On Site: "2026 China Forum on Source Innovation in New Drug Discovery" Concludes Successfully

SHANGHAI, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As China's new drug R&D enters the "deep waters" of homogeneous competition, the path for followers has become increasingly crowded. Target congestion, rising costs, and intensifying global races have pushed the traditional follow-on model to its limits. The industry must pivot—returning to the very starting point of innovation.

Yet a critical question remains: how can scientific discoveries cross the "Valley of Death" of industrial translation? How can a sustainable ecosystem of original innovation be continuously cultivated? The answer lies not in isolated efforts, but in cross-disciplinary co-creation.

Against this backdrop, Sanyou Bio, in partnership with Tongxieyi, jointly hosted the "2026 China New Drug Source Innovation Forum" on February 8, 2026, in Shanghai. The forum bought together visionary leaders from academia, industry, and the investment communities to explore breakthrough pathways for source innovation in new drug development and to envision the future of the biopharmaceutical industry.

The forum addressed cutting-edge fields and topics ranging from AI-driven drug discovery and personalized immunotherapies, to next-generation ADC design and human micropeptidome research; from university–industry translational collaboration to asset value re-evaluation. Under the theme "Nurturing Innovation at Its Source", this intellectual gathering served as a platform for cross-sector collaboration, while also witnessed the official launch of the Clicklinks Innovation Hub for Original Drug Discovery, and the signing of multiple strategic partnerships.

The forum was fully livestreamed on Tongxieyi's WeChat Channel and WeChat Mini Program with online viewership exceeding 30,000.

01 | Opening Address

Kai-Xian Chen
Research Fellow, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences

China's biopharmaceutical industry has evolved from a model dominated by generic-drug to one increasingly driven by breakthroughs in original innovation medicines. Supported by strong national policies, it has emerged as an important growth engine of global pharmaceutical innovation. Original innovative drugs now represent the core driving force of industry development and a key pillar of the Healthy China strategy.

Nevertheless, challenges remain in areas such as source innovation, core technologies, translational efficiency, and industry–academia collaboration. These challenges call for concerted efforts across the entire ecosystem. The development of original innovative medicines relies on the integration of advanced technologies, enabling platforms, high-level talent, and close collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions.

The Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences is committed to deepening cooperation with all stakeholders, focusing on major disease areas, and driving the industry's transition from "following" to "running alongside" and ultimately "leading" global innovation. Through these efforts, we aim to support the globalization of China's homegrown innovative biologics and promote the high-quality industry development.

02 Keynote Presentations

Guojun Lang
Founder & CEO, Sanyou Bio

Making Innovative Biologic Drug Development Accessible to All

Over the past decade, Sanyou Bio has remained deeply committed to the development of innovative biologics. Anchored by its intelligent Super-Trillion Antibody Library (STAL), now exceeding 11 trillion in library compacity, and proprietary AI-STAL technology, the company has built an integrated, intelligent R&D platform that seamlessly combines wet-lab and dry-lab capabilities. This platform underpins a dual-engine growth model driven by R&D innovation and commercial operations.

To date, Sanyou Bio has served over 2,000 clients worldwide and delivered over 2,000 projects. Among more than 60 collaborative programs, over 10 have successfully completed IND (Investigational New Drug) filings, and three have advanced to Phase III clinical trials.

Looking ahead, Sanyou Bio will advance its "5-5 Strategic Initiative", leveraging the combined power of AI technologies and super-trillion-scale libraries, to establish the Clicklinks Innovation Hub for Original Drug Discovery. Through close collaboration with government, industry, academia, research institutions, and healthcare partners, Sanyou Bio aims to build a robust innovation ecosystem – advancing its mission of "Making innovative biologic drug development accessible and achievable for all".

Hua Mao
Partner & Managing Director, Greater China
Frost & Sullivan

Global Innovative Drug Market Overview

Driven by multiple factors such as regulatory reform in drug approval and increased capital investment, China has seen a rapid surge in the number of innovative drugs under development. China has now surpassed Europe to become the world's second-largest hub for innovative drug pipelines, trailing only the United States. At the same time, pipeline quality has improved significantly, with a rising proportion of First-in-Class (FIC) assets, particularly in advanced therapies such as cell and gene therapies (CGT) and nucleic acid-based drugs.

Although global and Chinese biotech investment and financing activity in innovative drugs has experienced fluctuations, biologics—including monoclonal antibodies, ADCs, and CGT— have remained highly favored. In China business development and licensing transaction market remain active, with companies increasingly prioritizing internationalization strategies. Overall, the industry is characterized by a biologics-driven growth model and an accelerating pace of global Expansion.

Zhimin Lv
Academician, Academia Europaea

University–Industry Collaboration to Advance Translational Research

Established in 2014, the Zhejiang University Institute of Translational Medicine is a new-generation research institute dedicated to bridging basic research and clinical medicine and accelerating the industrialization of biologic innovation. The institute operates under a co-construction, co-management, and resource-sharing model in collaboration with seven affiliated hospitals of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, and is supported by a high-caliber multidisciplinary talent team.

The institute has achieved significant outcomes in scientific research projects, academic publications, translational achievements, and clinical studies. Through close collaboration with industry partners, it conducts diversified drug R&D programs spanning antibodies, peptides, and small molecules, targeting a wide range of diseases including oncology, metabolic liver diseases, autoimmune disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. These efforts collectively promote the advancement of pharmaceutical R&D and the sustainable development of the biologic industry.

Bin Li
Research Fellow, Shanghai Institute of Immunology

Current Status and Future Perspectives of Personalized Immunotherapy

Personalized immunotherapy has emerged as a major frontier in oncology. Its therapeutic efficacy is largely determined by the immune characteristics of the tumor microenvironment. Advances in AI and spatiotemporal multi-omics are now providing critical support for improving precision and personalization in immunotherapy.

Our research team has long been dedicated to the study of FOXP3+ Treg research and has proposed the Immunological Oscillation Theory. By integrating a multi-omics analytical framework established through tripartite collaboration, we aim to facilitate the translation of Treg-based therapies from fundamental research to clinical application, ultimately contributing to the advent of single-cell–level precision medicine.

Tianyi Qiu
Young Principal Investigator, Fudan University

Accelerating Large-Molecule Drug Discovery and Design with Artificial Intelligence

Mutation escape remains a key factor affecting efficacy of antibodies and vaccines. To address three core challenges—immunogenicity prediction, antigen similarity assessment, and high-throughput design and screening—our team has developed the SEPPA series of epitope prediction algorithms and the CE-BLAST antigen similarity prediction algorithm, achieving superior accuracy than conventional tools.

We have also established a high-throughput computational workflows, applying it to antibody and vaccine design case studies for SARS-CoV-2, norovirus, and influenza. Experimental validation has confirmed the effectiveness of these designs, resulting in a comprehensive technology pipeline that spans from pathogen analysis to antibody/vaccine discovery and optimization.

Hailiang Zheng
Vice President, R&D, Sanyou Bio

Application of AI-STAL in Source Innovation for New Drug Discovery

The global antibody drug market is expanding rapidly, and generative AI is increasingly empowering R&D. Traditional antibody discovery, however, faces challenges such as long development cycles. The AI-STAL establishes a comprehensive technology pathway from de novo design to in vitro and in vivo validation, centered on an integrated wet-lab and dry-lab workflow. It is supported by a super-trillion antibody library and an intelligent R&D platform, providing a robust foundation for high-efficiency discovery. Looking ahead, this technology is expected to transform biologics R&D toward precise, on-demand design, accelerating innovation at the very source of new drug development.

Xin Xie
Deputy Director, National Center for Drug Screening

New Drug Discovery Targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of membrane protein receptors in the human body, playing key roles numerous physiological processes. Dysregulation of GPCR function is closely associated with a wide range of diseases, making GPCRs a central target family in drug discovery. Currently, approximately 30–40% of approved drugs globally target GPCRs, covering therapeutic areas such as neurology, endocrinology, immunology and metabolism.

In 2025, sales of GPCR-targeted anti-obesity drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide are each achieved to exceed USD 35 billion, highlighting the substantial value of GPCRs in new drug discovery.

The speaker provides an overview of GPCR structure and signal transduction characteristics, as well as new drug screening methodologies. As a case study, GPR84, a GPCR with key role in immune and inflammatory disease, is discussed. This includes research on its functions in colitis, lung injury, and atopic dermatitis, the discovery and optimization of novel structural ligands, and ongoing new drug development efforts targeting colitis and atopic dermatitis.

Guoqing Cao
Chairman, Minghui Pharma

Next-Generation ADC Molecule Design

The development of innovative drugs is inherently long and high-risk, relying on scientific innovation, technological support, outstanding teams, and perseverance. ADC represents a major breakthrough in cancer therapy, now expanding from hematologic malignancies to solid tumors. Their rapid development is driven by multidimensional technological upgrades, including targets, targeting agents, linkers, and payloads.

Minghui's SuperTopoi ADC platform demonstrates significant advantages, featuring highly efficient proprietary payloads, clinically validated linkers, and optimized antibody engineering, achieving strong safety profiles and antitumor efficacy. Among its lead candidates, MHB088C has shown remarkable efficacy and excellent safety and tolerability across multiple tumor clinical studies, with a favorable benefit-risk profile, and its clinical development is progressing steadily.

Yujie Xia
Product Director, Sanyou Bio

Launch of Clicklinks Original Innovative Drug Innovation Hub

The Clicklinks Original Innovative Drug Innovation Hub is founded on the principles of openness and efficiency, industry collaboration, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and value realization.

It is committed to building a sustainable platform that integrates upstream and downstream partners and accelerates the translation of research outcomes.

Powered by AI-STAL, the Clicklinks focuses on nine major disease areas and over ten types of innovative molecular modalities, ensuring precise alignment with unmet clinical needs.

Its development aims to foster global ecosystem collaboration and establish deeply integrated strategic partnerships, supporting partners in the continuous development of original innovative drugs. Our vision is to cultivate a thriving "Innovation Rainforest", where an open ecosystem empowers partners across all dimensions of drug discovery and development.

03 Signing Ceremony

The vitality of source innovation lies not only in breakthroughs in cutting-edge science, but also in the smooth translation from laboratory research to industry and the co-building of an innovation ecosystem.

At this forum, the "AI-STAL–Driven Clicklinks Original Innovative Drug Innovation Hub Signing Ceremony" was officially held with great prominence. Fourteen distinguished representatives from academia and industry jointly took the stage to witness this milestone. They are:

Hongchen Gu: President, Hefei Early Screening Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Naping Tang: Vice President, InnoStar
Weiqin Ni: Deputy General Manager, Liferiver
Kai Tan: General Manager, Dragon Sail Pharmaceutical
Shumin Wang: General Manager, TransReco
Henghao Xu: General Manager, Yugong Bio
Linglong Zou: General Manager, Kanwhish Biotech
Feng Tan: General Manager, NovoPro
Guozhen Xing: General Manager, AnLing Biomed
Zhenghai Li: General Manager, NephroMedicine
Dongxiao Feng: Deputy General Manager, Shanghai Model Organisms Center (SMOC)
Donglin Sun: Deputy General Manager, Acemab
Yichun Luo: Medical Director, Revvity
Guojun Lang: Founder & CEO, Sanyou Bio

04 Roundtable Dialogues

Entrepreneurs and Scientists in discussion on the Ecosystem of Original Innovative Drug R&D
Zhenze Hu (Moderator): Founder, ZhenSighti
Dongzhou Liu: Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Huadong Medicine
Qi He: Co-Founder & CEO, TandemAI
Yiwei Chu: Professor, Fudan University, Vice President, Chinese Society of Immunology (CSI)
Xuanhui Xie: Managing Partner, TVM Capital / ValueSeek Ventures
Yongqi Chen: Founder & CEO, Resproly
Sunxing Qin: Chairman, LePure Biotech

China's ecosystem for innovative drugs has taken shape and already demonstrates significant achievements. Strengths are particularly notable in CRO/CDMO services and early-stage R&D, with active outbound licensing and collaboration. However, several key gaps remain. Payment and reimbursement systems are underdeveloped, translational pathways from basic research to Proof of Concept (POC) are incomplete, and there is a shortage of talent, insufficient global commercialization capabilities, and limited collaboration across the industry chain.

In terms of early-stage innovation risk, the translation of academic research remains challenging, necessitating coordinated efforts among enterprises, investors, and government. Large pharmaceutical companies are increasingly willing to engage in breakthrough early-stage projects. On the non-technical side, low tolerance for failure, decision-making inefficiencies, and misallocation of resources have created competitive "overwork" pressure, which hinder ecosystem efficiency.

Over the next 5–10 years, the ecosystem is expected to enter a phase of optimization, integration, and deeper globalization. Recognition of clinical data will increase, differentiated innovation will become mainstream. China is poised to produce globally leading pharmaceutical companies, achieving a leap from high competition to high-quality innovation.

Source Innovation and the Re-Evaluation of China's Innovative Drug Assets
Zengjiang Cheng (Moderator): Vice Chairman, China Pharmaceutical Industry Promotion Association Founder & Chairman, Tongxieyi
Tao Ru: Managing Director, Shanghai Guotou Pioneer Private Equity Fund
Jian'er Yao: Chairman, Tellgen Corporation
Yu Zhou: Partner, Huatai Zijin Fund
Jia Li: Partner, Longshine Investment
Jie Chen: Expert, Technology Finance DepartmentBank of Communications
Suyang Wang: General Manager, Technology Finance Division Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank

China's innovative drug assets have transitioned from imitation to differentiated, engineering-driven innovation, attracting growing international attention. BD transaction upfront payments have grown counter-cyclically. Nevertheless, challenges remain, including homogeneous competition, valuation dependence on oversea markets, and tighter Hong Kong IPO policies, making high-quality differentiated assets the core of the market.

On the international front, supply is increasing, but clinical value and differentiation remain critical. Overseas companies often acquire Chinese assets for efficiency reasons, highlighting the need to enhance global commercialization capabilities in the long term. From a capital perspective, investment institutions urge the market to avoid following trends, remain patient, and focus on first-in-class innovation. Banks are supporting innovative drugs across the full chain through credit loans, equity-linked products, and clinical loans, emphasizing early evaluation of team and data, and in some cases reducing personal joint liability. These measures provide both timely support and strategic capital reinforcement, making financial backing more effective and targeted.

In terms of source innovation, universities and research institutes focus on fundamental target discovery, while enterprises lead engineering-based translation and implementation. Effective industry–academia–research collaboration, along with tolerance for innovation risk, is essential to foster a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.

05 Closing Remarks

Zengjiang Cheng
Vice Chairman, China Pharmaceutical Industry Promotion Association
Founder & Chairman, Tongxieyi

The forum featured nine keynote presentations and two roundtable discussions, bringing together leading experts from China's top scientific institutions and universities. In-depth exchanges focused on global new drug R&D, AI-driven drug discovery, next-generation ADC technologies, and personalized medicine, highlighting China's positive trajectory from "following" to "running alongside" and even "leading" in these cutting-edge fields. Notably, significant internationally competitive achievements and teams have emerged in key areas such as AI-driven drug development and precision medicine.

During the forum, Sanyou Bio signed strategic agreements with multiple partners to officially launch the Clicklinks Innovative Drug Innovation Hub, marking a major step forward in industry–academia–research collaboration. We look forward to Sanyou Bio achieving new milestones over the next decade, supporting the next wave of innovation in China's biopharmaceutical innovation.

Wishing everyone success and momentum in the Year of the Horse.

About Sanyou

Sanyou Biopharmaceuticals is a high-tech biopharmaceutical enterprise driven by its super-trillion molecule library and artificial intelligence technology, with the mission of "making innovative biologics R&D easy for clients worldwide".

Sanyou Bio has been dedicated to developing a world-class innovative biological drug R&D hub. The company is centered on its AI-driven super-trillion antibody library (AI-STAL) and supported by its world-leading, integrated and intelligent R&D platform for innovative biologics development that seamlessly combines in silico and wet-lab capabilities. Sanyou drives the global development and industrialization of innovative new drugs through diversified business models.

Headquartered in Shanghai, China, Sanyou has established global business centers across Asia, North America, and Europe, forming an international business network. The company currently operates and has planned over 20,000 square meters of R&D and GMP facilities.

Sanyou has established strong collaborations with more than 2,000 pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide, empowering over 1,200 new drug discovery and development projects. It has completed more than 50 collaboration projects, over 10 of which have advanced to IND approval and clinical development stages.

The company has filed over 130 invention patents, with more than 30 granted. It has also obtained over 10 national and international qualifications and system certifications, including National High-Tech Enterprise, Shanghai "Specialized and Innovative" Enterprise, ISO9001, and ISO27001.

SOURCE Sanyou Bio