In an exclusive interview with BioPharma APAC, Dr. Grace Lau, Head of Institute for Translational Research at Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), and Wei Liu, Co-founder & CEO of BioMap, discuss the transformative impact of their collaboration. As BioMap launches its inaugural Innovation Hub in Hong Kong, both leaders explore how this strategic partnership is poised to revolutionize drug discovery, protein engineering, and the broader life sciences sector, solidifying Hong Kong’s status as a global biotech powerhouse.

Science Park, HKSTP’s flagship site that provides 4 million sq.ft. of R&D facilities and labs for innovation and entrepreneurship, and is home to 2,000+ tech enterprises and companies from 29 Markets

In Conversation with Dr. Grace Lau:

Can you elaborate on how the partnership between HKSTP and BioMap is expected to transform the life sciences landscape in Hong Kong and beyond?

• We are thrilled that BioMap has joined HKSTP as a park company earlier this year. What’s more exhilarating is that it will launch its inaugural BioMap Innovation Hub (InnoHub) in Hong Kong, aimed at expanding their global operations. Leveraging its AI Generated Protein (AIGP) platform – one of the largest of its kind, BioMap will co-create with HKSTP’s ecosystem partners to develop new use cases in life sciences.
• The intersection of AI and life science is forging a new frontier in bio-computing. As Hong Kong reinforces its devotion to life science advancement, HKSTP is committed to providing diverse support to biotech companies like BioMap, accelerating the commercialisation of scientific research, and serving as a 'superconnector' to bridge local and international industry partners and investors. As the largest I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong, HKSTP has a working population of 22,000, among which 14,000 are R&D practitioners, contributing to around 30% of the total number of R&D practitioners in the city. There are over 1,800 tech companies, amongst which 270 are specialized in biotech. BioMap can connect with new clients and forge partnerships through our ecosystem.
• HKSTP has been catalysing the exchange between BioMap and local biotech companies for business matching and collaboration. We have facilitated the partnership between BioMap and the Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre (ABIC) under InnoHK. Other examples include lining up discussions with a MNC enzyme company to improve their enzyme function and efficiency; and a pharmaceutical giant to design new protein drugs.
• We will assist BioMap to leverage Hong Kong’s exceptional scientific research capabilities, international reach, and strategic location in the Greater Bay Area to access global markets.
• We are confident that its protein-centric large language model, xTrimo, will unleash immense potential to the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare sectors across Hong Kong and Mainland China, enabling researchers to decode protein and molecular sequences to generate new protein structures and construct new combinations with unprecedented speed.
• Technology transcends borders. To support BioMap in promoting its flagship technology as well as empowering other emerging biotech-focused park companies, HKSTP passionately arrange participation and showcases at global trade and R&D events. Earlier in June, our delegation, including BioMap and other park companies joined the world’s largest biotech event, BIO 2024, hoping to advocate for the revolutionary technologies from Hong Kong to the global centerstage. Key activities included the APAC Summit session, showcasing the strengths and potential of Hong Kong’s biotechnology sector to a global audience.

In your opinion, what makes Hong Kong an ideal location for life science R&D and a hub for securing funding for innovative projects?

• Hong Kong boasts a solid foundation and capabilities in biotech research, being home to some of the world’s top researchers in the biomedical sector and world-renowned universities and research institutes. The city’s robust academic atmosphere and ample AI and biotechnology talent resources further strengthen its position.
• As a leading financial and capital market in Asia, Hong Kong is a popular IPO destination and a major fundraising hub for biotechnology. By 2023, 126 healthcare and biotech companies had raised HK$277 billion through IPOs.
• The Hong Kong Government actively promotes biotechnology development. Since the 2018‑19 Budget, biotechnology has been a key focus for innovation and technology initiatives. The Government also provides financial support to research projects in biotechnology through the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF), which has approved 847 biotech projects, granting HK$1.76 billion (US$226 million) for diverse research areas.
• HKSTP has built a thriving biotech ecosystem, increasing the number of biotech companies from 50 to over 270 in the past five years. This ecosystem provides a one-stop platform service to empower R&D commercialisation, connecting companies with R&D researchers, partners, investors, and talent connections in HKSTP community.
• Clinical research is one of the key strengths of life science R&D in Hong Kong. Clinical trials are well established in Hong Kong with highly experienced and world-renowned clinical researchers. HKSTP also provide financial support to biomedical companies through the Clinical Translational Catalyst (CTC) platform, facilitating promising pre-clinical or clinical projects to attain regulatory approval and achieve commercialisation. Through the CTC platform, the number of clinical stage startups in Hong Kong has increased manyfold in the past few years.  
• Besides, HKSTP emphasizes on research and development, requiring all companies joining HKSTP to have at least 50 percent of their activities in R&D. This is a key differentiator from other science parks. HKSTP also hosts more than 14,000 research professionals and over 1,800 technology companies from 29 countries and regions, focusing on developing healthtech, AI and robotics, fintech and smart city technologies, etc.

How does the newly established BioMap Innovation Hub (InnoHub) in Hong Kong aim to support startups and researchers in the field of biocomputing and AI-driven life sciences?

• At HKSTP, we aim to accelerate the biomedical translation research from bench to bedside to benefit the world.
• BioMap’s first international BioMap Innovation Hub (InnoHub) in Hong Kong aims to cultivate local tech innovation teams while attracting global ones. This hub will accelerate the development of a bio-computing ecosystem in Hong Kong.
• The InnoHub leverages Hong Kong’s international status, liberal financial policies, and world-class intellectual property system and data governance to help BioMap gain the trust of more multinational customers in the global competition, maintaining its leading position in the industry.
• The InnoHub also attracts innovators from around the world and nurture local I&T talent, boosting the AI for life science ecosystem in Hong Kong.
• We hope the BioMap InnoHub will serve as a cultivating and testing ground for Hong Kong's interdisciplinary talents in information and biotechnology, transforming more innovative ideas into practical macromolecule solutions using their large language model for life sciences. This will further amplify the value of innovative products through our global manufacturing and business network and partners.
• HKSTP provides diverse support to biotech companies, including infrastructure, professional services, and connections with local and international industry partners and investors. This support helps companies like BioMap leverage Hong Kong’s exceptional scientific research capabilities and strategic location to access global markets.

Tseung Kwan O InnoPark, one of HKSTP’s subsidiary venues, is a 75-hectare site that houses  its high-performance computing facilities including the Data Technology Hub 

In Conversation with Mr Wei Liu

 Could you provide more details about BioMap’s flagship technology, xTrimo, and how its protein-centric large language model is revolutionizing drug discovery and development?

• BioMap's xTrimo is a transformative cross-modal life science foundational large model, revolutionizing drug discovery and development. As the world's first to surpass 100Bn parameters, xTrimo, short for Cross-Modal Transformer Representation of Interactome and Multi-Omics, is trained on our curated and proprietary datasets, encompassing over 6 billion proteins, 100 billion protein-protein interactions, and trillions of single-cell gene expression measurements from 100+ million cells. By unifying diverse biological data into a single, powerful model, xTrimo empowers researchers to rapidly build task-specific models with limited data, unlocking new possibilities in protein design and discovery.
• Leveraging its extensive protein knowledge and high-accuracy protein structure prediction capabilities, xTrimo enables a paradigm shift in protein engineering. By rapidly building and evaluating dozens of task models to predict different parameters, with a certain accuracy level in entirely new protein spaces possible, xTrimo enables de novo design of proteins with specific functional goals.
• By instantly testing numerous design options and selecting the most promising candidates for laboratory experimentation, researchers can optimize efficiency and increase the probability of success. This accelerated design-build-test cycle significantly speeds up drug discovery and development. Additionally, it enables breakthroughs in biomaterials, enzymes, and biosensors.
• Based on the xTrimo, we also provide customizable AI platform and industrial solutions, empowering our clients and partners to build life science models faster and easier, overcoming data scarcity and accelerating innovation, even without deep AI expertise.

 What criteria does BioMap use to select projects for its Innovation Accelerator Program, BioX, and what kind of support can selected projects expect to receive?

• BioMap's BioX Bio-computing Innovation Accelerator Program is designed to nurture groundbreaking ideas that have the potential to transform the life science industry.
• Our primary focus is on projects within the pharmaceuticals, green technology, industrial innovation, and consumer product innovation sectors. To be considered for BioX, projects must prove a clear technological advantage and a compelling vision for real-world application. Additionally, a proven ability or strong interest in integrating experiments or data with AI technologies is essential.
• Selected projects will gain exclusive access to our cutting-edge xTrimo foundation models and AIGP platform, providing a significant technical advantage. Beyond technological resources, BioX offers comprehensive support, including funding opportunities, expert guidance, and commercial networking connections. We believe that by combining world-class AI tools with strategic support, we can empower researchers and entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life efficiently and create a lasting impact to the industry.

 How do you foresee the collaboration between HKSTP and BioMap accelerating the development of new medical treatments and solutions on a global scale?

• The collaboration between BioMap and HKSTP is a pivotal step towards accelerating the development of bio-computing innovation on a global scale. HKSTP, as Hong Kong's premier life sciences and artificial intelligence hub, excels in identifying outstanding local projects, attracting global startups, accelerating project development, and integrating a diverse range of experts and resources to make significant contributions to innovation and growth.
• By establishing a strong presence in Hong Kong, BioMap gains access to a vibrant community of researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors. Together, we aim to create a synergistic environment where cutting-edge AI technologies can be rapidly translated into tangible life science advancements and to further enhance Hong Kong's position as a global innovation hub.