BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- In a workshop in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, rows of fermentation tanks are filled with genetically modified microorganisms that are producing a new generation of chemotherapy drugs.

Since its inception in 2002 as a small R&D team of less than 10, Biostar Pharma, a Beijing-based biopharmaceutical firm, has expanded into a company with a 10,000-square-meter automated workshop. It has developed the world's first oral microtubule inhibitor in solid oral dosage form, a novel chemotherapy drug for cancer treatment.

With bio-manufacturing recognized as a key future industry in China's government work report this year, a growing number of startups are poised to tap into new opportunities in this rapidly emerging sector.

Biostar Pharma's team successfully engineered microbial genes, identified a high-potential drug-producing strain, and now leveraged this breakthrough to manufacture cancer therapeutics called "utidelone" at commercial scale via fermentation.

Bio-manufacturing is a cutting-edge process that harnesses living cells, tissues or microorganisms to synthesize diverse products, from life-saving pharmaceuticals and sustainable biofuels to specialty chemicals and innovative materials.

According to CEC Capital Group's projections, China's bio-manufacturing market is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan (279 billion U.S. dollars) by 2033, with a robust 16.6 percent compound annual growth rate, marking the sector's entry into a golden era of growth.

This surge is underpinned by a confluence of groundbreaking innovations and a clear national strategic vision to harness biotechnology for sustained economic growth in the years to come.

UNMET DEMANDS

In March, a pioneering Chinese biotech firm achieved a clinical breakthrough in the production of lab-grown platelets, potentially revolutionizing global blood supply systems.

The Shanghai-based biotech Renerval Therapeutics successfully completed the first clinical transfusion of platelets derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. The achievement has established the world-first functional "smart" system for industrial-scale platelet bio-manufacturing.

The advancement delivers a therapeutic strategy to resolve the persistent global challenge of platelet supply shortages in transfusion medicine.

"In the next 3 to 5 years, we plan to advance our platelet pipeline into clinical trials, with the ultimate goal of making 'synthetic blood' a reality," said Wang Wenyuan, Renerval Therapeutics's founder and chief scientist.

Changing Bio, also a Shanghai-based biotech firm, announced that two types of its synthetic microbial protein have become China's first FDA-approved synthetic food proteins, clearing a critical pathway for U.S. market entry. Proteins can offer sustainable alternatives for the dairy and alt-meat sectors.

While cattle require two years to produce milk, Changing Bio's platform yields protein within 24 hours, without the land, water or climate constraints of traditional agriculture.

"We're delivering high-efficiency protein that slashes both resource consumption and carbon emissions amid global food shortages," said Luo Bin, Changing Bio's chairman.

A 2024 United Nations forecast projects the world's population will grow by two billion people by mid-2080s, creating more strain on global food production systems.

The market for alt-meat, eggs, dairy and seafood products is set to reach at least 290 billion U.S. dollars by 2035, according to a report by Boston Consulting Group.

"Our sustainable protein platform converts low-value agricultural residues and industrial side streams into high-quality nutritional ingredients," Luo explained.

"This circular approach minimizes environmental impact while maximizing resource efficiency," he added.

PILOT SCALE PLATFORM

Cultivating bacteria in the laboratory and in the factory has a huge difference. In utidelone's pilot test, the biggest challenge was how to utilize a 1,000-liter fermenter to cultivate high-quality engineered bacteria. "Bacteria can suffer from displacement," recalled Tang Li, Chairman of Biostar Pharma.

The absence of pilot-scale testing facilities has emerged as a bottleneck, preventing research teams from translating lab breakthroughs into commercial products -- a gap that Chinese policymakers have now prioritized addressing.

In June, China's industrial development authorities unveiled plans to establish more than 20 bio-manufacturing pilot-scale platforms within the next three years, aiming to facilitate the transition from lab to market.

This initiative seeks to support over 200 enterprises in this field and expedite the commercialization of more than 400 biotech products by 2027.

In July 2024, the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was selected to lead a new national bio-manufacturing innovation center.

The facility will specialize in scaling bio-manufacturing innovations from lab bench to pilot and ultimately industrial-scale production.

As of 2024, China has established over 2,400 pilot test platforms for the manufacturing industry, with more than 150,000 large-scale industrial enterprises conducting pilot test activities. This has served as a catalyst for the rapid rise of China's emerging industries.

In a concentrated push to boost the growth of the biotech sector, at least five Chinese local governments announced plans this year to establish dedicated bio-manufacturing pilot platforms.

Among them, Shanghai has prioritized synthetic biology as a key industry. By 2025, it aims to incubate over five top-tier scientist teams, establish at least five synthetic biology platforms and nurture more than ten leading firms.

"The continued scaling of bio-manufacturing will drive synergistic growth across equipment manufacturing, bioanalytics and environmental biotech sectors," said Wang Xu from CCID consulting under China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"This convergence is establishing multiple new growth engines that will collectively strengthen China's bio-manufacturing industrial ecosystem," Wang added.