On December 27, the inauguration ceremony of the “Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT)” was held in Qianhai, marking a crucial step forward for Qianhai in the field of cell and gene therapy.
The CGT Center of Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital (hereinafter referred to as the “CGT Center”) leverages Qianhai’s unique advantages and integrates the resources of four parties—Southern Medical University, Qianhai Authority, Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital, and Qianhai-based CGT enterprises—forming a “university-government-hospital-enterprise” collaboration to build a world-class cell and gene therapy innovation hub covering the entire chain of “research and development, verification, translation, and application”.
Benchmarking against global top-tier institutions such as the Stanford University Laboratory for Cell and Gene Medicine (LCGM) and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the CGT Center aims to develop Qianhai into a “clinical translation accelerator, shared GMP manufacturing hub, and industrial innovation source” in the CGT field within five years. It will promote the transformation of cutting-edge basic research into clinical-grade preparations and initiate Investigator-Initiated Trials (IITs), truly shortening the path “from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside” and establishing itself as a new calling card and core growth engine for the high-quality development of the biopharmaceutical industry in the Greater Bay Area.
In the future, the CGT Center will strive to take the lead in building a comprehensive CGT industrial ecosystem from basic research to clinical application in the Greater Bay Area, serving as a “bridgehead” for the translation of Hong Kong’s technological achievements into the mainland market. It will establish an international-aligned regulatory green channel for CGT, deploy cutting-edge technologies including CAR-T, oncolytic viruses, and gene editing, significantly lowering the R&D thresholds and costs for cell and gene therapy enterprises, and addressing supply chain bottlenecks such as viral vectors. The center will provide revolutionary therapies for patients; by developing special medical services and exploring commercial insurance coverage, it will drive the evolution of cutting-edge treatments from “luxury services” to accessible and inclusive options. Additionally, it will gather world-leading scientists and innovative enterprises, emerging as a model project for the alignment of rules and mechanisms between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and enhancing Qianhai’s international reputation and appeal in the biopharmaceutical sector.
It is reported that Qianhai has already clustered a number of leading enterprises in the cell and gene therapy field, including the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cell Valley, Wando Cell, Yaotang Biotech, and Zhuoyuan Stem Cell. These enterprises cover various links in the industrial chain, such as immune cell therapy, stem cell drugs, and viral vector R&D. The participation of Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital, through a “hospital-enterprise collaboration” model, forms a complete closed loop from R&D to industrialization, attracting more upstream and downstream enterprises to settle in Qianhai and accelerating industrial agglomeration.
In December, with “cell and gene therapy” as the core theme, Qianhai focused on three key directions—international innovation dialogue, industrial ecosystem co-construction, and clinical translation breakthroughs—and hosted three high-standard events, attracting a continuous influx of global top-tier resources.
Among these events, the “Danaher Day · Shenzhen Station” organized by Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, announced plans to leverage Qianhai’s strengths to link global resources and build the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Cell and Gene Technology Translation”. The “Qianhai Shekou Cell and Gene Industry Ecosystem Conference and Innovation Seminar” positioned Shekou Cell and Gene Future Valley as a “leading area for CGT innovation, demonstration area for translational application, and cluster for industrial development in the Greater Bay Area”.
The inauguration of the CGT Center not only injects core impetus into Qianhai’s cell and gene therapy industry but also helps Qianhai build a highland for industrial innovation, provide cutting-edge medical services for patients, and contribute a new growth driver to regional economic development.
