The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences has signed an agreement with China Medical City to create the Hamner-China Medical City Institute for International Drug Development. Building on strengths of the two organizations in translational research, business development, and education, the Institute will help to produce new biomedical technologies that benefit the U.S. and People's Republic of China as well as the rest of the world.
During the first phase of this agreement, the Institute for International Drug Development will be established at The Hamner's campus in Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC, and will focus on preclinical drug development and compliance with FDA regulatory standards. After the partners validate research capabilities and new technologies at The Hamner campus, they will transfer them to China Medical City, a new life science park located in the Yangtze River Delta north of Shanghai.
In 2008, The Hamner launched a Bioscience Accelerator on its 56-acre campus in the heart of RTP. There are two initial start-ups: BioMedomics, a diagnostics company started by Chinese-American scientists, and b3bio, a spinout from Duke University.
Newsummit Biopharma, one of China Medical City's premier partners, is establishing its North American business center in The Hamner's Bioscience Accelerator. Newsummit Biopharma is a contract research and technology development company whose service platform includes support for commercialization, intellectual property, funding, and staffing in science and technology parks throughout China.
The partnership with China Medical City and Newsummit Biopharma creates a vital bridge of opportunity between NC and China. Acknowledged worldwide as a major hub of biotechnology, NC is an ideal location for companies from China that seek to enter the U.S. market. After establishing an initial presence in RTP, which already has a strong Chinese community of scientists and business professionals, companies from China can expand around the state as their businesses prosper and grow.
As part of its strategic agreement with China Medical City, The Hamner has worked with the NC Dept. of Commerce and NC Biotechnology Center, a world leader in bioscience development, to create a "North Carolina-China partner network" that supports Chinese business and educational initiatives. Other members of this innovative network include the NC China Center, the NC China Business Association, Council for Entrepreneurial Development, and NC Research Parks Network as well as economic development organizations in counties such as Wake and Durham.
China Medical City and Newsummit Biopharma are actively using their network to assist NC's R&D companies, contract organizations (research, manufacturing, and commercial), and academic institutions that want to establish strategic alliances, research sites, and branch offices in China. The new Hamner Bioscience Center in China Medical City and the NC Dept. of Commerce office in Shanghai are serving as gateways for NC organizations, such as Cirrus, Specialty Operations Solutions, Inc., and SyneCor, that are developing new markets in China.
Source: The Hamner Institutes
