On July 27th, the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) Health Industry Salon Series “AI Innovation - Leading the New Paradigm of Biomedicine” was successfully held in the School of Business of ECUST. The salon was jointly organized by the School of Business, School of Bioengineering and School of Pharmacy of ECUST, with the support and assistance of the Joint School of Modern Bio-industry, the Biomedical Industry Alumni Association of the University, Zhihui Pharmaceuticals, as well as the School's General Health Industry Association.

This salon focuses on the theme of “AI Innovation - Leading the New Paradigm of Biomedicine”, which is not only an in-depth exploration of the integration of AI and biomedicine, but also a demonstration of the innovative teaching and training method of the “Science and Innovation MBA in Biomedicine program” jointly organized by the three Schools of the University. The salon was hosted by Mr. LIU Hongbo, a new student of the class of 2024 EMBA in General Health Industry Management, and a winner of Shanghai May 1st Labor Medal. This event attracted more than 200 alumni, faculty members, students and audience from the business world to attend.

Prof. Zheng Qinghuan, Vice Chair of the School Council, attended and delivered a speech. She pointed out that biomedicine, as one of Shanghai's three leading industries, is ushering in unprecedented development opportunities, and mentioned that Shanghai has recently announced the establishment of three leading industry mother funds, which will invest a total of 89 billion RMB to support the innovation and development of biomedicine and other key areas. She further emphasized that the biomedical industry will usher in new development opportunities with the strong support of funds and policies, and that the wide application of AI technology will further drive industrial change and innovation, injecting new momentum to enhance the level of human health and well-being, and to promote the sustained and healthy development of the economy and society.

On the basis of the successful launch of “MBA in General Health Industry Management”, the School of Business, the School of Bioengineering and the School of Pharmacy have jointly launched the “Science and Innovation MBA program in Biomedicine” this year, integrating the advantageous resources of the University, and building the cultivation ecosystem to realize the effective link between the industrial chain, innovation chain, education chain and talent chain, and to serve the national and local development strategy. 

The salon is divided into three thematic discussion sessions: Trends and Prospects, Technologies and Applications, and Achievements and Effectiveness. Leaders in the industry were invited to conduct in-depth exchanges and sharing in each session.

Trends and Outlook

Mr. Lai Lipeng, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Jintech, Mr. Li Shanjia, Partner of Ernst & Young (China) Corporate Advisory Co., Ltd, and Mr. Ma Jun, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Junshi Biomedical Science & Technology Co., Ltd, shared their views on the trends and outlook of AI technology in biopharmaceuticals. Mr. Lai Lipeng emphasized the great potential of AI in new drug R&D to improve R&D efficiency and success rate. Mr. Li Shanjia looked forward to the application of AI in pharmaceutical industry compliance to enhance compliance and reduce risk. Mr. Ma Jun, on the other hand, emphasized the key role of digital transformation and AI in the operation and competitiveness of the biopharmaceutical industry.

Technology and Application

In the Technology & Applications session, experts demonstrated the power of AI to revolutionize the biomedical field. Prof. Tang Yun of the School of Pharmacy, ECUST, revealed how AI can help accurately assess the impact of chemicals on the environment and health. Li Shutong, associate researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, explored the application of AI in accelerating drug discovery and improving design accuracy. Zhao Yu, deputy director of Beijing Zheyuan Technology Co., Ltd. and the Turing Darwin Laboratory at the Institute of Computing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced the role of AI in optimizing clinical trial design and crossing the biological model-disease divide. 

Achievements and Effectiveness

In the Achievements and Effectiveness session, a roundtable discussion focused on the actual effectiveness and future prospects of AI technology in the biomedical field.  Tian Feng, Director of Industry Service Department, Shanghai Biomedical Industry Promotion Center, was the moderator of the session, leading an insightful conversation about AI technology in the biomedical field. Xu Mingfei, Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Health and Health Development Research Center, Zhao Yu, Co-Founder of Beijing Zheyuan Technology Co., Ltd. and Deputy Director of Turing Darwin Laboratory, Institute of Computing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lai Lipeng, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Jintech, and Zhang Min, Partner and Managing Director of Fosun Chuangfu, discussed in depth the actual effectiveness and future prospects of AI technology in the field of biomedicine. The experts agreed that the integration and application of AI technology not only accelerates the process of new drug development and improves the quality of medical services, but also provides a powerful impetus for the continuous innovation and transformation of the biomedical industry.

The salon gathered many experts, scholars, corporate executives and industry leaders to discuss hot topics such as AI-enabled biomedicine, and the forum content was novel and cutting-edge, keeping up with industry trends. The guests brought us valuable insights and experiences through diversified sharing, and also provided a clear direction and practical path for the innovation and development of the biomedical industry.