Just three years after its founding, Chinese cell therapy developer IASO Bio already has two assets in clinical development and the Nanjing firm has recently attracted $60m in financing. In an exclusive interview, its R&D head told Scrip that speed and partnerships are propelling Chinese developers on a trajectory to quickly catch up with the west in the emerging cell-therapy arena.

In a bid widely seen as a move to double down on their “in China for China” strategy, Sanofi and Roche have formed new drug development alliances with local innovative players potentially worth billions.

With the threat of potentially hefty fines, China's newly passed Biosecurity Law will fundamentally change how the life science sector handles human genetic resources over years to come, legal experts say.