The city of Guangzhou welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the first stop of his week-long visit to China. Accompanying PM Lee in this trip are Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Law Rahayu Mahzam and Ambassador to China Lui Tuck Yew.

Biosyngen is honoured to have an audience with PM Lee in Guangzhou Knowledge City, together with the chairman of Guangdong Provincial Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress and Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee Lin Keqing. In this segment, Biosyngen is the only biotechnology company featured along with three other Singaporean companies, namely Singrow, SP Group and NCS.

△Giving PM Lee an overview of Biosyngen CBO Isaac Chow (first from left) and COO Michelle Chen (second from left)

Founded in 2016, Biosyngen is a cell therapy company focusing on unmet needs with technology targeting solid tumours and lymphoproliferative diseases. Walking through the company’s milestones with PM Lee and accompanying Ministers, it is an honour that Biosyngen represents the outcome of collaboration between the two Governments, making conditions favourable for businesses to thrive. Furthermore, the achievements of Biosyngen demonstrated Public-Private partnerships at work.

CBO Isaac Chow and COO Michelle Chen highlighted to PM Lee the competitive advantage that Biosyngen created based on their global strategy, leveraging on strengths of each site in Singapore and Guangzhou, alignment in direction and speed in execution – aiming to deliver desired outcomes to patients. To which, PM Lee took interest in the Clinical and R&D collaborations between the Singapore and Guangzhou sites, a critical element of the company’s dual-site strategy.

△PM Lee and accompanying governors taking a group photo with representatives from four Singaporean enterprises

Headquartered in Singapore, the company has taken a dual-site approach. Biosyngen’s business activities for the Asia region (ex China) and rest of the world are driven from the Singapore office. Guangzhou Biosyngen was established as the second site to leverage on the local biomedical ecosystem to advance clinical developments and pursue R&D collaborations in the country. Through partnerships with local Government Agencies, leading clinical institutions and KOLs over the years, Biosyngen takes pride that their first product, CAR-T for Nasopharyngeal Cancer, has entered into Phase I/II clinical trial upon IND approval by China NMPA; the same product has also been granted IND approval by US FDA.

△Health Minister Ong Ye Kung (first from right) COO Michelle Chen (first from left) and CBO Isaac Chow (second from left)

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung is keenly aware of the Cell and Gene Therapy domain and recognizes that development is essential for the future of medicine. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of taking a holistic approach and to work closely with stakeholders in both the public and private sectors.

With a stable foundation and continuing support from  both the Singapore and Guangzhou ecosystem, Biosyngen is expanding its pipeline, covering other indications such as Liver Cancer, Lung Cancer and Gastrointestinal Cancer. By the end of 2023, the company will have 1 product in Phase II clinical trial and 3 other products securing IND from FDA, HSA and NMPA – positioning to advance and setting itself as a Singaporean company with Global ambitions.

△Image source: The Straits Times