GBA injects new impetus to biotech start-ups

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The central government has recently charted a blueprint for the development of Greater Bay Area (GBA) that will economically integrate Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and the neighbouring cities to maximise synergy and drive growth.

As part of the ambitious plan, the mainland’s policymakers are now studying and formulating specific policies and regulations to enhance the management of the cross-boundary use of bio-samples and medical data necessary for R&D co-operation projects between universities, R&D institutes and labs in the GBA. 

Two R&D start-ups based in the Hong Kong Science Park, formed by PhD graduates of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), said Hong Kong is a strategic location for setting up and operating R&D labs, thanks to easier access to funding, strong intellectual property (IP) protection and established international marketing channels. 

Meanwhile, improved transport links to the GBA allow them to tap mainland’s manufacturing capacity, expertise, and the availability of a large patient base more easily. 

ImmunoDiagnostics, an incubatee under the Incu-Bio Programme of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) since 2017, is a biotech spin-off from the Department of Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine of HKU.
 
The company focuses on the in vitro diagnosis (IVD) and early prediction of major chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiometabolic disorders and autoimmune diseases. The principle of their diagnostic assays depends on specific immuno-interaction between antigen and antibody, or the so-called “immunoassay”.
 
“Our assay detects biomarker in circulation. Some biomarkers reflect a certain disease condition, and some can detect diseases at a very early stage, even before any clinical symptoms,” said Dr Kelsey Zhongling, deputy executive director of ImmunoDiagnostics.