The "City of FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor)" initiative was launched in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, in November 2024. This initiative, with a mission of safeguarding human health, aims to build a globally leading FGF ecosystem by integrating resources in education, science, technology, talent, and industry, thereby bringing health benefits to more people.

The health value of FGF has long been validated: It can effectively treat ulcers, accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissues, and facilitate high-quality repair of injured skin. The research and development efforts of Academician Li Xiaokun's team at Wenzhou Medical University have led to large-scale production of all three approved FGF-based drugs in China, benefiting over 100 million patients through these tissue repair and regeneration therapies.

The China Gene Medicine Valley. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Making FGF technology serve health needs more broadly

Wenzhou is advancing the "City of FGF" initiative in four key areas to bridge the entire chain from technological R&D and achievement transformation to clinical application.

In talent development, Wenzhou is focusing on the specialized expertise required in the FGF field, optimizing the disciplinary structure of pharmaceutical sciences centered on FGF research to cultivate more professionals for the industry. At the same time, it is deepening the integration of medical education, industry, and research, supporting universities to collaborate with research platforms and industrial bases to establish integrated platforms combining industrial research institutes, schools, and training bases, ensuring that talent cultivation is closely aligned with health needs.

Technological innovation is core to enhancing the health value of FGF. Wenzhou is concentrating efforts on tackling key technologies such as tissue regeneration, metabolic regulation, and long-acting FGF formulations. It is also building clusters of FGF innovation platforms and forming an international alliance for cytokines and clinical translation with global scientific research forces. Additionally, it will release the "White Paper on FGF Research" to provide guidance for global FGF technological R&D.

In terms of industrial implementation, relying on China Gene Medicine Valley, Wenzhou has gathered 407 ecological enterprises, with the scale of the life and health industry exceeding 30 billion yuan ($4.21 billion).

Next, Wenzhou will create a "15-minute industrial ecosystem circle" to accelerate the transformation of scientific research achievements into applications, while expanding the application scenarios of FGF to cover broader health needs.

Talent development initiatives are also aligned with these health objectives. Wenzhou is implementing various incentive programs for young scientists and entrepreneurs and overseas training programs to attract global talent in the life and health sector.

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University: Fortifying health defenses through scientific research

Wenzhou Medical University has continuously increased investment in scientific research in recent years, making large-scale instrument platforms fully available to faculty and students, and upgrading the shared management system through digital empowerment. This has allowed researchers to reserve and use high-end equipment anytime.

Relying on various scientific research institutions in Wenzhou, the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Wenzhou Medical University has formed a cluster of FGF scientific research and innovation platforms, achieving breakthroughs in areas like diabetes treatment and long-acting FGF formulations, and providing new solutions for clinical therapy.

The university will further focus on five key areas including protein drugs and the mechanisms of and interventions for major diseases. It will deepen interdisciplinary integration with its advantageous disciplines such as optometry and ophthalmology, maintain its international leading position in the FGF field, and strive to build an integrated ecosystem covering discipline development, scientific research, and achievement transformation.