The Shanghai Alliance for Innovative Drug and Device Development for Bone Tumors Established at Shanghai General Hospital

As a rare disease, malignant bone tumors have long suffered from weak basic research and insufficient investment in pharmaceutical research and development.

In order to further promote the research, development, transformation and application of new drugs and devices for bone tumors, and to boost the continuous emergence of "new quality productivity" in Shanghai's biomedicine industry, yesterday, the Department of Bone Oncology at Shanghai General Hospital and the COC Alliance of Municipal Hospitals established the "Shanghai Alliance for Innovative Drug and Device Development for Bone Tumors".

Malignant bone tumors have long been plagued by weak basic research and insufficient investment in pharmaceutical research and development. Consequently, there have been few new drugs and devices on the market in the past 30 years, resulting in no improvement in patient outcomes. To address this challenge, the Department of Bone Oncology and the Bone Oncology Institute at Shanghai General Hospital have been conducting a series of studies since their establishment in 2014, guided by the goal of improving patient outcomes and developing new drugs and devices. With the support of the Shanghai Hospital Development Center, the hospital has established a specialized bone tumor database and clinical cohort, a large-scale biobank and genomics database of the Chinese population, providing data support for clinical research to pharmaceutical companies. Additionally, a preclinical evaluation platform, including patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and organoid model libraries, has been established to provide a reliable foundation for preclinical evaluation in support of new drug development. With the support of the "Three-Year Clinical Action Plan" for municipal hospitals, the hospital has launched the first umbrella clinical trial for precision treatment of osteosarcoma and has pioneered the publication of clinical molecular subtypes of osteosarcoma, which has been validated and recognized by international peers.

Over the years, the Department of Bone Oncology and the Bone Oncology Research Institute at Shanghai General Hospital have actively engaged in the research and development of Shanghai's biomedicine industry, collaborating extensively with enterprises and conducting clinical translation. They have taken the lead in undertaking multiple clinical studies on innovative drugs and devices and successfully brought them to market. Notably, Holonavi S, China's first spine surgical navigation system using AR technology developed by a Shanghai-based technological innovation enterprise, was approved by the National Medical Products Administration for market launch in April 2024.

The establishment of the Shanghai Alliance for Innovative Drug and Device Development for Bone Tumors will serve as a pivotal hub connecting upstream and downstream of the bone tumor drug and device research and development industry chain, strengthening the ties between clinical specialties and the pharmaceutical industry. Through the establishment of a mechanism for data sharing, incubation of research results, and acceleration of clinical trials, the alliance aims to create a model of collaborative medical-industry cooperation and promote the sustained development of Shanghai's biomedicine industry. In the future, the alliance will continue to explore new research and development directions, strengthen international cooperation, promote the export of domestic intellectual property, and contribute Shanghai's Wisdom to the treatment of bone tumor diseases globally.