Harvard Postdocs’ Entrepreneurial Dream Comes True

World-class Scientific Payoffs Achieved

Liu Qingsong and his wife Liu Jing, along with Wang Wenchao and Ren Tao, have formed a pharmaceutical team that conducts antitumor drug research and precision medicine applications. When it came to the development of new drugs, many of Liu Qingsong’s peers told him, “The period of new drug development is long, and does not necessarily guarantee successful results, so it’s better to widen your research options and publish research papers.” However, Liu Qingsong has resolved to stay true to his original intent. He aims to work towards the development of new drugs that can help cancer patients’ survival and improve their quality of life, through controlling the cancer in the same way as a chronic disease.

After five years, the team has built the world’s largest high-throughput cell library focusing on cancer kinase targets in 2015.

Furthermore, to ensure that “the patient takes the right drug at the right time,” these scientists independently developed the first domestic precision tumor treatment technology system. They have thus integrated high-throughput invitro drug sensitivity test technology with high-throughput targeted gene sequencing technology. This not only maximally screens the most available drugs for cancer patients, but also provides reference solutions for doctors.

One of Liu’s American friends recently paid a visit to the island. Observing that he leads a 50-member interdisciplinary research and development team, and has first-class resources for research, his friend remarked, “This is incredible, and highly unlikely in the United States!”

Relying on the core technology of the pharmaceutical team and support of CAS and the local government, the Hefei PreceDo Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has been established, and has so far provided precision medical services to thousands of cancer patients. “In recent years, state incentives for researchers have improved greatly, whereby our research contributions can be converted into shares. Through stock ownership incentives, the government supports us with real money,” Ren Tao said. “Thanks to the strategy of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, large numbers of venture companies have been seeking to cooperate with us since 2015.”

Last February, the hybrid magnetic technology of the CAS High Magnetic Field Science Center passed the state inspection. The 40-tesla steady-state magnetic field ranks world second in terms of magnetic field intensity, which took the scientists eight years to achieve from scratch. “Our next step is to make the world’s No. 1 steady-state magnetic field,” Kuang Guangli said.

“With a good policy, a good environment, a good platform, and good benefits, there is no reason why we shouldn’t make world-class scientific research achievements,” Zhang Na said.

Every time he passes the SHMFF, Wang Junfeng feels a surge of emotion. He remembers the first day he came to Science Island and, in that then open space, spoke to Kuang Guangli about scientific research, and imagined the blueprint. Now everything he spoke about and thought of that day has come true.  

Ye Lefeng is a Guangming Daily reporter.