The two sides clashed over the clinical value, R&D challenges, and commercial prospects of developing major indications, with each side citing real cases and clinical practices.

 

A roundtable titled "The Joy of Climbing Mount Everest — You Wouldn't Understand" brought the discussion back to entrepreneurs' real experiences. Moderated by Wang Hongyuan, CEO of Huayi Lejian, guests from Youyin Bio, Daoji Gene, GeneCare, Neurophth Bio, and Belief BioMed shared their journeys from target discovery to product development and commercialization, recounting both the darkest moments and the highlights — revealing the persistence and choices behind the industry's progress.

 

A roundtable on "Gene Therapy — Boao, 818 or 828," moderated by Wu Zhenhua, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Gene Journey, brought together representatives from Nuojiebei, GeneVentiv, and Wuxi ATU to discuss the practical impact of new regulatory policies, focusing on how to effectively bridge IIT and IND pathways and how companies can find clearer, more viable clinical development paths under the new regulatory framework.

 

The final roundtable, "The Surprises of Tomorrow's Gene Therapy," moderated by Cai Yuan of Shanda Network's Metabolic Health Laboratory, brought together Yufang Bio, CureGen, and clinical experts from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital to discuss technology evolution, clinical needs, and industrial translation. Attendees agreed that as gene therapy enters the critical stage of clinical translation, establishing more efficient collaborative mechanisms between researchers and industry will be a key driver for accelerating the translation of innovation from the lab to clinical practice and industrial application.

 

Chapter 2: The New Paradigm of AI-Native Drug Discovery — How Superintelligence Rewrites the "Underlying Code" of Drug R&D

 

On the morning of July 22, the "Superintelligence Era of Chinese Innovative Drugs" session, co-hosted by Tongxieyi and Toursynbio, was held with approximately 100 AI drug discovery technology experts, pharma R&D executives, and investment institution representatives in attendance.

 

In the keynote session, Guo Zhuoran, Senior Vice President at CITIC Securities, analyzed the core logic of capital reshaping the AI drug discovery ecosystem. Xie Xin, Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Sino Biopharmaceutical, shared insights from domestic pharma companies' intelligent transformation practices. Lin Weining, Chief AI Scientist of Toursynbio, systematically presented the application logic and technical framework of AI agents in macromolecular drug R&D; Yi Kai, Vice President of Toursynbio, demonstrated technological breakthroughs in AI-driven de novo protein and antibody design.

 

During the session, Toursynbio, Sino Biopharmaceutical, MEGAROBO, and Zijing Xingyu officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement, announcing a joint effort to build an AI biopharma "superfactory" based on 6G AI-EDGE infrastructure, exploring a new paradigm of industrial intelligence empowering scientific intelligence.

 

A roundtable discussion on "AI-Native Biologics R&D: How Can Scientific Superintelligence Break the Boundaries of Drug Discovery?" brought together perspectives from regulators, leading pharma companies, innovative tech companies, and venture capital. Moderated by Guo Bingshi, General Manager of Macromolecular Drugs at Jiyu Biopharma, representatives from Fosun Pharma, MEGAROBO, Zencore Biologics, Toursynbio, and Pivotal Bioventure Capital, along with regulatory experts, examined the feasibility and boundaries of superintelligence empowering every stage of drug R&D — from target discovery and molecular generation, to the dry-wet lab闭环 and clinical translation pathways.

 

Chapter 3: "Brain-Computer Without Boundaries, Intelligence Creates the Future" — Industrial Transition from Lab to Clinic

 

On the morning of July 23, the "Brain-Computer Interface" session, co-organized by NeuroXess and Qinzhi Capital, was held with approximately 150 scientists, clinical experts, founders, and investment representatives attending, to discuss the pathway for BCI technology from scientific breakthrough to clinical application and industrialization.

 

Tang Dajie, Chairman of Qinzhi Capital, noted in his address that BCI, as a frontier interdisciplinary field, is attracting increasing attention from both industry and capital. He emphasized that advancing this technology's healthy development requires coordinated efforts from all parties, and expressed hope that this forum would build a quality exchange platform to jointly support innovation and industrial progress in the BCI field.

 

Public data shows that Minhang District is now home to 61 BCI innovation companies, accounting for over 60% of the city's total, with cumulative financing exceeding 1 billion yuan and total valuation of core companies surpassing 5.5 billion yuan; 8 products have entered clinical trials. Leveraging the "Brain Intelligence World" future industry cluster and the clinical resources of Huashan Hospital's Hongqiao campus (affiliated with Fudan University), Minhang is accelerating the development of a complete "clinical need — technology R&D — industrial translation"闭环.

 

In the keynote session, Professor Guo Liang of Shanghai Jiao Tong University systematically explained the technical principles and application prospects of ultrasound brain-computer interfaces. Tao Hu, Founder and Chief Scientist of NeuroXess, shared the practical pathway of BCI from laboratory to industrialization. Mao Hua, Senior Partner and Managing Director of Frost & Sullivan, released a global BCI industry white paper, systematically summarizing the current status and trends of China's BCI industry. Wu Jinsong, Director of the Shanghai BCI Clinical Trial and Translation Key Laboratory and Deputy Director of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital (Fudan University), provided an in-depth analysis of the core technological breakthroughs and clinical practices in Chinese-language brain-computer interfaces.

 

During the panel discussion, representatives from Juxin Medical, Xijia Medical, Lingqiao Tech, and Maidong Shukang, along with representatives from Qinzhi Capital, Huiying Private Fund, Hongyuan Huifu, Venture Link, and Sirius Venture Capital, exchanged views on company value creation and capital investment logic, with务实 and in-depth discussions on site.

 

— Conclusion —

 

From BCI exploring the boundaries of life perception, to CGT driving breakthroughs in precision medicine, and AI superintelligence reshaping the logic of drug R&D — three frontier tracks are accelerating their convergence, becoming important pillars supporting China's biopharmaceutical industry as it moves into deeper innovation waters.

 

This series of forums not only showcased the latest progress in translating frontier technologies from scientific exploration to industrial application, but also demonstrated Minhang District's ongoing布局 in future industries and its efforts to集聚 innovation resources. As policy systems, clinical resources, industrial capital, and innovative companies form closer synergies, China's biopharmaceutical industry is entering a new phase of moving from single-point breakthroughs to ecosystem-level transformation.