At the beginning of 2020, a pneumonia outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) occurs in the China. Led by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, everyone in the country has been quickly mobilized to fight against the epidemic. Life is of paramount importance. Where there is an epidemic breakout, there is action. It is our responsibility to prevent and control it. Quickly responding to the call of the government, Guangzhou private enterprises led by the city’s leading industrial talents have brought into play their strength in research and talents. They have overcome the difficulties caused by the shortage of funds, manpower and resources during the Spring Festival break and engaged their greatest professionals in the R&D of testing kits, antiviral drugs, vaccines and protection technologies in the shortest time possible, setting a good example for the whole community at such critical time. According to rough statistics, as of February 10, more than 60% of the enterprises led by industrial leading talents in the city had resumed work or production, with the majority being biomedical companies.

Racing against the epidemic to support accurate diagnosis

As early as January 20, Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech, a company subsidized for outstanding industrial talents in 2016, announced that it had successfully developed a multiple nucleic acid detection kit and a fully-automatic and fully-enclosed model used for the detection of the novel coronavirus respiratory pathogen. This made the company one of the country’s first to have developed detection kits for the detection of the novel coronavirus.

Guangdong Hecin Scientific, Inc., a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2016, worked with the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease and the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, and developed a nucleic acid detection kit used for the detection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and a solution for the inactivation and preservation of respiratory pathogen samples within a short time. This has supported the quick clinical diagnosis of the infection by the novel coronavirus and the rapid inactivation of respiratory pathogens.

Guangzhou Darui Biotechnology, a company subsidized for outstanding industrial talents in 2016, developed the whole-genome and targeted sequencing kit for the detection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) (semiconductor sequencing). With ultra multiplex PCR-based deep sequencing, the kit can be used to perform whole-genome sequencing of the novel coronavirus with a detection limit as low as 100 copies/ml and an average coverage of 2,000. It can complete detection of 96 samples within 24 hours. This provides a scientific basis for quickly and fully understanding the whole-genome information of COVID-19, tracking the epidemic trends, monitoring the mutations of the genes of the novel coronavirus, and preventing and controlling the epidemic in a scientific way.

Guangzhou SupBio, a company identified as leading innovation team in 2017, developed a detection kit used for the detection of the novel coronavirus based on its independent patent "accurate micro-volume nucleic acid detection". The kit has been used for the screening and definitive diagnosis of suspected patients in Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Existing preliminary results show that the accurate nucleic acid detection kit for the detection of COVID-19 is 5 to 100 times more sensitive than the conventional ones. It is possible that breakthroughs may be made in boosting the detection rate of novel coronavirus with the kit by addressing the prominent issue of "false negative in the nucleic acid detection of virus".

"As a pharmaceutical company, we want to do our part to the fight against the epidemic."

On February 8, Guangzhou Bostal, a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2016, sent a message to Bureau of Science and Technology of Guangzhou Municipality, stating that as a pharmaceutical company, they were very concerned about the epidemic and wanted to do their part in the fight against the epidemic. The R&D team of Bostal has evaluated the prospects for the application of two imported antiviral drugs available on market in the fight against COVID-19, and started the urgent development of generic drugs, striving to enter the stage of clinical research within 3 months.

There are many companies like Bostal. Guangzhou Henovcom Bioscience, a company identified as leading innovation team in 2016, has begun the R&D of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and preparations of the special drug HNC1053 for COVID-19 treatment, and has applied for special support from the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province and started the production of samples.

South China Vaccine Co, Ltd, a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2016, has undertaken the special project for the prevention and treatment of the novel coronavirus, "the BEVS-based development of vaccine against the S protein of COVID-19", and engaged a group of researchers including Prof. Peng Tao, a well-known vaccine expert who obtained his PhD degree in Virology from the University of Pennsylvania, the United States, in the research.

Dr. Chen Ling's team at Guangzhou nBiomed, a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2017, reached an agreement with the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease and Shanghai Medicilon Inc., on the project "R&D and preclinical safety evaluation of vaccines against the novel coronavirus" and has embarked on the R&D of vaccines.

Guangzhou Joincare Respiratory Drug Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2016, is working on the comparative study of hand-held atomizers to support the inhalation for the treatment of lung diseases based on its research on respiratory drugs.

Guangzhou Saliai Stem Cell Science and Technology Co., Ltd., a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2018, has also organized its research team to study the stem cell-based treatment of COVID-19.

As part of the supply chain, we are duty-bound to help fight against the epidemic

Medical face masks and protection coveralls have been the primary protection supplies to fight against the epidemic. But unfortunately, breathable membranes required to produce these supplies were in short supply. To address the issue, on the third day of the lunar new year, Kingfa Science & Technology, an intermediate company in the supply chain of protection supplies and a selected company that was subsidized for outstanding industrial talents in 2016, raced against the clock to resume the production of breathable membranes, ensuring the supply of emergency supplies. On January 29, Kingfa dispatched 24.8 tons of membranes to Wuhan for the production of protection coveralls. In addition, 4 production lines in the company's extrusion workshops have been run successively, with each line producing about 25 tons of breathable membranes daily. As of February 5, Kingfa had shipped more than 500 tons of breathable membranes, and 13,000 protection coveralls can be made out of a ton of such membranes.

As a leading domestic third-party medical testing company, Guangzhou KingMed Diagnostics, a company identified as leading innovation team in 2017, has rapidly mobilized more than 200 PCR inspectors and a medical cold chain logistics team of 3,000 workers to assist relevant government departments in the transport and testing of the novel coronavirus specimen. So far KingMed has gradually set up a network of nucleic acid detection of the novel coronavirus across the country, covering 9 provinces and cities including Guangdong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guizhou, Xinjiang, Beijing and Chongqing.

Guangzhou Tiancheng Medical Technology Co., Ltd., a company identified with leading talents in innovation and entrepreneurship services in 2018, is a medical device and service provider of many hospitals. To ensure the normal operation of each device during the Spring Festival break, it has been fully prepared for the inspection, maintenance, repair and warranty of first-aid equipment, timely purchased and replenished necessary accessories and consumables to ensure the sufficient supply of high-quality emergency supplies.

Guangdong Haid Group, a company subsidized for outstanding industrial talents in 2017, is a key national leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization in the city. Responding to call of the city’s party committee and government on ensuring the supply of agricultural products and stabilizing the prices, the company has resumed work and production ahead of schedule during the Spring Festival break. At the same time, the company has also donated 5 million yuan and disinfection supplies worth of 3 million yuan to the Charity Federation of Hubei Province and the Charity Federation of Guangdong Province respectively for the epidemic prevention.

Spare every effort to prevent and fight against the epidemic

Guangzhou Huyun Hospital Management Co., Ltd., a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2016, has independently developed an imaging-based remote diagnostic system that can be used for epidemic prevention and control, and is able to provide efficient and fast remote transmission technology for hospitals at all levels. The system, with a certificate of Class II medical device, is ready for market launch with stable operation and constant optimization. The company planned to donate 200 "small boxes" (data switching exchanges) for smooth connection of the information system of hospitals at all levels and for remote diagnosis. "Our technical people are ready to connect hospitals of all levels once we get the approval from the Health Commission. Our technologies are all in place."

Guangzhou Lee & Man Technology Co., Ltd., a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2016, has donated more than 54 tons of sodium-chloride-based disinfectant to more than 190 enterprises, and public institutions such as subdistrict offices, municipal and environmental sanitation agencies in Changshu and Ruichang. The CEO of the company says, "No matter how much it will cost us, we will supply disinfectant until the epidemic ends."

Guangzhou Yipinhong Pharmacy Co., Ltd., a company subsidized for outstanding industrial talents in 2016, urgently allocated therapeutic drugs worth of more than 2 million yuan and delivered them to major hospitals in Wuhan and the surrounding cities to support the frontline treatment.

Guangdong Hecin Scientific, Inc., a company identified as leading entrepreneurship team in 2016, donated three batches of relief supplies to Huanggang, Hubei, including more than 2,000 kits for the detection of the novel coronavirus, 16,000 vials of solutions for inactivation and preservation, and nasopharyngeal swabs, face masks, and protection coveralls.

Guangdong-CIS International Technological Cooperation Union, a company identified with leading talents in innovation and entrepreneurship services in 2016, sought help from the staff at its overseas office and volunteers in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Georgia, who managed to purchase 20,000 medical face masks arriving in China in 20 cases on February 6 to be used by medical staff and patients.

YY Inc., a company subsidized for outstanding industrial talents in 2017, announced that it would donate 10 million yuan for the epidemic prevention and control. The donated funds will be directly used to purchase face masks, goggles, protection coveralls and disinfectant, etc., which will be delivered to designated hospitals in Hubei and Guangdong in batches.

Responding to the call on online teaching of the Ministry of Education during the period of epidemic prevention and control, Sunmnet Technology Co., Ltd., a company identified as leading innovation team in 2018, has assisted schools in holding online classes by providing "Smart Classroom", a cloud-based classroom service platform which supports teaching at home using mobile phones, tablets, computers and other devices free of charge. It has provided services to 50 colleges and universities in 23 provinces and cities across the country.

Guangzhou iiMedia Research Group, a company identified with leading talents in innovation and entrepreneurship services in 2018, has made a benefit worth of 3 million yuan available at its iiMedia data center, using big data to assist governments, enterprises, universities and research institutes in epidemic planning and prevention and control.

Let’s join hands and fight against COVID-19! We firmly believe that, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, we will surely win the fight! Looking ahead, after going through the life-and-death battle, Guangzhou enterprises led by leading industrial talent will usher in a brighter future with stronger will and shoulder more social responsibilities.

Data and Facts

According to statistics, since the issuance of Opinions on Expediting the Gathering of Leading Industrial Talents by the CPC committee and government of Guangzhou in 2016, the city has accelerated the recruitment and training of leading industrial talents, supporting 57 companies identified as leading entrepreneurship/innovation team, 27 enterprises led by leading talents in entrepreneurship and innovation services and 85 enterprises led by outstanding industrial talents with a total amount of more than 1 billion yuan from 2017 to 2019. According to statistics, 46.55% of Guangzhou enterprises identified as leading entrepreneurship/innovation teams are top private enterprises in the field of biomedicine. They have applied for more than 280 patents and attracted non-governmental investment of more than 1.3 billion yuan from 2017 to 2018.