The inaugural year for the "emerging pillar industry" saw a pivotal gathering for life sciences convene by Taihu Lake. The 2026 Government Work Report officially designated biomedicine as an "emerging pillar industry," marking a critical elevation to a national strategic level. This year, the pace of leading domestic and international life sciences companies establishing a presence in Wuxi has intensified. On the 6th of this month, Hong Kong-based Immunotech-B signed an agreement with Wuxi to construct a nucleic acid vaccine production base, signaling that the world's first potential therapeutic nucleic acid vaccine for AIDS could be manufactured in the city. Global innovative cell therapy company BioGen, world-class central laboratory services firm LabConnect, and Novatech, a leading brain-computer interface company with a fully domestic hardware and software stack, are among those making Wuxi their strategic choice for the future.

The confidence behind this choice stems from the comprehensive biopharmaceutical ecosystem Wuxi has cultivated over years and its synergistic industrial cultivation model of "funds + parks + anchor firms." Over the past five years, Wuxi's biomedicine industry scale has surged from approximately 110 billion yuan to over 200 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 12%. The total number of enterprises has increased from around 1,600 to nearly 2,500, ranking it among the top 20 prefecture-level cities in China for two consecutive years. With the "emerging pillar industry" status confirmed and the "Healthy China" blueprint unfolding, Wuxi is accelerating its transition from a key industrial hub in the Yangtze River Delta to a globally influential source of biopharmaceutical innovation, driven by frequent pioneering breakthroughs, a fully enabling platform matrix, and前瞻布局 in future-oriented sectors.

Innovation breakthroughs are enabling a critical leap from following to leading. Innovative drug development is the most potent proof of a biopharmaceutical industry's innovative capacity. In 2025, Wuxi experienced continuous highlights in new drug R&D: a total of 46 applications for clinical trials were submitted, with four drugs included in the Center for Drug Evaluation's priority review and approval pathway, ranking third in the province. Focusing on pioneering innovation, Wuxi has seen a stream of first-in-class drugs. An investigational drug for kidney disease from Zhikang Hongyi was included in the NMPA's Breakthrough Therapy list; Deshengji Pharma, just three years after its founding, has three innovative drug projects entering clinical trials in multiple countries; Dizal Pharma's self-developed anti-tumor drug, Gaoruizhe, was approved for market in China, while Shuwuzhe gained approval in both China and the US, showcasing the high growth potential and competitiveness of local biopharmaceutical companies.

In the medical device sector, Maide Intelligent obtained the world's first Class III certificate for an AI-assisted thyroid ultrasound diagnosis system benchmarked against the gold standard of postoperative pathology; Pamu Medical's self-developed PADN technology successfully received an Investigational Device Exemption from the US FDA and was formally included in comprehensive US Medicare coverage; Aimed Intelligent's self-developed "Jupiter" intelligent minimally invasive surgical navigation robot was approved with a Class III medical device registration certificate. With this steady stream of innovative drugs and devices, Wuxi has made a crucial leap from an industry follower to an innovation leader. More encouragingly, these cutting-edge technologies are rapidly moving from the laboratory to the clinic. Last month, Xirun Medical's headquarters base officially commenced operations. Its developed hand-function flexible rehabilitation robot, which helps quadriplegic patients regain finger control through "thought," has successfully obtained the world's first Class III medical device registration certificate for a brain-computer interface application. "Our new cloud platform builds a 'digital bridge,' allowing rehabilitation physicians and technologies from top-tier hospitals to extend into patients' homes," explained Meng Mingqiang, founder of Xirun Medical. The company simultaneously launched a brain-computer interface cloud rehabilitation platform, which, through an "internet + home-based rehabilitation" model, can reduce patient costs by nearly 90%.

The emergence of innovative achievements relies on the "reservoir" and "channeling" functions of platforms. Statistics show Wuxi has established 8 municipal-level new R&D institutions, 3 concept validation centers, and 1 pilot-scale production service platform. Through collaborations with Peking University, Nanjing University, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangnan University, and SDIC, among others, it has built high-energy innovation platforms, initially forming a full-chain support system encompassing "technology R&D + pilot-scale transformation + testing & certification + clinical services." In March of this year, world-leading central laboratory services company LabConnect established its China headquarters in the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park, forming a strategic partnership with local firm Guanhe Medical. Guanhe's Chairman Xu Yi highlighted the key benefit: "Leveraging LabConnect's global network, local innovations can reach the world more efficiently." Through this cooperation, domestic innovative drug companies can now complete internationally compliant clinical testing locally, with data directly accessible to European and American regulators, truly achieving "integrated international delivery."

This collaboration is not an isolated case. In January, the Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre (Stewart Information) and Wuxi jointly established two testing and certification centers, aiming for the goal of "one location for testing, global recognition," promoting a new cooperative model of "testing in Wuxi, certification from Hong Kong." From Stewart Information to LabConnect, a clear strategic thread emerges: Wuxi is building an international cluster for testing and certification capabilities covering special foods, medical devices, and innovative drugs, erecting a high-quality bridge for "Wuxi products going global." While platforms provide foundational support, financial "lifelines" are converging to create momentum. By the first quarter of this year, the city hosted 66 biopharmaceutical industry funds under management, with a total scale of 57.13 billion yuan. As Duan Xiaoguang, Chairman of JinYumaoWu, stated, "For innovative companies, industrial funds are like providing ample water to a growing sapling." In March, the Jiadao QFLP fund, targeting a total size of 1.5 billion yuan, was established, and the Vivo Innovation Drug Accelerator Fund, sized at 2 billion yuan, was signed, aiming to achieve full-chain synergy in "fund attraction, project landing, and industrial clustering." Beyond industrial funds, eight banks in Wuxi jointly launched specialized loan products for biomedicine, with the first batch offering comprehensive credit lines totaling 16 billion yuan.

If innovative drugs and devices form the mainstay of Wuxi's biopharmaceutical industry, then future sectors like cell and gene therapy (CGT), synthetic biology, AI+biomedicine, brain-computer interface (BCI), and radiopharmaceuticals are the strategic pieces for long-term success. This year, Wuxi has accelerated its moves in CGT, initially forming a cluster effect. In March, the Jiadao CGT preparation center project settled in Huishan District, aiming to build an East China preparation center covering full production lines for cells, viruses, and plasmids. Almost simultaneously, Cato Bio established an international business innovation R&D center in Wuxi National Hi-tech District, focusing on full-industry-chain CRDMO services for gene and cell therapies and nucleic acid drugs.

The synthetic biology track is also gaining speed. In 2025, the city's synthetic biology industry achieved R&D and manufacturing revenue of 4.38 billion yuan from scale-above enterprises, a year-on-year increase of 12.6%. From lab to production line, synthetic biology is transforming from a "blueprint on paper" to "products on the shelf" in Wuxi. In March, the synthetic biology pilot platform in Jiangyin Hi-tech District reported a success: Puyuan Biotech's project for the industrialization of Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) successfully broke through technical bottlenecks, becoming one of the few domestic companies capable of large-scale production of multiple HMOs. The Wuxi Synthetic Biology Future Science Center, jointly built by Wuxi and Nanjing University, has overcome "bottleneck" technologies like the mass production of high polymeric phosphate materials, with innovations like liquid dressings and nucleic acid drugs already entering the industrialization stage.

In the field of AI+biomedicine, Wuxi, leveraging platforms like the Tsinghua Wuxi Research Institute's Intelligent Industry Innovation Center and the Peking University AI Drug Molecular Design Center, is fostering the growth of emerging companies like Heqirui Biotech and Zhentai Biotech. AI drug R&D platforms such as Insilico Medicine, XtalPi, and Turing Quantum are accelerating their construction, while smart healthcare applications like the "Bauhinia AI Doctor" are also being actively explored.

Breakthroughs in brain-computer interfaces are particularly notable. In March, Wuxi People's Hospital successfully performed the first implantation surgery of a "BCI + closed-loop deep brain stimulator"; a septuagenarian Parkinson's patient stopped trembling within seconds post-operation and was able to stand and walk after one minute. The industry end also reported frequent successes: Novatech settled in Wuxi National Hi-tech District, with its implantable neural electrode products achieving 100% independent R&D; the Peking University Yangtze River Delta Future Technology Life Health Research Institute incubated Shennao Medical in Wuxi, focusing on the development of high-density neural probes.

Radiopharmaceuticals represent a sector where Wuxi holds a long-standing advantage. Upstream, Beta Pharma firmly controls key medical isotopes like Carbon-14, breaking foreign monopolies. Relying on the Jiangsu Institute of Atomic Medicine, Wuxi possesses稀缺 radioactive drug approvals, leading the domestic market share for imaging radiopharmaceuticals. Midstream, it aggregates leading enterprises like Nuoyu Pharma and Saifu Guotong, with several innovative drugs entering clinical stages. Downstream, it has established a fully supportive service system including radiopharmaceutical GLP safety evaluation and high-end clinical diagnosis and treatment, firmly positioning it in the top tier of China's radiopharmaceutical industry.

Synthetic biology pilot platforms are "breaking out of the cocoon," cell therapy preparation centers are "making strategic placements," BCI technology is opening the window to "mind control," and the radiopharmaceutical track leads nationally in "diagnosis and treatment integration." Every move in Wuxi's biopharmaceutical strategy lands on a key node of "new quality productive forces." Standing at the new starting point of an "emerging pillar industry," the life sciences narrative around Taihu Bay has entered a new chapter. Wuxi, with the audacity for breakthrough innovation and the resilience of a fully empowered industrial chain, is poised to send more "Chinese drugs and devices" from here to the world.