Closer Sino-Australian biotech ties tipped

A conference in China attended by two Australian scientists may lead to closer links between the two countries.

"They were very keen to start establishing and formalising links between Australian and Chinese scientists," said Dr Sue Forrest, scientific director of the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF).

Forrest and Dr Mike Poidinger, director of the Australian National Genome Information Service (ANGIS), were invited speakers at the TEDA-WATSON International Forum on Biotechnology and Biomedicine, held recently in China's third largest city, Tianjin, near Beijing.

Among other invited speakers were Jan-Ake Gustafsson, who is this year's Chairman of the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institute, former Canadian Secretary of State and expert on Canadian biotech strategy Gerry Weiner and US venture capitalist George Stadler, who heads the Vanderbilt University Technology Company and is starting a joint venture company to commercialise research coming from Chinese universities and start-ups.

A number of Chinese bioscientists, many of them with extensive overseas experience, were also speakers at the conference, which was held at the Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area (TEDA), where the new TEDA-WATSON Biopark is being built.

According to Forrest, the purpose of the conference appeared to be more about educating the political and bureaucratic forces in the region about biotechnology and the rest of the world about Chinese biotechnology, than about the science itself. Some of the sessions were science focused, while others examined issues relevant to the development of a biotech industry, such as partnering and investment, and attracting top scientists back from overseas, she said.

"It seemed to be one of the first meetings of its kind, similar to an early-stage Bio meeting," Forrest noted, adding that the Chinese were very interested in the experiences of the AGRF and ANGIS and similar services in Australia.

For Poidinger, the conference and other dialogue with Tianjin scientists may ultimately lead to collaboration. "They have a big need for bioinformatics education and resources ... and are interested in the ANGIS set-up for the Biopark," he said. "There is also potential for collaboration as they get off the ground."

Poidinger believes it won't be long before China's emerging biotechnology industry becomes serious competition to Australia's industry, and he stressed the need for collaborative links to be formed between the two countries.