The 2024 World Young Scientist Summit (WYSS) International Forum on Comprehensive Health Care & Biomedicine Innovation and Translation International Conference on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research and Application convened on November 16 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, in eastern China.
Centered around the theme "Technology Leading the Way to a Healthy Future," the forum focused on technological innovation, industrial demand, and economic development, exploring new avenues for the deep integration of industry, academia, and research in the realm of comprehensive health care.
During the forum, a launch ceremony was held for the construction of the "City of FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor)." This initiative aims to harness the educational, research, talent, and industrial advantages in the FGF field to transform Wenzhou into an internationally influential "City of FGF," focusing on in-depth research, extensive application, and industrial development of FGF in the biomedical field. It also aims to showcase the latest advancements of FGF in life sciences, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic applications.
The conference also featured the signing ceremony for a cooperation agreement between Wenzhou Medical University and the Oujiang Laboratory, as well as the granting of the license for the "Practical Training Base of Industry-Education Integration of Wenzhou Medical University." These initiatives are designed to explore innovative paths for the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, continuously accelerating the transformation of scientific achievements into real productive forces.
The comprehensive healthcare industry is a key driver of development and a safeguard of well-being, serving as an important growth point for sustained economic improvement, a crucial breakthrough for cultivating new quality productivity, and a significant effort to meet the public's expectations for a better life.
On November 16, the inauguration ceremony for the National Engineering Research Center for Cell Growth Factor Drugs and Protein Preparations was also held during the forum. Through cross-regional resource integration and collaborative innovation, the center aims to create a powerful synergy of education, technology, and talent, jointly forming a complete development chain in biomedicine. This will provide stronger support for the high-quality development of biomedicine in the Yangtze River Delta and the establishment of a world-class FGF hub.
Wenzhou has emerged as a global leader in the field of growth factor research. The forum on comprehensive health care brought together top experts from around the world, providing them with a significant opportunity to discuss the prospects and latest achievements of growth factors in drug translation, application, and theory. Li Xiaokun, the President of Wenzhou Medical University, shared these insights with VOC.
When discussing the development of China's biomedical pharmaceutical industry, Li highlighted that while significant progress has been made in recent years, there remains considerable room for further growth. The primary challenges include the development of innovative drugs and the establishment of an effective ecosystem for transitioning from research and development to industrialization and market promotion. To address these issues, it is essential to enhance original research, improve the ecosystem, attract early-stage investments, and foster the cultivation of original drugs.
With sustained efforts, Li believes that China's biomedicine sector is poised to make remarkable advancements in areas such as gene therapy, potentially positioning the country as a leader on the international stage.
Li and his team, pioneers in FGF drug development in China, have significantly advanced the field, driving the translation and application of FGF therapies. Over the past three years, 16 prominent international experts, including David Ornitz, Christof Niehrs, and Jarrad Scarlett, visited Wenzhou Medical University's growth factor research platform, praising its environment and Li’s leadership.
On November 18, Wenzhou established the Preparatory Committee for the International Alliance for Growth Factor Research and Clinical Translation. The alliance aims to foster global research collaboration and support exchanges among young scientists. Orson Moe, a renowned nephrologist from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, lauded the platform's groundbreaking technology, calling it "historic and internationally leading."
Source: VOC
