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In the last decade, startups have become cheaper to start and acquiring business-critical funding has become simpler owing to newer kinds of investment opportunities and more technical, future-thinking founders. The realm of biotech is a prime example of a sector that has been transformed thanks to the emerging startups and their ability to offer innovative and intuitive solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for new and innovative offerings, which prompted a surge in research and business activity in the market, further driving the emergence of startups. Looking ahead, the global biopharma market is expected to reach $269.3 billion by 2024, driven by the industry’s inherent purpose of treating previously untreatable diseases, which can be very profitable. And with APAC perfectly poised to be the biggest market for biotech startups, the market is predicted to play a vital role in making tech-driven breakthroughs that facilitate faster drug development and better diagnostics.
With a comprehensive understanding of these new developments, Life Sciences Review has compiled a list of leading biotech startups in APAC to guide firms in harnessing the power of emerging technologies to tackle today’s data processing challenges. In this edition, Life Sciences Review has identified the 'Top 10 BioTech Startups in APAC - 2021.'
The companies showcased in this issue have exhibited extensive knowledge, strategy, and means to delivering services that ensure effective and long-term efficiency gains in drug discovery, development, and delivery. We hope this edition helps you build partnerships that you and your firm require in order to foster better and faster processes.
Amwise Diagnostics was established in 2016 to assist physicians and patients in determining the most appropriate personalized treatment strategy that has optimal efficacy and minimal adverse events. The firm has created a patented genetic analysis and detection technology, RecurIndex that identifies patients with a definite high risk of recurrence or metastasis, allowing timely administration of necessary treatment, specifically for breast cancer. To date, the company has conducted around 20 clinical trials in Asia focusing on early breast cancer patients. The firm has a strong presence in Singapore, Taiwan, and Mainland China. Amwise’s key investors include prominent names such as Alibaba Group and the Lippo group
Integrates semiconductor, microfluidic, molecular biology, precision machining, AI, and precision medical technologies to create a highly accurate, high-performance automated CTC capture test system
Chung-Er Huang, CEO/FounderCytoAurora’s CTC system can be applied toward early cancer detection, treatment of cancers, remission monitoring, and provide physicians with medication prescribing guidance
Develops and focuses on automated large-scale culture systems using non-woven fabrics to maximize the number and retain the potential of the stem cell. The company's system can be a de facto standard of cell-producing methods for clinical in any purpose. FullStem offers Achieva-CS, an automated large-scale and high-density culture system for stem cells using non-woven fabrics as a 3D scaffold. It provides 3D cultures on the fabrics to replicate living stem cells in the body to resemble circumstances retaining their original phenotype and potential
LianBio is a biotechnology company focused on steering and accelerating availability of paradigm-shifting medicines to patients in China and major Asian markets, through science-driven therapeutic discoveries
As an emerging leader in the worldwide development of regenerative medicine on mitochondrial technology, Taimito has established a complete extraction, purification, preservation, and delivery process for mitochondria. The company provides new solutions for rejuvenation and disease treatment by Mitochondrial Reconstruction Technology (MRT) which is the most innovative technology and can directly rebuild the mitochondria function of the cell. Since 2014, Taimito has been focusing on the application and development of MRT platform. MRT platform is a unique technology platform in the world, backed by 17+ international patents. This platform has various strategies and applications for anti-aging. Taimito’s goal is to, with a laser focus on mitochondria-based value chain development, reduce high healthcare costs for various countries across Asia on a long-term basis
Taiwan Mitochondrion Applied Technology Co., Ltd. (Taimito)
Management
Han-Chung Cheng, Founder
Veneno Technologies focuses on DRPs to promote new drug discovery innovations. With the motto ‘From toxins to medicines,’ Veneno Technologies pays homage to the wisdom of nature and creates new medicines and functional peptides using the most advanced technology. The firm has developed a proprietary drug discovery system, ‘Veneno Suite,’ to accelerate DRP drug discovery. The Veneno Suite is an integrated DRP drug discovery system that includes everything from library creation to screening and production. Via its innovative technology, the firm is accelerating the research and development of therapeutic disulfide-rich peptides (DRPs) and contributing to advanced and sustainable medicine. In addition to the pharmaceutical business, the company also focuses on the R&D of green agricultural chemicals with low environmental impact
Veneno Technologies
Management
Dr. Tadashi Kimura, Founder, CSO, CTO, and Director
Worg, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, is shifting the paradigm of AIT by developing its advanced technology platform (PCFiT) and the pipeline for AIT
listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1672.HK). Ascletis is committed to developing and commercializing innovative drugs in the areas of NASH, cancer lipid metabolism and oral checkpoint inhibitors, viral hepatitis and HIV/AIDS for unmet medical needs in China and globally. Led by a management team with deep expertise and a proven track record, Ascletis has developed into a fully integrated platform covering the entire value chain from discovery and development to manufacturing and commercialization. Gannex, a wholly-owned company of Ascletis, is fully dedicated to the R&D and commercialization of new drugs in the field of NASH. Gannex has three clinical stage drug candidates against three different targets – FASN, THR-beta and FXR, and three combination therapies
bitBiome's unique, single-cell whole-genome analysis platform specifically targets microbes and can be used on uncultured, raw samples, providing unprecedented strain-level quantitative and functional insights
Immvira was founded in May of 2015 by Prof. Bernard Roizman of University of Chicago and Prof. Grace Zhou formerly a Research Associate Professor at University of Chicago, Prof. Thomas Shenk of Princeton University, Prof. Richard Whitley of University of Alabama, Prof. Ralph Weichselbaum of University of Chicago. The company is on mission to develop a broad range of anti-cancer therapies based on genetically engineered viruses and augmented by cancer specific immune factors or chemotherapeutic agents that can be delivered intratumorally or systemically. ImmVira's lead candidate, a oHSV encoding IL12 and anti-PD-1Ab (T3) is designed to be administered by direct injection into the tumor mass. In murine tests it is more potent and would be expected to lack the toxicity associated with the systemic administration of immunomodulators alone