Business
BioSpectrum Asia
Hong Kong Betting Big on Biotech IPOs
Hong Kong has become one of the preferred destinations for biotech IPOs, attracting both mainland Chinese and international firms.
5 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Alloy Therapeutics partners with Kansai Startup Academia Coalition in Japan
Alloy Therapeutics Co.has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kansai Startup Academia Coalition (KSAC), represented by Kyoto University, to foster the global expansion of university-affiliated life science startups across Japan.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Agilent expands Dako Omnis Family with 3 new models to meet evolving pathology lab needs
Agilent Technologies Inc. has announced the introduction of its Agilem Dako Omnis family of instruments with three new models- Agilent Dako Omnis 110, 165, and 165 Duo- designed to meet the evolving needs of pathology laboratories of all sizes.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Cohance Lifesciences invests $10 M in cGMP Bioconjugation Suite in US
India-based Cohance Lifesciences, a leading global Contract Research, Development & Manufacturing Organisation (CRDMO), has announced a strategic investment of $10 million to expand cGMP bioconjugation capabilities at its US based subsidiary, NJ Bio.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
"APAC is one of the fastestgrowing photodynamic therapy markets globally"
Australia's Invion Group is emerging as a leader in the development of next generation precision photodynamic technology (PDT), known as Photosoft, for a range of cancers and other diseases. The minimally invasive treatment promises to provide a potentially more affordable option for millions of people in developed and developing markets. At the recently held BioAsia Taiwan 2025 event, which highlighted the ongoing demand for precision oncology solutions in underserved Asian markets, BioSpectrum Asia took the opportunity to interact with Thian Chew, Chief Executive Officer, Invion Group to find out more about how the company is revolutionising the oncology market with its new products and technology. Edited excerpts
4 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Frencken marks groundbreaking for new facility worth S$63 M in Singapore
Frencken Group Limited, a global integrated technology solutions company, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of its upcoming manufacturing facility in Kaki Bukit Avenue 5, Singapore.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Addressing Widespread Mental Health Disorders
World Mental Health Day, observed annually on October 10, is a global campaign designed to spotlight mental health issues and inspire collective action to improve access to care. It offers a crucial moment for governments, health professionals, advocates, and communities to showcase progress, identify gaps, and call for stronger commitments to ensure mental health support is available for everyone. The urgency is because mental health conditions remain widespread and under-treated, creating significant health, social, and economic burdens.
2 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Quasar Medical unveils new global headquarters in Singapore
Quasar Medical, a global leader in manufacturing interventional and minimally invasive medical devices, has announced the opening of its Global Headquarters in Singapore.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
CEPI & PATH join hands to create playbooks to map immune markers in deadly diseases
The global health organisations Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) are joining forces to create pivotal playbooks that map all available research into specific immune markers that indicate protection against target viruses with epidemic or pandemic potential.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
AusBiotech on-boards Kerri Lee Sinclair as new Head of Investment
AusBiotech has announced the appointment of Kerri Lee Sinclair as its new Head of Investment, marking a significant step in strengthening investor engagement across Australia's life sciences sector.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Japan predicts stem cell-derived organoid quality with machine learning
A research team at Kyoto University, Japan has developed a machine learning model that enables early prediction of hypothalamus-pituitary organoid formation from human Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, thus aiding organoid research and regenerative medicine.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Africa CDC and European Commission to strengthen Mpox testing
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the European Commission have announced the launch of the Partnership to Accelerate Mpox Testing and Sequencing in Africa (PAMTA), a landmark initiative to boost diagnostics and outbreak response capabilities in Mpox-affected African countries.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Kenya eliminates Human African Trypanosomiasis as public health problem
Kenya's Ministry of Health (MoH) recently announced that the country has successfully eliminated human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as \"sleeping sickness\", as a public health problem.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Japan launches nationwide gastric health initiative
In a significant advancement for public health, Japan's 93rd Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has launched a nationwide public health initiative focused on gastric health and early detection of gastric cancer.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
APAC focuses on bridging eye care gaps
Roche APAC Vision Health Survey in 2025 reveals a stark disconnect between vision health concerns and preventive action across Asia Pacific (APAC) - while 91 per cent of adults over 40 express concerns about their vision health, only 28 per cent report undergoing annual or more frequent eye exams.
5 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Elpis Biopharma signs MoU with NCCS to conduct translational cell therapy research in Singapore
US-based startup Elpis Biopharmaceuticals, a clinicalstage cell therapy company developing bispecific armoured CAR-T therapies for solid tumours, has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS).
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Thailand approves AI Medical Service's gastric AI-based endoscopic diagnosis support system
AI Medical Service Inc (AIM), a Japan-based medical startup specialising in the development of diagnostic endoscopic AI, has received medical device approval from the Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA).
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
WHO strengthens global access to quality-assured medical products
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially designated Health Canada, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (MHLW/ PMDA) of Japan, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the United Kingdom as WHO-Listed Authorities (WLAs), a status granted to national authorities that meet the highest international regulatory standards for medical products.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
“Singapore has been a great launchpad, owing to its structured safety frameworks”
The increasing prevalence of occupational injuries and illnesses is one of the primary factors fueling the growth of the occupational health market, valued at $5.45 billion in 2025, across the globe. With the Asia Pacific (APAC) region occupying the third-largest share in this market, after the US and Europe, we see a number of companies deploying technologies to unlock tremendous opportunities within the occupational health sector. Singapore-based startup TacnIQ AI is one such example, taking a proactive approach to address the health risks associated with workplace management, through technology. Their flagship product Backy is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered wearable designed to prevent musculoskeletal injuries in physically demanding jobs. It delivers posture feedback in real time to workers, helping reduce back strain and injury risks. In an exclusive interview with BioSpectrum Asia, TacnIQ's Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Aashish Mehta, shares how the company is navigating product development, adoption challenges, and regulatory compliance as it expands into global markets. Edited excerpts-
4 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Astria licenses rare disease drug Navenibart to Japan's Kaken Pharma in $32 M deal
Astria Therapeutics, Inc. a US-based biopharmaceutical company, has exclusively licensed development and commercialisation rights in Japan to Kaken Pharmaceutical, a Japanese specialty pharmaceutical company, for navenibart, a long-acting investigational monoclonal antibody inhibitor of plasma kallikrein, in Phase 3 development for the preventative treatment of the rare disease hereditary angioedema (HAE).
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
India unveils national initiative to benchmark and strengthen state drug regulatory systems
Union Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, virtually launched the State Health Regulatory Excellence Index (SHRESTH), a first-of-its-kind national initiative to benchmark and strengthen state drug regulatory systems through a transparent, data-driven framework in the presence of Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
PhnyX Lab secures $4 M to transform life sciences sector
PhnyX Lab, a pioneering GenAI startup from South Korea transforming how life science companies operate, has announced the successful closing of a $4 million seed round through a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE). The round was led by SK Networks, with participation from several prominent angel investors—including Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Cohere, and Illia Polos-ukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol—both of whom are original co-authors of \"Attention Is All You Need,\" the paradigm-shifting work that ushered in the transformer era and laid the foundation for today's generative AI models, including ChatGPT.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Cartherics unveils cleanroom facility for cell therapy manufacturing in Australia
Cartherics, an Australia-based biotechnology company developing off-the-shelf immune stem cell therapies focusing on high-impact women's diseases, with lead programmes in ovarian cancer and endometriosis, has unveiled its new, state-of-the-art cleanroom facility for clinical-scale manufacturing of cell therapy products.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
XtalPi and DoveTree announce landmark AI drug discovery collaboration worth $6 B
XtalPi, a China-based technology company in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics for drug and materials discovery, has announced a transformative strategic collaboration with Dove Tree Medicines, a biotechnology pioneer founded by renowned drug developer D. Gregory Verdine.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Sanofi strengthens efforts to prevent Chronic Respiratory Diseases in UAE
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) in the UAE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sanofi, to promote healthy lifestyles, advance early detection of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and address their associated risk factors.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
"Despite advances, access to innovative treatments can be limited, particularly for rare cancers"
Specialised in the discovery and development of novel cell signalling small molecules to treat complex medical conditions, Australian life sciences company QBiotics is currently focusing on novel treatments for cancer and debilitating chronic wounds, along with an early-stage antibiotics programme. While the company is known for its lead product, tigilanol tiglate, which is undergoing clinical trials for various cancers, QBiotics is also actively preparing for a potential IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) within this calendar year. To find out more about how QBiotics is tackling some of the most pressing and underserved challenges in global health, BioSpectrum Asia spoke to Stephen Doyle, Chief Executive Officer at QBiotics. Edited excerpts;
4 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
US FDA announces new PreCheck Programme to boost local drug manufacturing
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced PreCheck, a new programme to strengthen the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain by increasing regulatory predictability and facilitating the construction of manufacturing sites in the United States (US).
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
Pfizer introduces 20-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV20) for adults in India
Pfizer has announced the launch of its next-generation 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) for adults in India. With broader serotype coverage, Pfizer’s vaccine marks a significant advancement in protection against pneumococcal disease in adults. Pfizer's vaccine helps protect against clinically relevant 20 serotypes responsible for a majority of invasive and noninvasive pneumococcal disease. It enables timely and proactive protection for all adults, including those living with chronic conditions.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia Sep 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
TVM Capital Healthcare on-boards Dr Su-Lin Chong as Operating Partner in Malaysia
TVM Capital Healthcare, a leading international healthcare private equity firm and operator focused on emerging markets, has announced the appointment of Dr Su-Lin Chong as Operating Partner and Investment Committee member.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia August 2025
BioSpectrum Asia
PHC announces exclusive distribution of MaxCyte ExPERT platform in Japan
The Biomedical Division of Japan-based PHC Corporation (PHCbi), a subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (PHCHD), has signed an exclusive agreement with MaxCyte, Inc. to distribute the MaxCyte EXPERT platform in Japan.
1 min |