Nanjing-based IASO Biotherapeutics has announced the official launch of its global R&D center in Shanghai's Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone.
Covering 32,000 square meters, the center will leverage the unique advantages of the free trade zone to advance cutting-edge cell and gene therapy technologies. Since its establishment in 2020, IASO has accelerated medical innovation, with three investigational products already in clinical stages and several others in early development.
The company's Equecabtagene Autoleucel injection (brand name: FUCASO®) is China's first fully domestically developed and manufactured cell therapy product with independent intellectual property rights. Within six months of its launch, the treatment has served patients from Switzerland, Thailand, South Africa, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Russia, New Zealand, and other countries, enhancing the global influence of China's cell therapy innovations.
On the opening day, IASO signed strategic partnerships with organizations from Japan, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, and China's Shenzhen CanYou Group. These collaborations will focus on accelerating overseas registration and commercialization of CAR-T products while introducing advanced international stem cell therapies to expand treatment options.
To support comprehensive innovation in cell and gene therapy, the Free Trade Zone Administration and Waigaoqiao Group have implemented a three-dimensional support system combining "space empowerment, capital facilitation, and service enhancement" to bolster IASO's global R&D operations.
Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone has now developed a biopharma cluster encompassing innovative drugs, high-end medical devices, and cell therapies, hosting over 800 life sciences companies.
