Reforgene attends the 2019 International Innovative Biotechnology Symposium

Dr. Liang Junbin, CEO of Reforgene, at the 2019 International Innovative Biotechnology Symposium. [The following report is from PR Newswire] Shanghai, May 17, 2019. Merck, a leading global technology company, joined hands with the Shanghai Science and Technology Exchange Center (SSTEC) to co-host the 2019 International Innovative Biotechnology Symposium. The symposium focused on Merck's 2019 Emerging Biotech China Grant Program, Merck Life Science innovative therapies and the Merck China Innovation Hub, bringing industry insights and trend analyses covering China and the world through keynote speeches, roundtable discussions, brainstorming and other forms, making it an international innovation platform for novel biotechnology therapies.

Novel therapies developed from frontier biotechnology were the top priority of the symposium, attracting more than 200 industry professionals from Shanghai and other regions. The collision of forward-looking ideas and in-depth internal discussions at the symposium made it one of the highest-level satellite meetings of the 21st Shanghai International Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Symposium (Bio-Forum 2019).

At the symposium, Merck launched the 2019 Emerging Biotech China Grant Program, aiming to provide financial, technical and scientific research support to emerging biotechnology companies and help accelerate therapeutic research in the life sciences. In 2015 and 2017, Merck had already provided products and services worth more than 5 million RMB in total to nine domestic biotechnology companies through two editions of the program, to support their drug development research and solve their challenges in process development.

Steve Vermant, Managing Director of Merck Life Science China, said: "With the support of the 13th Five-Year Plan and the government, China has achieved rapid development in biotechnology and novel therapies. We are delighted to co-host the 2019 International Innovative Biotechnology Symposium with the Shanghai Science and Technology Exchange Center, creating this platform for companies, scientists and other key partners in the biotechnology field to jointly discuss the latest medical applications of the life sciences. We have been cooperating with other biotechnology companies to contribute to R&D, industrial upgrading and the acceleration of research on emerging therapies in China. This helps break through the current limits of medical science and develop treatments that benefit patients in China and around the world."

In addition to the grant program, the Merck China Innovation Hub integrates innovation resources in the life sciences to promote the industrialization of biotechnology and projects. In February 2018, Merck announced the establishment of an innovation hub in China. On April 18, 2019, the Merck China Innovation Hub launched the first China Accelerator program, with six selected startups officially entering the accelerator for a three-month innovation collaboration with Merck. Through the China Accelerator program, Merck seeks and develops new technologies and solutions for China and addresses the local needs of the Chinese market, further promoting the development of innovation projects in China.

"As a leading global technology company, innovation is the strategic direction for our sustained success and positive impact on the world. To accelerate the pace of innovation, we established the Merck China Innovation Hub last year, formed partnerships with leading enterprises and academic institutions in the life sciences, and strongly supported startups in their innovation and development in the life sciences and biotechnology fields," said Sun Zhengjie, Managing Director of the Merck China Innovation Hub and Vice President of Strategy and Transformation of Merck China.

Blood, Liver, multiple targets, Ophthalmology. May 17, 2019, 21:27. PR Newswire.