AI Leads Drug Development, Asia Bio-Business Show Focuses on Innovative Applications

(CNA) Taipei, July 3 - Lee Jong-Hee, Chairman of BIO Asia–Taiwan, stated today that AI is accelerating new drug development and the speed of related regulatory revisions, and AI applications will be the biggest highlight of this year's BIO Asia–Taiwan.

The 2026 BIO Asia–Taiwan and exhibition will be held from July 15 to July 19, with a press conference held today. Lee Jong-Hee pointed out that in addition to the focus on AI applications at this year's bio-show, fundraising in the capital market for the biotechnology industry is also an important issue. Both the Taiwan Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are actively participating in this exhibition. The Taiwanese capital market is currently focused on the semiconductor industry, which has the highest linkage with the AI industry. It is still undecided whether this will cause a capital crowding-out effect on the biotechnology industry, but the Taiwanese capital market should become more internationalized.

Liu Li-Cheng, Chairman of the Taiwan Bio-Industry Organization, stated that the AI era will help significantly shorten the timeline for new drug development. He cited the period around the 1930s to 1940s when many key new drugs were discovered. Aspirin and penicillin at that time were important milestones in new drug development. By 2026, approximately 80 years of rich experience in new drug development will have been accumulated, establishing a massive big data database that can be used by AI for new drug development. Although the time required for new drug development has been shortened compared to the past, it still takes more than a decade. Once we enter the AI era, through the medical research and development big data database, a significant reduction in new drug development time can be expected.

BIO Asia–Taiwan will feature heavyweight international forums, including those by glycoscience authority and former Academia Sinica President Dr. Chi-Huey Wong; Nobel laureate Dr. Randy Schekman, who discovered the mechanism of exosome function and won the Nobel Prize in 2013; and Dr. Rudi Powels, a serial biotech entrepreneur, investor, and advocacy leader.

In addition, BIO Asia–Taiwan has invited Insilico Medicine, renowned for its AI-driven new drug research and development and successful advancement of multiple drug candidates into clinical stages, and Schrödinger, hailed as a global pioneer in AI-driven drug design, to jointly discuss how AI is transforming traditional drug development models.

The "BIO Asia–Taiwan," the annual grand event for the global biotechnology industry, will be grandly held from July 15 to July 19 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 and Hall 2. The "2026 BIO Asia Exhibition" will be held from July 16 to July 19 at Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1. A record high of 22 participating countries and approximately 60 countries in total are expected, including over 900 companies and 2,300 booths, creating a platform for exchange and business opportunities in the Asian biotechnology industry.

The 2026 BIO Asia Exhibition is planned with 23 exhibition zones along the industry chain, covering Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), pharmaceutical equipment and laboratory instruments, cell therapy and regenerative medicine, biotechnology services, and other fields, fully showcasing the industry chain layout of biotechnology from research and development to manufacturing and commercialization. (Editor: Yang Kai-Hsiang) 1150703

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