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Shanghai’s vibrant life sciences ecosystem has become a key focus for UK companies during London Life Sciences Week, held from November 16 through tomorrow.
A delegation from Shanghai, including officials from the city’s commerce and science departments as well as several biomedical firms, hosted the Shanghai Biomedical Industry Promotion Conference. This event was organized by London & Partners and MedCity, the life sciences cluster organization serving London and Southeast England.
Last year, trade in goods between Shanghai and the UK neared 97.5 billion yuan (approximately $13.7 billion). According to Zhou Lan, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, more than two-thirds of UK firms operating in China have established their local headquarters in Shanghai. The city continues to bolster its biomedical sector through its Five Centers development strategy, attracting nearly half of China’s fifth-generation network research talent, 40% of specialists in integrated circuits, and about one-third of professionals in artificial intelligence.
Assessments of global cities’ life sciences capabilities show that Shanghai has risen into the top 10 worldwide, marking a shift from manufacturing to cutting-edge innovation. Ivana Poparic, head of cluster development at MedCity, explained that while London excels in foundational research and incubation, Shanghai offers extensive scalability and clinical resources. She also noted strong interest from UK businesses in exploring efficient pathways to access the Chinese market through Shanghai.
MedCity is actively working with Shanghai officials and the UK Department for Business and Trade to simplify market entry procedures for UK companies. These efforts include establishing offices, R&D centers, and fostering partnerships for clinical trials.
Ryan Geiser, co-founder and CEO of biotech startup Axiom Therapeutics, highlighted China’s advantages in rapid and cost-effective drug development. “Given the highly international nature of the global pharmaceutical supply chain, collaborating with Shanghai is essential,” he said. Axiom, based in London, focuses on covalent drug development using computational chemistry and AI. The company is currently conducting some drug testing in Shanghai through local contract research organizations.
The team is also considering expanding operations within Shanghai, including setting up wet labs and hiring local researchers to accelerate the process from drug design to validation.
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