Academia Sinica: An R&D Powerhouse Fueling Advancements in Biotech, Pharma, and Medical Research

Academia Sinica provides advanced core facilities that support research and development in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical science. These facilities integrate tools and expertise across disciplines to enable drug discovery, precision medicine, and translational research. Key areas include medicinal chemistry, antibody development, RNA technologies, and infectious disease research, with applications ranging from high-throughput gene editing and vaccine development to preclinical testing and biobanking. By offering resources for both academic and industry projects, these facilities play a significant role in advancing research and addressing challenges in healthcare and biomedical fields.

Medicinal Chemistry and Analytical Core Facilities for Advanced Drug Evaluation and Analysis

Academia Sinica’s Medicinal Chemistry and Analytical Core Facilities support global advancements in drug discovery and precision medicine. These facilities integrate chemical synthesis, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. They offer customized drug development services for various research and development stages. In the Chemical Synthesis & Medicinal Chemistry Core Facility, researchers design and synthesize small molecules for new drug discovery. The large-scale production batches focus on kilogram-level manufacturing to enhance product development efficiency. Additionally, the facility provides drug analysis and purification services, including optical purification and degradation analysis.

The Mass Spectrometry Core Facility uses advanced devices like the Q Exactive Plus Orbitrap and Triple Quad 6500+. These devices support protein, metabolite, and drug metabolism studies. The NMR Core Facility specializes in molecular structure and dynamics research. It provides NMR analysis services to support protein structure elucidation. These multi-functional facilities enable comprehensive drug evaluation and analysis, making them vital to drug development.

Human Therapeutic Antibody R&D Core Facility: Advancing Antibody-Based Treatments to Boost Therapeutic Efficacy

The Human Therapeutic Antibody R&D Core Facility develops high-efficiency antibody technologies, including fully human antibody production. Using advanced core technologies, the facility drives the creation of various antibody-based therapies. The platform employs high-affinity techniques like mouse fusion, magnetic bead screening, and humanized antibody libraries. These techniques establish a solid technical foundation. Notable developments include anti-drug antibodies (ADA) and antibodies targeting cancer-related mutations. Additionally, the platform designs antibodies to target small peptides. Furthermore, the platform optimizes antibody engineering to enhance stability and therapeutic efficacy. This support advances novel antibody drugs, making significant contributions to the industry.

Looking at antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), the Human Therapeutic Antibody R&D sector shows its vitality and growth potential. The ADC contract manufacturing market is rapidly expanding. Projections show an increase from USD 11.88 billion in 2023 to USD 13.06 billion in 2024. By 2030, the market could reach USD 25.99 billion. This growth highlights the sector’s crucial role in advancing targeted therapies, especially in oncology. The demand for ADCs is driven by product innovations, investments, and breakthroughs in manufacturing technologies. Consequently, antibody research is making a significant impact in healthcare.

ID Core: Tackling Emerging Infectious Diseases with Advanced Vaccine and Drug Development Support 

The point-of-care infectious disease testing market is expected to grow at a 6.9% CAGR from 2024 to 2032. This growth is driven by the increasing global burden of infectious diseases and rising demand for rapid diagnostics. Technological advancements, including miniaturization and digital integration, are improving test accuracy and portability. Additionally, the convenience of on-the-spot results is enhancing patient care, particularly in resource-limited settings.

The Infectious Disease (ID) Core was established to address the challenges posed by emerging infectious diseases, providing support for vaccine and drug development and evaluation. Equipped with BSL-2 laboratories and ABSL-2 animal facilities, the facility conducts pathogen testing and related drug research. Core services include virus detection, vaccine testing, and immunological analysis, with specialized applications in ELISA-HI (serum inhibition analysis) and FACS (flow cytometry analysis). Moreover, the facility offers infectious disease animal model development services, enabling comprehensive evaluations of virus challenge, vaccine efficacy, and antibody responses. The ABSL-2 laboratories meet international AAALAC certification standards, supporting advanced animal infection and immune response studies for vaccine and antiviral drug development. Additionally, the facility conducts cell immunity analyses using ELISpot and flow cytometry, providing cytokine secretion and immune cell profiling data for infectious disease research.

Academia Sinica’s Top-Notch Core Facilities Drive R&D Advancements

Academia Sinica’s advanced core facilities play a pivotal role in accelerating research and development across key areas such as medicinal chemistry, antibody-based therapies, and infectious disease research. By integrating cutting-edge technologies like chemical synthesis, mass spectrometry, NMR analysis, high-affinity antibody techniques, and pathogen testing, these facilities support critical advancements in drug discovery, vaccine development, and precision medicine. Their multidisciplinary expertise fosters innovation and drives forward solutions to pressing global healthcare challenges, ensuring that both academic and industry sectors can advance their R&D efforts effectively.

Author

Bernice Lottering