Fighting hard together at Guangming District
In the report delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping in the 20th National Congress of the CPC, he pointed out that one of the overall goals of China’s development by 2035 was to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology and rank among innovative countries. As one of the core bearing areas for the construction of a Comprehensive National Science Center in the Greater Bay Area, Guangming Science City has accelerated reform and innovation in such aspects as research system and talent introduction and cultivation. The model of “upstairs innovation and downstairs entrepreneurship complex” initiated by the Shenzhen Industrial Innovation Center for Engineering Biology located in Hongzhuo Building at No. 1 Fengxin Road of Guangming District has been listed among the 47 pieces of Shenzhen’s experience to be promoted nationwide by the National Development and Reform Commission. As a typical discipline of the integration of biotechnology and information technology, synthetic biology is considered as one of the disruptive technologies in the future, and also one of the frontier fields supported and developed by Shenzhen.
Located on the third floor of the Innovation Center, Shenzhen Cytorola Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a synthetic biology enterprise. It was learned that the company is committed to the research of biomedical technology and the development of biomedical automation equipment. Through artificial design and synthesis of functional proteins, the construction of cell sorting system, it aligns itself to clinical application and develops systems to meet the social demands in such fields as medical treatment with stem cell, immune cell therapy and early screening of tumors.
Zhang Lifeng, General Manager of Cytorola
Zhang Lifeng said in an interview with Guangming Media, “At present, our main research is to achieve industrialization of the technical achievements of synthetic functional proteins. Starting from 2021, we have developed corresponding products and technologies in the fields of clinical treatment, cell drugs, early screening of tumors and food safety, and have achieved certain sales revenues.”
It was learned that from 2018 to 2022, the company had been selected among the medium and small-sized businesses of science and technology for five years in succession. In 2021, it settled in the Innovation Center. Early in 2022, it was certified as a synthetic biology enterprise in Guangming District. The company has core technologies in the field of bio-medicine such as artificial non-antibody binding protein, cellular immunomagnetism sorting, serum-free culture medium, cell culture digital program’s control technology, magnetic fluid’s silent heat dissipation, and so on.
Zhang Lifeng told reporters, “Our artificial synthesis technology of functional proteins is a basic technology in the field of synthetic biology. We hope to provide more diverse and reliable underlying protein building blocks and implementation paths for the synthetic biology industry of Guangming District in the future.”
Reporter learned that last year, Guangming District took the lead to release several measures to support the integrated development of the industrial and innovation chains of synthetic biology, becoming the first special policy on synthetic biology in China. It was learned that the entrepreneurial teams in the Innovation Center, by paying a low rent, can enjoy open and shared professional equipment, bright and spacious office space, and well-equipped laboratories. With the help of the team of the Innovation Center, Cytorola got familiar with the science and technology policies in the park and received guidance and services. As a result, the enterprise received the corresponding subsidies, honors and qualifications.
“After the enterprises settled, the functional departments in the district organized several discussions with enterprises through the Innovation Center, which solved many difficulties for us from talent policies, housing, financial subsidies and industry policies, and achieved the best humanistic care,” Zhang Lifeng told Guangming Media.
With such unique supporting policies, many enterprises in Guangming Science City have quickly completed the original innovation and R&D from “0 to 1 to 10”, and started the commercialization “from 10 to 100 to infinity”. At present, the estimated value of more than 30 enterprises settled in the Innovation Center has reached nearly 10 billion yuan.
Zhang Lifeng told reporters that “the enterprises deeply felt that the government of Guangming District really wished to attain some success. Praise goes to the government of Guangming District for its down-to-earth, low-profile and hard-working style. It is absolutely a service-based government for demonstration and pioneering. We hope that the district can become a highland of scientific education and innovation under the “strategy of developing the country through education and education” set forth in the 20th National Congress of the CPC. As a person in charge of a high-tech enterprise, I was also deeply encouraged after listening to the report of the 20th National Congress of the Party. Enterprises with scientific research and innovation have been deeply encouraged. On the basis of aligning ourselves to the national guiding policy, we are more confident to do better and contribute our strength to the synthetic biology industry of China.”