BIO Asia-Taiwan 2024 Conference has Officially Started, With International Leaders in the Industry Gathering Despite the Storm

On July 24th, BIO Asia-Taiwan 2024’s sessions and forums were held as scheduled at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall 2 regardless of Typhoon Gaemi. The Opening Ceremony kicked off with its “Global Biotechnology Development” theme. During the opening ceremony, Chairman of the BIO Asia–Taiwan 2024 Organizing Committee, Johnsee Lee, Chairman of Taiwan Bio Industry Organization, Wu Chung-Hsiun, and Executive Director, International Council of Biotech associations, Hilary Stiss, delivered speeches and opening remarks. 

Invited speakers André Andonian, Chair of Flagship Asia Pacific, Flagship Pioneering, Sabrina Yang, Flagship Principal, Cofounder and Chief Innovation Officer of Empress TX, and Feng Zhang, recipient of the Tang Prize for Biotechnology and Medicine and Chair Professor at MIT, as well as many other international experts in the biomedical industry and academia, shared the latest biotechnology advancements from around the world, emerging trends, and future opportunities in the health industry.

BIO Asia’s Expanded Forums and Strategic Partnerships to Portray Taiwan’s Global Biotech Commitment

Honorary Chairman of the BIO Asia-Taiwan Conference, Johnsee Lee, stated that the past 12 months have been a turbulent year. Despite breakthroughs in many emerging technologies, the financial markets have faced numerous challenges. This year’s conference has been designed with a series of activities to help everyone find a way through these difficulties. In addition to the main forum, he said the conference has expanded to include three major parallel forums on innovative technology, investment summits, and regional cooperation. There will also be one-on-one business matchmaking sessions and several peripheral forums. This year’s Bio Asia Taiwan Conference promises to be exciting. Furthermore, Lee also expressed his special thanks to everyone who braved the wind and rain to come and participate, working together to elevate Taiwan’s biotech industry.

Chairman of Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (TBIO), Wu Chung-Hsiun, announced that this year’s conference theme, “Global View, Asian Touch,” signifies Taiwan’s commitment to expanding its biotech industry worldwide. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, TBIO has 150 member organizations and focuses on fostering global collaborations, bridging industry, government, and academia, and expanding business opportunities. As a leading force in Taiwan’s biotech development, TBIO is proud to have its Secretary General, Dr. Wallace Lin, elected as Vice-Chair of the International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA), the first person from Taiwan and Asia to hold this position. This achievement portrays Taiwan’s significant role in the global biomedical and supply chain sectors. Wu also emphasized TBIO’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainable development and industry exchanges within Taiwan’s biotech sector.

Taiwan’s Biotech Potential and ICBA’s Role in Global Drug Development Industry

Director of International Affairs at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Hilary Stiss, remarked that each year she participates in BIO Asia-Taiwan, she is deeply impressed by the friendliness of the Taiwanese people. She also observes the immense potential in Taiwan’s displayed strengths and partnerships.

Stiss actively represented the ICBA, one of the world’s leading biotechnology associations. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ICBA collaborated with international members to advance drug development. The organization pursues goals such as disease prevention, agricultural sustainability, and environmental protection. ICBA also advocates for the biotech industry in international forums, bringing together biotechnology associations from various countries each year to address policies and global issues, promoting industry development and cooperation. She hopes that ongoing international exchanges will lead to a thriving global biotech industry.

Flagship Pioneering’s Strategic Expansion in APAC Region to Drive Market Growth

The opening forum featured André Andonian, Chairman of Flagship Pioneering Asia-Pacific region. He noted that Asia has become a crucial global player, contributing approximately to 60% of the world’s GDP from manufacturing and accounting for about 60% of global patents. The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as a major source of innovation. In response, Flagship Pioneering entered the market in 2023, launching demonstration centers in Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, and is now actively expanding into additional countries. In addition to its own investments, Flagship aims to build more partnerships to accelerate advancements in biotechnology, bioengineering, and medicine, creating additional business opportunities.

Sabrina Yang, Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering and Co-Founder of Empress Tx, actively shared how Flagship Pioneering creates growth-oriented companies using its unique “What if” process to explore innovative technologies. As a Taiwanese, she also expressed strong confidence in the Taiwanese government’s policies on manufacturing and healthcare. Moreover, she highlighted Taiwan’s strengths in health insurance databases, solid foundational research, and cross-industry collaborations. By leveraging these advantages, Yang aims to enhance innovative research and drive global market expansion through Flagship Pioneering’s bridging efforts.

Professor Zhang’s Innovations in Viral Vector Systems and Targeted Drug Delivery 

This year, we also had the special honor of having Professor Zhang Feng, the Tang Prize recipient in Biotech and Medicine and a Professor at MIT, to share his team’s two studies on viral vector delivery systems. First, Professor Zhang discussed his research published in PNAS in March, where his team developed a method to program human PNMA2 proteins to form a virus-like icosahedral capsid structure. This structure can load mRNA and deliver it into host cells.

Additionally, Professor Zhang presented his research published in Nature in 2023, which focuses on the contractile injection systems (CISs) found in certain bacteria. His team has programmed the tail fibers of CISs not only to carry drugs but also to precisely target human cells expressing different proteins. Both studies hold promise for further development into innovative therapies.

Global Health Trends Revealed Through Investment Insights and Shift Towards Preventive Care

Several international guests highlighted future trends in the global health industry. Dr. Anis Uzzaman, Founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures, shared insights on investment trends from Silicon Valley. He discussed the promising areas in biotech and healthcare from an investment perspective, noting his strong interest in the integration of data science with AI, gene editing, bio-printing combined with tissue engineering, stem cells, and brain-machine interfaces. Pegasus has invested in over 260 startups, with 29 of them achieving unicorn status.

Paru Deshpande, Vice President of Health Technologies at Imec vzw, discussed how the intersection of biology and technology is fundamentally shaping the future of healthcare. He also presented various digital health solutions developed using wafer technology at Imec. 

Zubin J. Daruwalla, Head of Healthcare for PwC Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region, covered emerging trends in the global health industry. He predicted that the focus will shift from treating illnesses to promoting overall health and preventing diseases, thanks to advancements in technology. He emphasized, “AI will not replace humans, but those who do not embrace technology will be replaced by those who do.”

R&D Shifts, AI Impact, and Growth in Cell and Gene Therapies

Brian Mi, President of IQVIA Asia-Pacific, highlighted overall trends and opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry. He noted that post-COVID-19, major pharmaceutical companies are shifting their investments towards research and development and focusing on non-communicable diseases. Regulatory agencies, with enhanced flexibility, have also facilitated drug approvals. Furthermore, artificial intelligence (AI) is driving transformative changes in drug development.

Miguel Forte, President of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT), pointed out that the number of cell and gene therapy products has experienced exponential growth over the past 15 years. Despite the global opportunities, there are various implementation challenges in different countries.

International Collaboration and Advances from Session 3 and 4 at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2024

In the second half of the event, Session 3 focused on the topic “International Alignment for a Healthier Taiwan.” It featured prominent speakers including Johnsee Lee,Chairman of the BIO Asia–Taiwan 2024 Organizing Committee; Hidehito Katsuma, President of the Industrial Research Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IRPMA) and General Manager of Eli Lilly Taiwan; Lily Wong, Partner, PwC Taiwan; Eric Y. Chuang, Vice President,  General Director, Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories, ITRI; Toshihiko Takeda, Special Advisor, National Healthcare Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan.; and Frances Milnes, President of Novartis Taiwan Co., Ltd.

Session 4 centered on the hot topic of “Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADC).” Speakers included Lee-Cheng Liu, Founder, Chairman & President, EirGenix, Inc.; Heidi Wang, CEO, OBI Pharma; Gur Roshwalb, Partner at aMoon Fund, Israel’s largest biotech venture fund; Gui-Dong Zhu, CEO, SparX Biopharmaceutical Corp.; and Edward Hsieh, Vice President, Formosa Laboratories Inc., who shared insights into the challenges and opportunities in ADC drug development and manufacturing.

Advancements and Challenges in Gene and Cell Therapies from Session 5

Session 5 explored the latest applications and future developments in the field of gene and cell therapies. The session featured speakers including Chien-Tsun Kuan, President / CEO and Co-Founder, ARCE Therapeutics, Inc.; John Tsai,Executive Partner, Syncona Ltd.; Alex Shih-Min Huang,VP & Head of Cell Therapy, BeiGene, BeiGene (Taiwan) Limited; Chia-Hua Maggie Ho, COO, Amarex Taiwan, LLC.; David Chang, Ph.D., CEO, Taiwan Bio-Manufacturing Corporation (TBMC); and Gur Roshwalb, Partner, aMoon Fund. They discussed the current challenges in gene and cell therapies from perspectives including funding, regulations, manufacturing, and ethics.

In addition to the main forums, this year’s conference also hosted parallel sessions on “Innovative Technologies,” “Investment Summits,” and “Regional Cooperation” to assist Taiwan’s biotech industry in addressing issues related to technological innovation, application, and funding. The event promises to be highly engaging, offering valuable insights and networking opportunities.

Author

Denisse Sandoval