On October 23, 2023, the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Award was announced, and among the recipients was Ding Jian, who received the prestigious title of Science and Technology Contributor. At first glance, the silver-haired Ding, a 1950s born scientist, exudes a lively spirit.

Ding Jian is a renowned Chinese pharmacologist specializing in oncology, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After earning his Ph.D. abroad in 1992, he returned to China and led a team in the development of several anti-cancer drugs while also working to establish a standardized evaluation system for new cancer drug research in China.

In our interview, Ding candidly expressed his views on innovation in the field of pharmaceuticals. “First-in-Class drugs are not simply claimed; they require hard work and sometimes a bit of luck,” he explained. “We often say ‘it takes ten years to sharpen a sword,’ but that can be quite difficult in the realm of new drug development. Sometimes, it might take two to three decades to refine just one drug, which doesn’t equate to failure.”

Thanks to research institutions like the Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, Shanghai has emerged as a hub for new drug development in China. Since 2021, the city has approved over 20 domestically produced innovative Class 1 drugs, placing it at the forefront of the nation’s pharmaceutical advancements.

Ding mentioned that while his team has been fortunate to develop several new drugs over the years, they have yet to achieve international recognition or generate significant economic benefits, like a new drug with annual sales reaching $5 billion. “We still have a long way to go,” he remarked.

He reflected on the ongoing battle against malignant tumors, which continue to evoke fear among the public. Ding hopes that in the future, the industry can treat cancers as manageable chronic diseases, akin to conditions like hypertension and diabetes.

The process of developing new drugs is lengthy, and Ding emphasized the importance of being able to endure failure. “Currently, we have many drugs in clinical research, but not every single one will succeed; in fact, more often than not, we face failures.” His understanding of this reality has deepened over the past three decades. “If you don’t have a genuine passion or the resilience to withstand setbacks, pursuing a career in research can be quite challenging.”

Shanghai, recognized as the birthplace of China’s modern pharmaceutical industry and a cradle of innovation in biomedicine, is now focused on rapidly developing a world-class biopharmaceutical industry cluster. In 2023, the scale of Shanghai’s biopharmaceutical industry surpassed 933.7 billion yuan, achieving a year-on-year growth of 4.9%. Throughout this journey, numerous researchers remain dedicated to the arduous task of new drug development.

Ding recounted the early days of his return to China in 1992 when his laboratory was in disrepair. Hosting foreign guests to discuss collaboration often led to silence after their initial visit. “Over the past 30 years, China’s rapid economic growth has transformed the research environment, greatly encouraging scientists to engage enthusiastically in their work,” he noted.