Panel discussion of self-care management during the 2024 Life Sciences Innovation Summit. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2024 Life Sciences Innovation Summit, which illuminated the confluence of scientific innovation and self-care management, was held in Shanghai on August 5.

This event, co-hosted by Bayer China, a life-science giant and the Shanghai branch of Xinhua News Agency, as well as the China Economic Information Service Shanghai Headquarters, underscored the importance of industry-academia collaboration amid emerging trends in health and self-care.

Different parties from corporation, research institutions and policy making organization shared their opinions and insights.

Health innovation unleashed: A collaborative journey

Along the trend of growing health management, people begin to realize the value of food in improving health. Hence, there are vast opportunities in developing more special foods to help people live healthier.

"Domestic research institutions and enterprises have their own unique advantages. Close cooperation between scientific research institutions and enterprises through knowledge sharing and technology transfer, joint research and development, investment cooperation, industrial incubation, personnel exchange, etc, is conducive to leveraging complementary resources and advantages, thus promoting technological innovation and promoting common development." Academician Chen Wei of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Jiangnan University set the tone for the summit with his insightful discussion on the public's growing focus on nutritional values.

"I hope to see food and nutrition integrate deeply with clinical medicine and AI, forging a path toward enhanced public self-care management and precision nutrition," he emphasized.

Building upon this foundation, Sun Yazhou, a distinguished lecturer specially appointed at the NMPA Senior Research Institute, shed light on the pharmaceutical research and development landscape, emphasizing the complexity and integration required throughout the lifecycle of a drug. "From the initial discovery to preclinical studies, through to industrial production, and finally to post-marketing applications, the entire process involves a grand convergence of multiple specialized fields. It is a systematic project, far from a simple task. Therefore, the role of technology is pivotal; it is the driving force that propels us forward, and advancement without it is inconceivable."

When addressing the topic of strengthening collaboration between industry, academia and research institutes, Professor Yin Lifang of China Pharmaceutical University emphasized the critical role of multinational corporations in catalyzing collaborative innovation within the pharmaceutical industry.

"As global entities," Yin said, "multinational enterprises like Bayer possess exceptional clinical resources and advantages in post-marketing surveillance. They can utilize big data to synthesize and analyze consumer demands and potential clinical issues, which is essential for a patient-centered and clinically value-driven approach."