来源：ShenzhenDaily公众号 2023-10-26 16:54
Editor's Note:
编者按：
Shenzhen boasts a top-tier business environment and a vibrant atmosphere for innovation and entrepreneurship, offering a fertile ground for various market players’ growth. Whether they are privately owned companies, State-owned enterprises or foreign-invested corporations, they can all discover promising opportunities for development here.
深圳拥有一流的营商环境和创新创业氛围，为各类市场主体发展壮大提供了“沃土”。不管是民营企业，还是央企国企或者外资企业，在深圳都能找到发展机遇。
This is the fifth of Shenzhen Daily's "From Shenzhen to the World" series. We'll visit Ascentawits Pharmaceuticals that is engaged in the R&D of small-molecule drug conjugates in Pingshan District.
这是英文《深圳日报》的“从深圳走向世界”多媒体系列报道的第五期。本期报道将带读者走进位于坪山区的一家专注于小分子靶向偶联创新药物研发的生物医药企业 — 艾欣达伟。
Video and photos by Lin Jianping 版权来源：Shenzhen Daily
Knowing that a fund for Shenzhen’s biomedicine industry, amounting to 5 billion yuan (US$683.2 million) for Phase 1, was launched in Pingshan District on Sept. 26, Dr. Duan Jianxin, chairman and general manager of Ascentawits Pharmaceuticals Ltd., is optimistic about his company’s development in first-in-class drugs, which requires longtime investment.
9月26日，深圳市生物医药产业基金在坪山区落户，首期规模50亿元。得知此消息，深圳艾欣达伟医药科技有限公司的董事长兼总经理段建新博士，对公司在需要长期投入的首创新药发展充满了期待。
“In terms of biomedicine’s bleak condition in investment and financing, the fund is like a fire warming us in the winter for pharmaceutical companies in need of funding,” Duan said.
“在整个生物医药行业投融资遇冷的情况下，这支基金对于像艾欣达伟这样有资金需求的企业，就像冬天里的一把火。”段建新告诉记者。
Dr. Duan Jianxin, chairman and general manager of Ascentawits Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Being an innovator
立足原始创新
Ascentawits, located inside the Shenzhen Biomedicine Innovations Industrial Park in Pingshan, is engaged in the research and development (R&D) of small-molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs), a promising approach for targeted cancer therapies. SMDCs are highly effective for tumor cell penetration and can enhance the therapeutic potential of anticancer drugs.
艾欣达伟位于坪山区深圳市生物医药创新产业园内，专注于小分子靶向偶联创新药物的研发。这是一种靶向治疗方法，可以精准有效地渗透肿瘤细胞，增强药效，具有广阔前景。
“Chemotherapy drugs affect both cancerous and healthy cells. What scientists are diligently striving after in cancer therapies is something like a ‘magic bullet,’ which is designed to specifically target cancer cells, minimizing damage to normal cells and reducing side effects,” Duan said.
“Ascentawits is seeking not only one ‘magic bullet,’ but a series of them. Since the company’s inception, we have been working on producing first-in-class drugs. We hope to utilize our expertise making achievements in the segmented field of SMDCs,” he added.
“现有的化疗药最大特点是对癌细胞和正常细胞都有伤害，科学家们孜孜以求的是找到一种‘魔法子弹’，使药物对正常细胞没有伤害，仅对肿瘤细胞有杀伤作用，降低副作用。”段建新说。“艾欣达伟希望能够找到不止一颗‘魔法子弹’，而是一系列。在公司成立之初，我们就立足于原始创新，希望通过我们特有的技术，在小分子靶向偶联药物这个细分领域里，做出成就。”
Researchers discuss at Ascentawits' R&D center in Pingshan.
Duan introduced that one of his company’s first-in-class drugs for recurrent and refractory liver cancer has entered Phase 2 clinical trials in China and the U.S. Later, it will carry out research on pancreatic and intrahepatic bile duct cancer with oncogenic mutation in the KRAS gene.
据段建新介绍，艾欣达伟的一款首创新药，针对复发难治的肝癌，正在中国和美国同时开展二期临床试验。接下来，还会针对基于KRAS突变的胰腺癌和肝内胆管癌，开展研究。
“A patient in our trial has been receiving a 27-week treatment of the drug. Now, his cancerous liver tissue has shrunk by 62% and his tumor markers have dropped from 1,200 to normal. If this drug succeeds, it will be the first small-molecule drug for targeted liver cancer therapies,” Duan said.
“我们有个肝癌患者，经过27周治疗之后，他的癌组织缩小了62%，肿瘤标志物从1200降到了正常值。如果这个项目取得成功，那么它有可能是全球首款针对肝癌的靶向小分子药物。”
Researchers work at Ascentawits' R&D center in Pingshan.
Duan believes that innovation is the key to sustainable development. Ascentawits now has a 1,400-square-meter R&D center in Pingshan with over 30 professionals engaged in synthesis, testing and production for first-in-class drugs.
The center has carried out cooperation with prestigious institutes, such as University of Oxford, University of Cologne, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen University and Shenzhen Polytechnic University. Ascentawits also has R&D centers in Beijing and the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S.
段建新认为自主创新是可持续发展的关键。艾欣达伟在坪山的药物研发中心有1400多平方米，30多位专家在此进行创新药的合成、测试和生产。中心已与国内外著名研究机构，如牛津大学、科隆大学、南方科技大学、深圳湾实验室、深圳大学和深圳职业技术大学等开展合作。公司在北京和美国旧金山湾区也有研发中心。
Since its founding in 2017, Ascentawits has applied for more than 200 patents globally and been granted over 50 patents as of June 31, according to Duan. Last year, Shenzhen recognized the company for using special and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products.
段建新表示，经过六年的发展，艾欣达伟已经在全球申请了200多项专利，截至今年6月31日，获得授权的专利有50多项，去年公司还荣获深圳市“专精特新”企业认定。
Patents and recognitions of Ascentawits are on display at the company's office in Pingshan.
Substantial support
深圳助力企业成长
With a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Florida, Duan has worked as fellow at Threshold Pharmaceuticals Inc. in the U.S. and has led three research projects to clinical trials.
创业之前，段建新在美国佛罗里达大学取得了化学博士学位，在美国Threshold 医药公司工作期间，他主持研发的三个项目都进入了临床试验。
"When I was studying abroad, I learned the latest technologies, such as targeted drug delivery systems. With my team’s 20-year experience, we progressively have our own solutions in medicine,” Duan noted. “Meanwhile, in 2015, the National Medical Products Administration implemented a major reform in the medicine approval system, bringing a new era for biomedicine in China. Many people like me hoped to return to China to make a difference.”
“在国外，我学到了最新的技术，如: 靶向递送系统。经过近20年的积累，我们也有了自己的解决方案。同时，在2015年，国家药品监督管理局的药品审批制度改革，使中国的生物医药迎来了春天，所以很多人都想回国，施展抱负。”
Researchers work at Ascentawits' R&D center in Pingshan.
Duan recalled that when he founded his company in 2017 in Pingshan, the surrounding areas of Shenzhen Biomedicine Innovations Industrial Park were very desolate. "You could choose any piece of land here,” he said.
“Now after six years of development, the industrial cluster has been formed, and the biomedicine industry in Pingshan has started to show certain strengths, especially small-molecule drugs. There's a complete industrial chain in Pingshan, which offers a huge talent pool in biomedicine. Every enterprise here can find talents, so we hope to develop first-in-class drugs here and establish a global presence.”
据段建新回忆，2017年公司在坪山成立时，生物医药创新产业园周边非常荒芜。“基本上你要哪一块地，你都可以拿到。现在经过六年的发展，这里已经有了很好的产业集聚效应，坪山的生物医药开始在整个深圳显现出一定的优势，特别是小分子药物，在坪山已经形成了一个完整的产业链。同时，这条产业链为医药发展提供了大量人才，使每个企业都能找到合适的人才。所以，我们希望能够在坪山做一些创新药，并在全球占有一席之地。”
Buildings are seen at Shenzhen Biomedicine Innovations Industrial Park in Pingshan.
This year, Ascentawits has obtained an additional 8,000-square-meter site in the biomedicine park. “This is a great support from the Pingshan District Government. As our drugs have shown certain efficacy in clinical trials, we hope to build our own factory here and then form a complete chain for R&D, production and sales within our company.”
今年，艾欣达伟在生物医药创新产业园又获得了8000平方米的生产用地。“这也是坪山区政府对我们非常大的一个支持，因为我们这个药在临床上面，特别是肝癌，已经看到了明确的药效，我们准备自己生产，想把艾欣达伟打造成一个在坪山科研、生产和销售的全链条的闭环。”
Duan introduced that last year, Ascentawits was granted a reward of 22.33 million yuan from the city government for clinical R&D and received a subsidy of nearly 50 million yuan for new drug R&D.
段建新介绍，去年艾欣达伟不仅从市政府获得了2233万元的奖励，用于临床研发，还获得了近5000万的重大新药创制的补贴。
“Knowing the challenging conditions for investment and financing in biomedicine, Shenzhen's Development and Reform Commission and the Pingshan District Government are actively seeking ways to solve funding issues. Shenzhen's support for the biomedicine industry is substantial,” he said.
“目前是整个生物医药遇冷，所以在融资方面，公司遇到了一定的困难，但无论是深圳市发改委还是咱们坪山区，都在积极寻找方法来解决公司的资金问题，这些都是真金白银的支持。”
Building a national brand
培育民族品牌
Biomedicine is one of Shenzhen's 20 strategic emerging industry clusters and eight future industries ("20+8"); it is also one of the three leading industries in Pingshan.
生物医药是深圳20个战略性新兴产业集群和8大未来产业（“20+8”）之一，也是坪山区三大主导产业之一。
"In the past, many pharmaceutical companies produced generic drugs, doing me-too or me-better drugs, and now we are developing first-in-class drugs. Shenzhen is supporting a group of companies developing first-in-class drugs through the ‘20+8’ industrial policies, and perhaps we can forge an entirely innovative path in biomedicine,” Duan said.
He acknowledged that Shenzhen has already made significant efforts in biotechnology development. He then compares the medicine industry to a growing bamboo: "In the early years, the roots grow downwards and absorb nutrients, and then the bamboo grows upwards very fast. Biomedicine cultivation is a long process, and it may take 10 years to possibly develop a new drug."
“在生物医药领域，以前很多企业做仿制药，或者跟随创新，现在我们做全球首创药物。深圳通过‘20+8’的产业政策扶持一批有原始创新能力的企业，也许可以走出一条全创新的路。深圳在生物技术方面，已经做了很多努力，但生物医药就像竹子一样，前几年根向下长，积累营养，后面会长得很快，它的前期培育很长，也许十年才能出一款重磅新药。”段建新说。
Lab equipment and supplies are seen at Ascentawits’R&D center in Pingshan.
“BYD has established itself as a national brand, thanks to the consistent support from Shenzhen, and I hope Shenzhen's biotechnology industry can also establish our own national brands in the global market.”
As for Ascentawits’ future plans, Duan is confident that since their drugs have shown certain efficacy in clinical trials, he is considering licensing out to overseas markets and exploring collaborations with domestic pharmaceutical companies.
“比亚迪已经做出了我们自己的民族品牌，这都离不开深圳的持续支持。希望深圳的生物技术也能在全球范围内做出我们自己的民族品牌。艾欣达伟现在正考虑对外授权，拓展海外市场。在国内，我们希望和更多医药公司合作，共同开发。”段建新说。
Editor/Li Jing
WeChat Editor/Claudia
链接：Ascentawits self-developing first-in-class drugs 艾欣达伟专注首创新药自主研发 (qq.com)
