Shanghai's Waigaoqiao bonded area is accelerating the development of its biopharmaceutical industry by combining industrial innovation, investment and professional services, as Pudong New Area pushes deeper integration between artificial intelligence and life sciences.

At the 2026 Pudong AI Industry Integration and Innovation Promotion Conference, Pudong unveiled a plan to build an AI-powered biopharmaceutical industrial cluster. The initiative aligns with Waigaoqiao's efforts to develop brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies and AI-driven drug discovery.

This year, companies in Waigaoqiao have achieved a series of breakthroughs. CARsgen Therapeutics won approval for the world's first CAR-T therapy for solid tumors, while Staidson received clinical trial approval for China's first stem cell-derived exosome drug.

UniXell Biotechnology also became the first company to secure both Chinese and US IND approvals for an iPSC-derived allogeneic cell therapy for epilepsy.

As the first bonded area in China, Waigaoqiao is now home to more than 900 biopharmaceutical companies. It handles over 48 percent of the country's imported medical devices and more than 25 percent of imported pharmaceuticals.

The area is also emerging as a BCI innovation hub, attracting leading companies across research, manufacturing and testing. A recently launched partnership program aims to bring more key players into the industrial chain.

Beyond industrial development, Waigaoqiao is expanding its investment in emerging healthcare technologies. Since its private equity fund was established in 2024, it has invested in eight projects covering BCI, cell and gene therapy, and high-end medical devices.