2026 AACR Taiwan Night On-site Report: Innovative R&D in DDR and ADC Gains International Attention / "New Approach Methods (NAMs)" Aligned with FDA Modernization Act 3.0, a New Trend in Drug Discovery Validation
At the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting, CancerFree Biotech hosted "AACR Taiwan Night," where innovative R&D in DDR and ADC garnered international attention. Experts from Taiwan, Japan, and the US discussed global strategies for ADC and immunotherapy, highlighting the growth of Taiwan's biotechnology and deepening international collaboration.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 00:33
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 16:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 16:33 (31 min after Collected)
The 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting was held in San Diego. CancerFree Biotech hosted a special event titled "AACR Taiwan Night" on April 18th, US West Coast time, inviting top experts from Taiwan, Japan, and the United States to deeply discuss global strategies for Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADC) and immunotherapy. CancerFree Biotech, which promotes the establishment of an international ecosystem, further solidified its presence in the global scientific research network through the deepening of international collaboration at this AACR, following its incubation at OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University) which started last year. This marks a crucial milestone in the company's global strategy.
Notably, Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff (MD, FACP), former President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and former member of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, spoke at the event. He shared his extensive experience in FDA review and highly praised the active development of Taiwan's biomedical ecosystem. As drug discovery advances into highly complex technological areas such as DNA Damage Response (DDR) and ADC, effectively overcoming challenges in clinical translation and enhancing the accuracy of drug efficacy validation are crucial points for responding to international regulatory trends.
Illustration: A delegation of industry, government, and academia from Taiwan hosted "AACR Taiwan Night" in San Diego. Among the standing figures, (left) is Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff (MD, FACP), former President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and former member of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, and (right) is Dr. Lu Lung-Sheng, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of CancerFree Biotech. Photo courtesy of CancerFree Biotech.
Active Growth of Taiwan Biotechnology / Seizing the Initiative in Innovation
Lee Kuan-Chih, Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, pointed out that Taiwan's biotechnology innovation energy is currently in an explosive phase, with R&D products being fully connected to the international clinical trial stage. With the support of the government and various sectors, over 500 new drugs and advanced medical devices have already been approved. Meanwhile, Twu Shiing-Jer, Chairman of the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), shared important data. In 2024, the sales of Taiwan's biomedical industry exceeded 770 billion NTD. This is the result of a gradually maturing innovation ecosystem, and particularly in the ADC field, there are already products that have entered the clinical trial phase with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and some have also obtained Orphan Medicinal Product Designation from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), demonstrating strong international competitiveness, he emphasized. Chou Li-Wei, Section Chief of the Science and Technology Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), also specially attended, demonstrating the cross-ministerial determination to promote the internationalization of biomedicine.
Illustration: This event highlighted Taiwan's role in the international biotechnology industry, focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as DDR and ADC. Taiwan has already transitioned to a stage of co-creating innovative energy with international partners. Photo courtesy of CancerFree Biotech.
Focus on Cutting-Edge Technologies: DDR and ADC Platforms Drive Innovation
The event brought together experts to discuss cutting-edge technologies such as DNA Damage Response (DDR), ADC, and Tumor Organoids. From the industry, Senhwa Biosciences (Senhwa Biosciences Co., Ltd.) shared the mechanism of action of its small molecule drug CX-5461 (Pidnarulex). This drug targets G-quadruplex (G-q).
Notably, Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff (MD, FACP), former President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and former member of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, spoke at the event. He shared his extensive experience in FDA review and highly praised the active development of Taiwan's biomedical ecosystem. As drug discovery advances into highly complex technological areas such as DNA Damage Response (DDR) and ADC, effectively overcoming challenges in clinical translation and enhancing the accuracy of drug efficacy validation are crucial points for responding to international regulatory trends.
Illustration: A delegation of industry, government, and academia from Taiwan hosted "AACR Taiwan Night" in San Diego. Among the standing figures, (left) is Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff (MD, FACP), former President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and former member of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, and (right) is Dr. Lu Lung-Sheng, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of CancerFree Biotech. Photo courtesy of CancerFree Biotech.
Active Growth of Taiwan Biotechnology / Seizing the Initiative in Innovation
Lee Kuan-Chih, Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, pointed out that Taiwan's biotechnology innovation energy is currently in an explosive phase, with R&D products being fully connected to the international clinical trial stage. With the support of the government and various sectors, over 500 new drugs and advanced medical devices have already been approved. Meanwhile, Twu Shiing-Jer, Chairman of the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), shared important data. In 2024, the sales of Taiwan's biomedical industry exceeded 770 billion NTD. This is the result of a gradually maturing innovation ecosystem, and particularly in the ADC field, there are already products that have entered the clinical trial phase with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and some have also obtained Orphan Medicinal Product Designation from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), demonstrating strong international competitiveness, he emphasized. Chou Li-Wei, Section Chief of the Science and Technology Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), also specially attended, demonstrating the cross-ministerial determination to promote the internationalization of biomedicine.
Illustration: This event highlighted Taiwan's role in the international biotechnology industry, focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as DDR and ADC. Taiwan has already transitioned to a stage of co-creating innovative energy with international partners. Photo courtesy of CancerFree Biotech.
Focus on Cutting-Edge Technologies: DDR and ADC Platforms Drive Innovation
The event brought together experts to discuss cutting-edge technologies such as DNA Damage Response (DDR), ADC, and Tumor Organoids. From the industry, Senhwa Biosciences (Senhwa Biosciences Co., Ltd.) shared the mechanism of action of its small molecule drug CX-5461 (Pidnarulex). This drug targets G-quadruplex (G-q).