The new era sees the transition towards digitalization and
intelligence. Following this trend, we have been thinking and planning
the transformative path of digitalization and intelligence as well. What
was once impossible has gradually become reality—future R&D
services will be built upon a vast platform, smoothly enabling automated
project reporting, ordering, and end-to-end online visualization.
Traditional service workflows are intricate and involve efforts
and coordination from multiple teams: front-end BD manager, project
manager/lead and project execution/delivery team, and the execution team
further consists of managers and scientists. The effective
communication and coordination among these multiple layers can be very
challenging.
The advent of the digitalization era brings new opportunities. A
powerful digital platform emerges, featuring a user-friendly interface
at the front end and an intelligent and automated system operating at
the back end. It can swiftly handle these intricate tasks, eliminating
gaps and streamlining processes. This is the driving force behind
Sanyou’s development of an intelligence-enabled innovative biologics
R&D platform.
Seamless Integration of Digitalization, Computation and Automation
The most remarkable advantage of this system lies in its
integration of three key elements: digitalization, computation and
automation. It has given rise to an intelligent R&D platform
specifically tailored for innovative biologics R&D. In the
digitalization process, each operation is precisely transformed into a
piece of code. Therefore, for instance, a set of workflow operations can
be encoded into lines of codes as well. Each time by running this code,
the system can automatically execute the entire process. This enables
all operations to be digitized, with the system being a big data
platform.
Once digitalization is complete, the importance of computation
becomes evident on the data platform. For example, when generating a
document, intricate computational logic is involved. The system needs to
accurately retrieve necessary data from the database and transform it
into a visual interface. Additionally, many cumbersome tasks, if
entirely reliant on manual operations, would be inherently inefficient.
Therefore, automated computation stands out as a major highlight of this
system and one of its unique advantages.
The core of intelligent innovation in biopharmaceuticals lies in
the integration of digitalization, computation, and automation. This
system finds extensive applications across various domains, including
research and development, data management, project management, quality
control, and marketing.
Dr. Guojun Lang, founder and CEO of Sanyou Biopharmaceuticals
Dr. Guojun Lang, founder and CEO of Sanyou Biopharmaceuticals,
said that they currently have ten major systems, and these will continue
to be integrated and optimized to better serve the research and
development of innovative biological drugs.
Unique Advantage Brought by System Integration
The unique advantage brought by system and data integration is
quite evident. Some users have previously used software tools from other
suppliers. While these tools meet certain user needs, there is a common
problem of fragmentation. Each module operates like an isolated island,
lacking effective connections and integration. For instance, the
finance department might use one software while the logistics management
department uses a completely different software, resulting in data and
information flow obstacles.
Dr. Guojun Lang believes that to address this issue, these tools
must be integrated on a single platform. Traditional management tools,
although with certain management functions, still fall short of true
digitalization. In contrast, the advantage of Sanyou’s system lies in
its ability to integrate various systems on one interface, enabling
information sharing. Simultaneously, by reducing manual intervention, it
enhances work efficiency and user experience. For example, clients can
view project progress online real-time, no longer relying on extra
communication with Sanyou’s project team. Likewise, project team can
focus on completing experiments and updating data, reducing on-call
communication with clients. These advantages enhance work efficiency and
user experience at the same time.
Transition of Business Models and Improvement of Efficiency
The introduction of an integrated digital platform has brought
profound impact, making Sanyou a pioneer in the industry’s digital
transition.
Previously, Sanyou primarily provided antibody reagents and
various types of project service to the pharmaceutical R&D clients.
The newly launched system will bring significant changes to Sanyou’s
business model. In the past, their business mainly followed B2B logic,
requiring face-to-face communication with customers to expand their
business. Now, with both customers and the company using the platform,
the business logic has shifted to a B2C model. When new products are
launched, corresponding modules will be set up on the digital platform,
allowing all users to automatically access relevant information. This
has led to a qualitative leap in terms of direct and effective
communication.
From a customer perspective, they have clearly felt an increase in
efficiency and improved user experience. For instance, in terms of
report generation, in the past it might take two to three months to
complete a whole project report. Now with the application of digital
technology, reports can be generated immediately after experiments are
completed. Since the reports are digitized, with the collection of the
experimental data, the final report can be generated with a single
click, eliminating intermediate steps and significantly accelerating
customer project progress.
Additionally, this platform provides added value. For example,
data storage challenges have been effectively addressed. Previously,
clients needed to receive data via email, which was difficult to search
through. Now, all project data is stored on the platform, allowing
convenient access to project reports and plans. Furthermore, different
historical versions of these reports and plans can be saved, greatly
enhancing work efficiency.
Ten Major Systems of the Integrated Platform
So, what exactly does Sanyou’s integrated platform include?
As mentioned earlier, it encompasses ten major systems covering
customer project management, sample management, internal project
management, industrial and academic customer map, report automation,
sequence analysis, primer design, experiment data processing, drug
development and predictive drug developability modeling.
Customer Project Management System: This system allows customers
to view their project progress information and download project
deliverables. It also provides contact information for the project lead
during each stage, enhancing the customer’s experience throughout the
project.
Sample Management System: Developed as an emergency migration due
to the original system supplier going offline, this system includes
modules for sample queries, sample storage and retrieval, inventory
locations, and sample analysis data. It supports the work of the sample
management team.
Internal Project Management System: Aimed at improving project
management in the biopharmaceutical industry, this system includes
features such as contract management, project management, milestone
tracking, and data reporting. It ensures product quality, meets customer
requirements, and optimizes resource allocation and delivery
efficiency.
Industrial and Academic Customer Map: Designed to better manage
potential customers in the industrial and scientific research fields,
this system contains modules for financing and CDE/FDA news (industrial
customer map), and information about global core customers (academic
customer map), making it convenient for screening and searching.
Report Automation: Addresses report delivery efficiency. It is
divided into two stages- database construction and report automation
development, in order to achieve task management, experiment management,
and report management. It significantly improves the efficiency of
report generation and management.
Sequence Analysis Program: Developed to enhance efficiency and
accuracy in sequence analysis for bioinformatics research and
biopharmaceuticals. It covers automatic analysis of full-length antibody
and nanobody sequences, including sequence alignment, diversity
analysis, modification sites, and isoelectric point analysis.
Primer Design Program: Enhances design efficiency and accuracy by
automation of primer design, trimming, PTM avoidance, developability
primer calculation, and isoelectric point analysis. The system ensures
precise experimental design by predicting and avoiding PTMs, calculating
primer occupancy, and optimizing experimental accuracy. It provides
strong support for molecular biology and gene engineering experiments.
Experimental Data Processing System: Includes features such as
clone selection numbering, data processing, protein identifier matching,
EC50 calculation, and assay result analysis. The system automatically
select clones, converts data into charts, matches protein identifiers,
and supports experimental design and analysis. Additionally, it
comprehensively analyzes ELISA results and provides standard curve
quantification. This system enhances data processing and analysis
efficiency, supporting biomedical research.
Drug Development System: Utilizes advanced technology and
automation methods to accelerate drug R&D and improve scientific
research efficiency. It covers codon optimization, antibody
humanization, clone selection, batch codon optimization, platform
processes, sequence and plasmid information collection. By automating
codon optimization, improving protein expression, achieving antibody
humanization and clone selection, and streamlining project handover and
information integration, the system significantly enhances drug R&D
accuracy and efficiency, providing robust support.
Predictive Drug Developability Modeling System: Based on AI
technology, this system includes prediction models for antibody affinity
maturation. It improves antibody affinity prediction accuracy through
data-driven learning and integrates data from multiple sources to
support comprehensive research. By optimizing drug development processes
and supporting intelligence-enabled decision-making, it comprehensively
enhances R&D efficiency and accuracy, potentially playing a
critical role in drug development.
AI-enabled Biological Drug Development
The integrated system’s automation is empowered by artificial intelligence.
In drug development, the modeling and prediction of drug
developability analysis aims to comprehensively enhance the efficiency
of the drug development process. To achieve this, Sanyou has built an
innovative system specifically designed for analyzing and predicting
antibody affinity, leveraging advanced AI technology. This system not
only integrates cutting-edge AI algorithms but also establishes models
based on extensive experimental data, significantly improving the
accuracy of antibody affinity predictions.
Furthermore, to precisely understand antibody characteristics, the
system has also developed an affinity maturation prediction model. This
model rapidly and accurately predicts the maturity of antibody
affinity, providing valuable insights for researchers. To further
enhance the reliability of prediction results, the model has been
optimized by advanced algorithms and techniques in the field.
To better support comprehensive research in drug development, the
system offers a comprehensive research framework for modeling and
predicting drug analysis. This framework covers critical factors such as
affinity and drug efficacy, integrating data from various channels to
provide researchers with comprehensive information.
Through this modeling system, the entire drug development process
experiences significant optimization in terms of both efficiency and
accuracy. Most importantly, the system provides intelligence-enabled
decision-making for R&D teams, enabling them to make better
decisions at an early stage. It will play a crucial role in advancing
drug development and achieving greater progress in the pharmaceutical
field.
User-friendly Design and Features
Although the integrated system boasts a wide range of
functionalities, it remains remarkably straightforward in terms of user
interface. Its advantage lies in the integration of the ten major
systems to a unified interface. In the past, R&D personnel had to
log in to multiple different software applications. Now, they only need
to log into this unified system to effortlessly complete all tasks.
Additionally, the system exhibits excellent iterability—software or
application upgrades can be performed instantly within the system, and
users can access the latest versions upon login, requiring minimal
additional training.
Regarding customer experience, Sanyou prioritizes human-centric
interface design to ensure users have a positive experience. The
transition process is efficient and prompt, and feedback from clients is
positive. For instance, previously, clients might need to visit the
company in-person to access certain experimental records. Now, through
the digital system, clients can conveniently view experiment records,
results, and reports online, significantly reducing communication
complexities.
In terms of financial operations, the system also has excellent
performance. Sales data from the front end is seamlessly transmitted to
the finance end, forming a closed loop and enhancing work efficiency.
This achievement stems from our initial design concept: constructing a
comprehensive platform where users only need to log in once using a
single user account to address all their needs.
To meet user requirements, Sanyou meticulously designed the system
and provided practical recommendations. For example, in the sample
management system, optimizing inventory location modules for efficient
and accurate sample storage and retrieval was crucial. Sanyou’s data
science team, led by Dr. Yu, manages sample inventory by categorizing it
into temporary warehouse, product warehouse, and non-product warehouse.
Each warehouse is planned based on sample characteristics (such as
size, shape, and storage conditions), and used clear labeling and easily
recognizable tags or identifiers to facilitate optimal sample
management. A comprehensive inventory database records has been
established, with detailed sample information such as name,
specifications, quantity, and storage location, enabling real-time
updates and queries.
The meticulously crafted industrial and academic customer map
continuously updates the latest marketing data while maintaining data
accuracy and completeness. Dr. Yu suggests that industrial map fully
utilizes internet resources and automation methods. Based on daily
updates regarding global industry customer financing progress, CDE
acceptance information, and FDA approvals, users can stay informed about
global industry customer dynamics. Additionally, weekly manual reviews
ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data. For academic map, Dr.
Yu recommends leveraging online publication databases to periodically
obtain literature related to the target clients and extract customer
data. Manual verification ensures data accuracy and completeness for key
customers.
When using the system’s built-in sequence analysis program,
achieving high-speed and accurate sequence alignment is crucial when
dealing with large-scale data. To address this, Sanyou implemented the
following optimizations:
1. Optimization for Alignment:
Optimized the program in aspects including local and global
sequence alignment, similarity region identification and whole sequence
comparison to enhance alignment speed and accuracy.
2. Data Storage and Query:
Stored well-aligned data examples and established indexes, to
reduce subsequent alignment time. When re-aligning the same sequence,
directly query the database can be done without redoing the alignment.
3. Hardware Accelerators and Parallel Computing:
Utilized hardware accelerators or parallel computing techniques
(such as multi-threading and parallel processing of multiple subtasks)
to improve alignment speed. Parallel computing divides tasks into
multiple subtasks, processing them simultaneously to fully utilize
computational resources and enhance efficiency.
Digitalization is essential for enterprises to maintain
competitiveness in the digital age. Sanyou’s digital platform
streamlines processes, enhances efficiency and productivity, improves
customer experience, and enables data-driven decision-making. This
transition also strengthens the enterprise’s adaptability to market
changes, provides a competitive advantage, and expands global business
reach. While initial investments may be substantial, digitalization
yields long-term cost savings. Additionally, it reinforces
cybersecurity, improves employee engagement and talent recruiting,
positioning enterprises to lead in the digital era and better meet
customer needs.