Innovative Drug Update: Kick-off Meeting for the National Science and Technology Major Project Development of a Novel Biological Drug for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease Successfully Held

In December 2025, an original Class I innovative drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), developed by Beijing Zhiyuan Hongsheng Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a company under Zhiyuan Biotech, in which Hotgen Biotech holds an equity stake, received support from the National Science and Technology Major Project for Innovative Drug R&D.

The drug is mainly intended for patients with AD-derived mild cognitive impairment and mild to moderate AD. It aims to address the current global challenges faced by AD drugs, including limited efficacy and significant adverse reactions.

National Major Project Support Helps Tackle the AD Challenge

The kick-off meeting invited leaders from the major new drug project, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and well-known experts in the fields of AD and biomedicine to provide guidance for the project.

The project advisory expert group included Wang Junzhi, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and expert from the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control; Tian Zhigang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and expert from the University of Science and Technology of China; Ma Guanghui, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and expert from the Institute of Process Engineering; Jia Jianping, Director at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University; and Su Zhiguo, Researcher at the Institute of Process Engineering.

Researcher Liu Ruitian, the project leader, and the leaders of each sub-project attended the meeting and reported on the research progress, task division, technical route, and expected results.

In their speeches, the attending leaders emphasized that the development of a novel biological drug for Alzheimer's disease is not only a frontier scientific challenge, but also one of the major global problems that China has prioritized. The project team should closely focus on national needs, strengthen collaborative innovation, and accelerate the translation from basic research to clinical application.

The expert group agreed that this major project shows original innovation in drug targets and mechanisms of action. It is expected to break through the current bottleneck in AD drug R&D and provide patients with more precise treatment options. The experts encouraged the project researchers to work together and overcome the challenges.

The attending experts also held in-depth discussions on key scientific issues and the quality control plan for drug R&D, and provided constructive suggestions.

Innovative Monoclonal Antibody Opens a New Era for AD Treatment

After nearly 20 years of research, Researcher Liu Ruitian's team revealed the key mechanism behind the limited efficacy of traditional AD drugs. Based on this finding, the team proposed a breakthrough new therapeutic target and treatment strategy.

The monoclonal antibody drug for AD developed by Liu Ruitian's team is intended for the treatment of patients with AD-derived mild cognitive impairment and mild to moderate AD. Based on combined preclinical and Phase I clinical data, this monoclonal antibody has shown clear advantages over existing drugs in pharmacological efficacy and safety.

With the successful conclusion of the kick-off meeting, the project has officially entered an accelerated development stage. It is expected not only to break the dominance of international pharmaceutical companies in the field of AD treatment, but also to provide a Chinese treatment solution for AD patients worldwide.