On July 28^th, on the 2023 Shenzhen International Bioengineering and Pharmaceutical Industry Innovation and Development Conference, Shenzhen BioPark interviewed Shi Wenzhao, Chairman and CEO of Digital Health China Technologies Co., Ltd., to gain an in-depth understanding of Dr. Shi Wenzhao's innovative application of BT&IT integration, the role of AI and his forward-looking views on the bioengineering and pharmaceutical industry.

Shenzhen BioPark: What do you think of the current scientific and technological innovation in the bioengineering and pharmaceutical field?

Dr. Shi Wenzhao: At present, there are two ways of scientific and technological innovation in the field of biomedicine, one of which is the continuous emergence of new technologies in the field of core molecular biology. Whether it is pharmacy, new treatment methods or the development of large-scale medical equipment, it has created a very good technical foundation for the whole biological field.

The other is the rapid development of AI, which will greatly promote the research of traditional biotechnology. Traditional research on the development of biotechnology based on experiments can use AI to drive development and accelerate its development in the era of big data. So I think the combination of BT and IT mentioned in this conference is a key point.

Shenzhen BioPark: Would you like to share us about the role of AI in the bioengineering and pharmaceutical field?

Dr. Shi Wenzhao: From my point of view, the application of AI in biotechnology should be divided into two parts, the first one is in the traditional pharmaceutical field, and the other one is in medical treatment and health itself.

We used to look for drug targets in the pharmaceutical field and synthesize molecular drugs by chemical and biological methods. In the process of traditional drug research and development, we proved the effectiveness and toxicity of drugs with strict clinical trial data. However, AI technology plays a great role in traditional drug research and development, whether it is to find the target or to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs. We can use computer simulation to greatly improve the research efficiency of the original scientists in the form of manual work. On the other hand, it is the AI technology's research on life itself, such as AlphaFold, which quickly calculates and synthesizes the steps of protein's synthesis and prediction, and provides computational support for R&D efficiency. Before that, this work could only be done under the electron microscope, and its efficiency has greatly improved.

In the past, we lacked suitable tools to complete research and development in the medical and health fields. Medical knowledge in the field of life science is a very huge system, and medical treatment or health service is a precipitation process to enhance basic theoretical knowledge. Therefore, we need professional talents and professional doctors to carry out clinical treatment and health services. In today's era, both traditional basic knowledge and health services may be replaced by AI, which helps doctors to focus on higher quality clinical, diagnosis and treatment. In my opinion, it is the general trend of future development to make health services really related to everyone's health.

Shenzhen BioPark: How can summer and winter's BT conference brand benefit to Pingshan?

Dr. Shi Wenzhao: On the one hand, it shows that the Shenzhen Municipal Government attaches great importance to the field of bio-industry. On the other hand, Shenzhen is the national IT concentration, and Pingshan biomedical industry service system occupies an advantage in the industry. In my opinion, the key to the high-quality development of Pingshan biomedical industry lies in the integration of BT and IT, which is the unique advantage of Shenzhen and Pingshan.