Movement toward developing a robust, internationally active biotechnology industry is gaming momentum in the People’s Republic of China.. And as the movement picks up steam, one byproduct is an increasing number of stimulating opportunities for scientists and entrepreneurs connected with biotech firms outside of China. In an interview with The Scientist, Liu Yonghui, director of the National Center for Biotechnology Development in Beijing, said that his country wishes to “improve the quality of animals and plants through the creation of new varieties; to make new medicines and vaccines; and to build select areas of fundamental research, such as studies of protein structure and function.”
The products of such collaborations will be “mainly for [use in] China,” he says, adding that eventually, a thriving biotechnology industry could build export trade. As biotechnology gains familiarity and acceptance within China, observes Ezra Weisman, vice president for corporate development at New Brunswick Scientific, sales ...
