What Explains China's Biotech Rise? Genomics, Data, and the Global Biotech Ecosystem

Why is China’s biotech industry advancing so quickly? I talk with Abigail Coplin of Vassar College to unpack China’s biotech strategy, BGI, genomics, AI-driven drug discovery, gene therapies, biotech regulation, and what the U.S.-China biotech race means for innovation, national security, and the future of medicine.

• Why has China emerged so quickly as a global biotech powerhouse?
• What gives Chinese biotech companies an edge over their Western competitors?
• How did BGI become one of the world’s most influential genomics companies?
• Why are China’s gene and cell therapies advancing so rapidly?
• What should U.S. policymakers know about China's biotech industry?

Links:

• Abigail’s academic profile
• Abigail’s policy paper for the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations: “Getting Biotechnology Right: Managing Risk and Reward Between the U.S. and China in the Life Sciences”
• Yu Zhou and Abigail Coplin. 2022. “Innovation in a Science-Based Sector: The Institutional Evolution behind China’s Emerging Biopharmaceutical Innovation Boom.” The China Review.

For transcripts and more information, check out the High Capacity newsletter.

Follow host Kyle Chan on Twitter / X.