Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai, recently issued certificates to 20 regional headquarters of multinational companies and 10 research and development centers in Jiading.
Taisifu (China) Investment and Virogin Biotech were among them. The total investment of the two companies has reached $485 million. Virogin Biotech was certified as a Multinational Corporation Research and Development (R&D) Center for its world-leading technological innovation and R&D capabilities.
Virogin Biotech's global R&D center is a modern biomedical innovation park integrating R&D, pilot production, headquarters office and living facilities. It was involved in the discovery and early research of viral vector drugs and nucleic acid drugs.
Wang Zhiming, deputy general manager of CMC production at Virogin Biotech, said the center will be put into use in the second half of this year. After reaching full capacity, the annual output of its virus vector drugs is expected to achieve some 10 million doses and the annual output of mRNA tumor vaccine drugs will be 2-3 million doses.
Huang Hongwei, co-founder and CEO of Virogin Biotech, said the company will introduce a series of products such as a new generation of oncolytic viruses, vector vaccines and antibodies allowing personalized and precise diagnosis and treatment.
As of the end of January, there were 68 regional headquarters and R&D centers of multinational companies in Jiading, with a total investment of $24.41 billion and contracted foreign capital of $19.68 billion. The district is home to 10 regional headquarters and 42 foreign-funded R&D centers, including three such centers with a global footing.