Meet the female scientists who develop cellular & gene therapies

研发细胞与基因治疗的女性科学家

Inside Namtai Inno Park in Guangming District hides a low-profile biomedical development firm – Shenzhen Wingor Biotechnology Co. Upon entering the company, one may feel a different vibe – something gentle yet vibrant, maybe because it’s female-dominated. Its founder, most executives and over half the employees are female.

在光明区的南太云创谷产业园内，隐藏着一家低调的生物医药研发企业——深圳市茵冠生物科技有限公司。当你踏入这家企业时，可能会感觉这里的氛围有点不一样，这里的空气弥漫着柔和而又充满活力的气息，这很可能是因为这家企业的创始人是一位女性科学家，且公司大多数高管以及半数以上的员工都是女性。

Jiang Shu, the company’s founder and chairwoman, has been working in biomedicine for over 20 years, mainly focusing on cellular and genetic technologies, as well as clinical translation and application.

姜舒是茵冠生物的创始人兼任董事长，她在生物医药领域工作了超过20年的时间，主要专注于细胞与基因的技术与临床转化应用。

After Jiang finished her doctoral degree in medicine at Jilin University, she went to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for her postdoctoral research. Later, she worked as a senior biotechnology researcher at Stanford University for many years. Jiang has also worked for the well-known U.S. pharmaceutical company Escape, where she has been engaged in biotech research and development, and innovative cellular drug development and translation.

在吉林大学医学院医学博士毕业后，姜舒先是赴美国弗吉尼亚理工大学从事博士后研究工作，之后多年在美国斯坦福大学任高级研究员从事生物技术研究，后曾供职于美国知名药企Escape，一直从事生物技术研发、细胞创新药物开发及转化等工作。

Jiang Shu, founder and chairwoman of Shenzhen Wingor Biotechnology Co.

茵冠生物的创始人兼董事长姜舒。

“Compared with developed countries in the West, there is a huge clinical demand in China, and the domestic biomedicine industry has huge development potential. In 2009, with confidence and determination, I was introduced back to China as a high-level overseas talent and set out on a journey to return to China for development,” Jiang told Shenzhen Daily in an exclusive interview.

“相比西方发达国家，国内存在巨大的未被满足的临床需求，国内生物医药行业有着巨大的发展机遇。2009年，带着信心及决心，作为海外高层次人才被引进回国，我踏上了回国发展的征程。”姜舒在接受英文《深圳日报》专访时说道。

In 2013, she founded Shenzhen Wingor Biotechnology Co. in order to work with her team to keep innovating and developing new-type cellular and gene therapy products in the fields of degenerative, autoimmune and neurological diseases. The company focuses on the whole industry chain from research to development, translation and application of cellular and gene therapies.

2013年，她创办了茵冠生物，希望能与团队一起努力，不断坚持技术创新，开发退行性疾病、自身免疫系统疾病、神经系统疾病等领域的新型的细胞及基因治疗产品。公司提供集研究、开发、转化及应用全产业链的服务。

An employee of the company carries out stem cell cycle detection.

公司员工在做干细胞的细胞周期检测实验。

“At present, our first-tier products are focused on the development of innovative stem cell drugs. We have formed a high-quality technical and management team of over 80 people, and among them, over 40% are high-level talents with master’s degree, doctoral degree or above. Our goal is: Slow down aging, keep diseases away and keep healthy forever,” Jiang introduced.

“目前，我们第一梯队的产品聚焦在干细胞创新药物开发。我司已经形成了一支80余人规模的高素质技术团队和管理团队，硕博士以上学历高层次人才比例达到40%以上。我们核心团队一直初心不变，始终秉承‘让衰老放慢，让疾病远离，让健康永驻’的理念。”姜舒介绍道。

Zhang Yun, co-CEO of the company, is Chinese Canadian. After working in biomedical research abroad for several years, she decided to return to China to focus on the translation and application of biomedical technologies. In 2013, she joined Jiang’s team to develop cellular and gene therapy drugs and focus on the research of clinical translation and application.

公司的联席CEO张芸是华裔加拿大人。在国外从事了几年生物医药相关的科研工作后，她决定回国专注生物医药技术的转化应用研究，后于2013年加入姜舒博士团队，共同开发细胞与基因治疗药物并进行临床转化应用研究。

Zhang Yun, co-CEO of the company, receives an exclusive interview with Shenzhen Daily.

公司联席CEO张芸接受英文《深圳日报》专访。

“The 21st century is the era of cellular therapy. In recent years, cellular therapy has demonstrated a broad prospect in application; and the global stem cell industry is developing rapidly with a gradually expanding market scale which will reach trillions of yuan in the next three years. Stem cell research and application is the most important segment and has become an important indicator of a country’s life science and medical development, and many countries are strongly supporting the research in this field,” Zhang said. 

“21世纪是细胞治疗时代。近年来细胞治疗已经展示了广阔的应用前景，全球细胞行业迅猛发展，市场规模逐渐扩大，未来三年干细胞将会达到万亿级的规模。干细胞研究及应用是最主要的细分领域，成为了衡量一个国家生命科学与医学发展的重要指标，许多国家都对干细胞研究大力支持。”张芸说道。

Zhang Yun (L) communicates with Weng Dongxu, manager of the quality department of Shenzhen Wingor Biotechnology Co.

张芸（左）与公司质量部经理翁东旭进行工作上的交流。

According to Jiang, when she was conducting cell technology research abroad, there were already several new stem cell drugs in the overseas market, but to date, there is still not a single new stem cell drug in the Chinese market.

据姜舒介绍，当年她在国外进行细胞技术研究时，国外就已经有多款干细胞新药上市了，而国内至今还没有一款干细胞新药上市。

“The clinical application of stem cell technology not only provides a new treatment model for various diseases, but also brings hope to seriously and gravely ill patients. We are developing stem cell products which will hopefully fill the gap of stem cell drugs in Shenzhen and even in all of China,” Jiang said.

“干细胞技术在临床上的应用不仅给各类疾病提供了全新的治疗模式，同时，也给被病魔折磨、甚至面临死亡的疾病患者带来新的希望。我们正在开发干细胞产品，有望填补深圳干细胞药物空白，甚至是国内干细胞药物的空白。”姜舒说道。

An exhibition area of the company.

公司的展厅。

The company, originally set up in Nanshan, is now headquartered in Guangming, and has nearly 10 branches in various areas including South China, North China, Southwest China and Northwest China. It has also established nearly 10 regional cell preparations. 

茵冠生物最初在南山区成立，现在总部位于光明，在华南、华北、西南、西北等区域共设有近十个分支机构，并建立有近十个区域细胞制备中心。

When Jiang was asked about why she set up the company in Shenzhen, without second thought, she listed many of the city’s advantages.

当被问及为何选择在深圳成立公司时，姜舒毫不犹豫列举了这座城市的种种优势。

“Many people may ask why we didn’t set up the company in the Yangtze River Delta because they may think that the biomedicine industry clusters are there. But in fact, Shenzhen is the cradle of the cellular and gene therapy industry in China. It has a solid foundation of technology and industrial transformation,” Jiang introduced.

“很多人可能会疑惑，生物医药产业集群效应长三角地区更突出，为什么不把公司落在长三角？因为深圳是国内细胞与基因治疗行业的发源地，这里拥有深厚的技术和产业转化底蕴。”姜舒说。

A staff member of the company takes pictures of the cells using a fluorescence microscope.

工作人员在做荧光显微镜下的一个细胞拍照。

Besides, the city has taken the lead in releasing measures to facilitate the development of this industry, such as the Regulation to Promote Cell and Gene Industry in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone unveiled last year. “At the same time, Shenzhen is a cradle of entrepreneurs thanks to its huge advantages in talents and capital,” Jiang added.

此外，深圳率先出台了一系列细胞与基因治疗先行先试条例，比如去年出台的《深圳经济特区细胞和基因产业促进条例》。“同时，深圳也是创业者的摇篮，因为深圳在人才和资本方面拥有巨大的优势。”姜舒补充道。

As for Guangming District, it’s the center of northern Shenzhen, a science and technology innovation center and a hub for high-tech and advanced manufacturing industries. The district is building the startup zone for the national comprehensive science center in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

至于为何选择光明，因为光明定位为深圳北部中心、科技创新中心、高新技术产业和先进制造业集聚区，并正在建设大湾区综合性国家科学中心先行启动区。

Hongqiao Park in Guangming District. Liu Xudong

光明虹桥公园。

“On one hand, we are now at a new development stage where we need to expand and need more space. On the other hand, the positioning of our company development is in line with the positioning of Guangming District. Guangming is home to a complete chain of industry, academy and research. Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen Campus and the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University are all nearby, which will no doubt facilitate our development,” Jiang said.

“因为一方面我们已经到了新发展的重要阶段，同时需要扩大规模，需要更多的场地空间；另一方面，光明的定位和公司发展定位相契合，产学研链条非常完整，例如周边高校、科研院所的协同支持，如深圳湾实验室、中山大学光明校区、中山七院等，将大力促进公司的发展。”姜舒说道。

In addition, Guangming District has an excellent business environment and has released a series of industrial policies to support enterprises’ development. The district took the lead in releasing Several Measures to Support the Integrated Development of Innovation and Industry Chains of Synthetic Biology, which has created a favorable external environment and new momentum for the company’s development. 

此外，光明区有优质的营商环境，光明区围绕产业链部署创新链、围绕创新链布局产业链，出台了一系列暖企惠企政策和产业政策，在全国率先发布《支持合成生物创新链产业链融合发展的若干措施》，为公司在细胞与基因治疗产业发展方面营造了良好的外部环境和发展新动能。

“As one of the first batch of recognized synthetic biology enterprises in Guangming, we enjoy Guangming District’s industrial support policy on synthetic biology, and we also have access to more industrial resources,” Jiang said.

“茵冠生物作为光明区首批认定的合成生物企业，享受到了光明区关于合成生物学的产业支持政策，也因此链接到了更多的产业资源。”姜舒说。

Jiang Shu in her office.

姜舒在公司的办公室。

So far, the company has applied for more than 50 patents, including nearly 10 international patents. Jiang said they will continue to attract high-quality talents to strengthen their research team, increase technological innovation investment, enhance market competitiveness and promote the industrialization of cellular and gene therapies in China as soon as possible.

目前，茵冠生物申请了50余项专利成果，包括近十项国际专利。姜舒说他们将持续积极引进高素质人才，壮大企业科研团队，不断加大技术创新投入，提升市场竞争力，早日推动国内细胞与基因治疗产业化。

“We believe that, backed by Shenzhen's high tech environment, we will grow into a leading company in the field of cellular and gene therapies in China and speed up the industrialization and commercialization of the cellular and gene therapy industry!” Jiang said.

“我们相信，在深圳的科技土壤上，我们一定会成为全国细胞与基因治疗领域的头部企业，加速推动细胞与基因的产业化和商业化进程！”姜舒说道。

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