Taiwan’s Biotech Innovations Draw International Attention at BIO 2024

The 2024 BIO International Convention, the world’s largest biotechnology event, took place in San Diego, USA, from June 3 to 6. This year’s convention drew biomedical investors and research experts worldwide. Over 1,500 exhibitors showcased their innovations to more than 19,500 attendees from 70 countries. The Taiwan Pavilion garnered significant attention, holding over 400 meetings in four days and highlighting Taiwan’s rising biotech industry.

Leading Taiwanese Pharmaceutical Companies’ Capabilities Showcased

The 2024 BIO International Convention’s theme was “Time for Science to Shine.” The Taiwan delegation, organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries Promotion Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, National Science and Technology Council, National Development Council, Taipei City Government, and the National Biotechnology Research Park. The delegation included over 80 companies and institutions, with around 230 participants.

The delegation focused on new drug development, biotechnology, CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization), medical devices, precision medicine, regenerative medicine, agricultural biotechnology, and smart health. International buyers showed strong interest in cancer treatment and CDMO, indicating significant investment potential.

The Taiwan Pavilion featured a CDMO wall showcasing 10 leading Taiwanese pharmaceutical companies’ capabilities. This display highlighted Taiwan’s strengths in intellectual property, regulatory frameworks, and policy support, positioning Taiwan as an ideal partner for international technical and manufacturing collaborations.

Taiwan Pavilion Highlights Pharma Prowess

To strengthen international connections, the Taiwan Pavilion hosted an opening reception and co-organized thematic conferences on cell/gene therapy processes in the Asia-Pacific region and smart innovation digital applications. These efforts aimed to accelerate industry development and foster global integration.

The Taiwan Pavilion’s exhibits featured new drug development projects, including botanical drugs, small molecule drugs, and protein drugs at various stages. They also showcased delivery systems, personalized tumor avatars, organ-on-a-chip technology, universal antibody platforms, cell therapy, and cell culture technologies. Precision and smart medical solutions were highlighted, such as interactive medical 3D imaging, cancer diagnostics, AI physiological monitoring, rapid screening for high-risk neurological diseases, targeted cancer therapies, adhesive patch technology, early cancer screening, and 3D pathological imaging.

Taiwan’s biotech startups also shone on the international stage, with five companies reaching the final round of the BIO Start-Up Stadium competition and attracting global investors’ attention.

In her opening speech at the Taiwan Pavilion, Deputy Director-General of the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Pei-Li Chen emphasized the future trend of integrating cross-disciplinary technologies for industrial development. She highlighted Taiwan’s strengths in information and communication technology, comprehensive manufacturing supply chain, and excellent clinical medical capabilities, positioning the country for collaboration with other nations to develop superior biomedical products and services.

Major Institutions and Global Partnerships at US BIO

Six major biomedical research institutions from Taiwan, including Academia Sinica, National Health Research Institutes (NHRI), Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), Industrial Technology Research Institute’s Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories, Pharmaceutical Industry Technology and Development Center (PITDC), and the Agricultural Technology Research Institute (ATRI), showcased their technological achievements in agricultural biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. The Taiwan Bio-Industry Organization introduced the current state of Taiwan’s biotech industry and collaboration opportunities at the Global Innovation Hub event, promoting international partnerships.

During the exhibition, the Taiwan team visited the Phoenix biomedical cluster, including Mayo Clinic’s Barrow Neurological Institute, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), along with Rakuten Medical and Tanvex BioPharma to explore opportunities for joint drug development or production collaboration.

Author

Bernice Lottering