In Zhangjiang Science City, there are not only strategic scientists, but also leading entrepreneurs, and young scientific and technological talents with the potential to enhance international competitiveness. Zhangjiang Science City has formed a "strong magnetic field" to attract talents, and the story of "Zhangjiang is more brilliant because of talents, and talents are more brilliant because of Zhangjiang" is constantly staged. Recently, the "Zhangjiang Release" WeChat official account officially launched a series of reports on "Zhangjiang Outstanding Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talents", demonstrating the innovative spirit of Zhangjiang Science City's talents to strive for the first place, and to share the science and innovation stories of perseverance and dreams. This is the seventh issue of "Zhangjiang Outstanding Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talents" series.

Dr. Wan Yakun, founder and general manager of Shanghai Luoqi Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd

First visit to Zhangjiang Science City: 2015

One word describes Zhangjiang Science City: hope

After 30 years of earth-shaking and rapid development, Zhangjiang Science City has grown into a fertile land for scientific innovation and talent gathering. Numerous scientists and entrepreneurs choose to fly their dreams here. Dr. Wan Yakun, founder and general manager of Shanghai Luoqi Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd., was also attracted by this fertile land of innovation and entrepreneurship, and chose to take root in Zhangjiang Science City to carry out research in the field of nanoantibodies. Now, his dream of nano-antibody medicine has set sail, and I believe that his future legend will be staged

Cultivate nanoantibody research and dream of setting sail in Zhangjiang

In 2004, in a genetic study conducted by the American Institute of Systems Biology, Wan Yakun first came into contact with the field of nanoantibodies. At that time, Wan Yakun was keenly aware of the uniqueness of nanoantibodies in the field of innovative drugs. This encounter with nanoantibodies planted a seed called "interest" in his heart. In 2011, Wan Yakun returned to China to serve as a professor of the Institute of Life Sciences of Southeast University, officially changed his research direction to nano-antibody, and established the first team engaged in nano-antibody research in China. At the same time, with the in-depth exchanges with industry authorities and the exploration and research in the field of nanoantibody, Wan Yakun has become more and more firm in his belief in independent research and development of nanoantibody innovative drugs.

Location of Shanghai Luoqi Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd

In 2015, Wan Yakun left Nanjing and came to Shanghai, choosing to work at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The story with Zhangjiang Science City also unfolded. Wan Yakun frankly said that Zhangjiang Science City has shown great advantages in policy support, talent resources, investment incubation, academic research and other aspects, which has greatly attracted him and made him decide to stay in this fertile land of scientific and technological innovation. In October 2017, Wan Yakun founded Luoqi Biology at the Wanku Space Incubator in Zhangjiang Science City. From a doctor of science in the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to the founder of nano antibody research and development company, Wan Yakun completed the transformation of identity, and his dream of innovative nano antibody drugs also officially set sail.

Challenge the difficulties of innovative medicine and seek differentiated positioning

Startups are always accompanied by many challenges. As a scientific research worker, Wan Yakun is very good at solving scientific problems, but it is the first time to run a company. He said that as the leader of an enterprise, he needs to firmly control the overall situation, maintain strong learning ability, cultivate his omnipotence, and make correct guidance and decisions for the company's development direction in time.

For biopharmaceutical R&D enterprises, it is particularly important to find the right research direction. How to find the difference of enterprise survival is Wan Yakun's most concern. Many domestic companies choose to start with monoclonal antibody technology, which can be shared among enterprises. However, Rocky Biology has chosen a direction that is less traveled and more difficult, that is, challenging the technical difficulties of nanoantibody innovative drugs, and developing Pichia pastoris CMC technology and inhaled macromolecular drugs.

500L Pichia pastoris nanoantibody GMP pilot production workshop

At present, Loki Biotech has established five core technology platforms around the core technology of nanoantibody: nanoantibody rapid screening platform, Pichia pastoris CMC process development platform, inhaled macromolecular drug research and development platform, nanoantibody long-acting platform and nanoantibody dual-antibody platform. Each platform has unique industry advantages.

Among them, the first Pichia pastoris CMC platform for nanoantibody built by Rocky Biology in China has the leading yeast expression process optimization capability, with the output exceeding 20 g/L, and has the ability to develop the production process from cell line construction to 7L pilot test and 100L/500L pilot test. At the same time, the 500L scale Pichia pastoris nanoantibody GMP production workshop with high scarcity and originality has also been put into production, meeting the Chinese and American GMP standards. In addition, the inhaled macromolecular drug platform independently built by Luoqi Biological covers asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. The quality before and after atomization is stable, the effect is rapid, and the side effects are small. It can be used with commercially available portable atomizers. It improves the patient's medication compliance and reduces the patient's medication burden.

Follow the construction boom of biomedicine and start to layout the future

"'Camel antibody starts a healthy future' is our company's great vision, and also the origin of the name 'Luoqi'. Luoqi Biology hopes to follow the development boom of the biomedical industry in Zhangjiang Science City, boldly move forward, and smoothly promote the product launch." Wan Yakun said. In the future, Loqi Biology will continue to build five core technology platforms, fully promote the listing of inhaled macromolecular drugs under research, actively expand new business areas such as long-acting cytokines and molecular imaging, and strive to build a complete production system of innovative drugs. In addition, Rocky Biology will also actively deploy overseas markets and establish strategic cooperation with international pharmaceutical enterprises. "I hope that through the efforts of the team, Loki Biologics can become the leader in the field of nanoantibody innovative drugs." Wan Yakun is full of expectations.

In the blink of an eye, it has been eight years since Wan Yakun first entered Zhangjiang Science City, and Luoqi Biology also ushered in the fifth anniversary of its founding. In Wan Yakun's eyes, "hope" is the synonym of Zhangjiang Science City. This fertile land provided him with funds and venues for the initial stage. The natural growth environment of Loki's biological advantages also benefited from the efforts of every pioneer. In the future, Luoqi Biology will continue to take advantage of the bio-pharmaceutical industry boom in Zhangjiang Science City, develop better, faster and more steadily, and add a boost to the research and development of nano-antibody innovative drugs.