China extols potential of AI in guideline on marine biopharmaceuticals
Ministry of Natural Resources urges research institutions and drug makers to use the technology to speed up the development of new drugs
China is stepping up efforts to explore the potential of medically important marine plants and animals, a field already valued in the billions of US dollars, as it looks to bolster its pharmaceutical industry.
The road map targets annual value-added output of over 130 billion yuan (US$19.2 billion) for marine medicines and related products – mainly health products and dietary supplements – by 2030, just over 30 per cent more than the total last year. It also aims to bring multiple innovative marine drugs to market within five years.
Marine-derived drugs cover a broad spectrum of sea life, ranging from pearls to deep-sea fish oil. Organisms like sponges, corals and algae are believed to hold great potential for new pharmaceutical discoveries because they survive in extreme environments of low temperatures, high salinity, darkness and intense pressure.
“China’s strength in the shipbuilding, machinery, manufacturing and fishery sectors could give it an advantage in developing the marine drugs,” said Meng Tianying, a senior executive at Shanghai-based consultancy Domo Medical. “More efforts need to be made to quicken their pace of commercialisation.”
The guideline encourages local governments, including those in east coast population centres such as Shanghai, Qingdao, Ningbo and Xiamen, to develop industrial clusters based on their strengths, and to adopt AI and other new technologies to enhance their research and development capacity.