A 3D bioprinter used for mass production of organoids has become an eye-catching highlight at the ongoing 27th China International Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF), which its developer says can serve as a booster for drug development.
The three-day fair opened on Friday in Shenzhen, a major tech hub in south China's Guangdong Province, bringing together over 5,000 exhibitors from around the world to showcase more than 5,000 new products and solutions.
Despite the name, organoids, grown in the lab from stem cells, aren't miniature organs, but look like three-dimensional hollow balls of cells that closely mimic how the cells behave in the body. The machine was brought by a team from the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen. Xu Tao, director of the Bio-Intelligent Manufacturing and Live Printing Center of the institute, said that a heart-shaped organoid can be cultivated in about eight days. It not only possesses beating function but also has significant medical application value.
"People take different medications, and these medications have certain effects on our organs, including the heart. Using a beating heart organoid, we can test whether the daily medications we take have a safe effect on our heart. In the future, we will use new technologies such as organoids to develop drugs for humans, which is already an important development trend," Xu said.
The 3D bioprinter uses "bio-ink" made from functional cells differentiated from pluripotent stem cells. Through 3D printing, specific organoids can be made on a large scale, thereby helping people to develop various drugs.
"What makes this machine special is that it is the world's first automated, high-throughput device for mass production of organoids. Its production efficiency can reach more than 100,000 organoids per day, which is currently the most advanced level in the world," Xu said.
Bioprinter for organoid production shines at 27th China Int'l Hi-Tech Fair
The securities industry should provide investors with a wider range of products more conducive to long-term investments, said Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) at the 8th Member Congress of the China Securities Association on Saturday.
Noting that stocks and funds account for only about 15 percent of Chinese residents' assets, the chairman emphasized that the country can harness the huge potential demand for asset management and wealth management.
"We must proactively cater to the diverse wealth management needs of investors with different risk appetites, investment scales, and investment horizons, providing more abundant and targeted products and services which are more conducive to long-term and value investments. We must work together with investors for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, jointly participating in and sharing the fruits of economic and capital market development," said Wu.
As investor confidence and market resilience have significantly strengthened, the total market capitalization of A-shares -- stocks traded on Chinese mainland markets -- exceeded 100 trillion yuan (about 14 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time in August.
Amid the growth, Wu stressed that stability remains the bottom line for the industry, calling on institutions to strengthen compliance and risk control while focusing on risks in areas such as margin trading, securities lending, and over-the-counter business to prevent illegal interference by shareholders and safeguard the rights and interests of small and medium-sized investors.
According to CSRC policy guidelines, the commission will appropriately optimize supervision of high-quality institutions to support their improvement in capital efficiency, while for a few problematic securities firms, it will strictly supervise and punish them according to law, resolutely clear out non-compliant shareholders, and maintain market order and stability.
China's top securities regulator urges abundant long-term investment products
