The China-Italy Joint Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Immunosafety has been launched in Shenzhen to promote the international transformation of sci-tech achievements in biopharmaceuticals.

The lab was jointly established by the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and two member institutions of the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy — the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and the Institute of Translational Pharmacology.

Focusing on two main research areas — immunotoxicity evaluation of natural and artificial substances and the development of immunomodulatory drugs and immunotherapy strategies — the lab aims to explore related pathogenic mechanisms, according to lab director Li Yang.

Xu Jianbin, vice president of SIAT, said the founding of the joint lab has deepened the academic connection between China and Italy and will be an excellent platform for bilateral biomedical exploration. This lab is the first international joint laboratory awarded to SIAT by the Ministry of Science and Technology.