San Francisco, January 11, 2026 — The ACCESS ASIA BD Forum @ JPM 2026 was successfully held during JPM Week at the InterContinental San Francisco, serving as a global partnering and business development platform with a strong focus on China and Asia-originated biotech innovation. Organized by ACCESS ASIA and YAFO Capital, with the support of co-organizers CHB, Haomai Tech, and GB-Partner, the forum connected leading Chinese and Asian biotech companies with global pharmaceutical partners, investors, and BD leaders to accelerate cross-border collaboration and licensing opportunities.
The full-day forum featured structured 1-on-1 meetings, keynote sessions, panel discussions, East Coast NewCo Innovation Hub Kickoff ceremonies, and multiple company presentation tracks. The event welcomed 300+ attendees and showcased 29 company presentations, 9 keynote speakers, and 3 panel discussions, with strong participation from China-based innovators alongside global stakeholders from the US, Europe, and other international markets, highlighting China’s growing influence in the global biopharmaceutical ecosystem.
1-on-1 Meetings: Where Conversations Turn Into Opportunities
Structured 1-on-1 meetings with participating biotech companies from ACCESS ASIA: 100 Innovators to Watch enabled targeted discussions around asset licensing, co-development, and strategic partnerships.
With asset information shared ahead of JPM, meetings were efficient, focused, and outcome-oriented, laying the groundwork for continued post-JPM follow-ups.
These sessions focused on asset-level discussions, partnership pathways, and near-term follow-ups, setting the stage for continued post-JPM engagement.
Welcome Opening: Setting the Strategic Direction
The forum opened with welcome remarks by Sean Jiang, Founder & CEO of YAFO and Vice Chair of CHBD.
He outlined ACCESS ASIA’s mission to connect Asia’s most innovative biotech companies with global partners, emphasizing the importance of execution-focused platforms that move beyond networking toward real collaboration and deal-making.
Highlighted Keynotes Speakers: From Insight to Action
The keynote sessions provided strategic perspectives from industry leaders across pharma, investment, and innovation.
Lianshan Zhang, Board Director and Executive Vice President, Hengrui Pharma, shared “From China to the World: Hengrui’s Journey in Building a Global Biopharma Footprint,” highlighting how Chinese innovation can successfully scale onto the global stage.
Victor Ye, Managing Partner, China Division at YAFO Capital, shared insights on “China Out-Licensing Momentum,” highlighting how accelerating outbound licensing and cross-border BD activity are positioning Chinese innovation as a driving force in global M&A and strategic partnerships.
Josh Resnick, Partner, RA Capital, spoke on “From Capital to Collaboration,” addressing how global investors are engaging with China’s next wave of biotech innovation and what differentiates globally competitive assets.
Maosheng Duan, Ph.D., President of the Drug Discovery and Pharmaceutical Development Divisions at Medicilon, presented “How China’s CRO-Driven Innovation Ecosystem Fuels Asset Incubation and Global Deal Flow,” emphasizing how integrated CRO capabilities are speeding asset incubation and enabling smoother transitions from discovery to global partnering.
Stephen Squinto, Ph.D., Chief Investment Officer of JPMorgan Life Sciences Private Capital, shared “JPM Life Sciences’ BD and Investment Strategy Focus,” highlighting how long-term scientific innovation, capital discipline, and strategic investment are shaping the next wave of value creation across the global life sciences sector.
Matt Cooper, Venture Partner at Forbion, shared “The Pivot from Fast Follower (BIC) to New Targets (FIC),” highlighting how China’s biotech ecosystem is shifting from replication-driven innovation to first-in-class target discovery—reshaping global pipelines, deal dynamics, and long-term value creation.
Jerry Chen, Ph.D., Founder & CEO of C12.ai, discussed “The Vibe Lab Paradigm: From Automation to Embodied Intelligence,” outlining how connecting AI decision-making with physical robotic execution can transform laboratory workflows into more adaptive, intelligent, and scalable systems.
Steve Engen, Partner at YAFO Capital and CEO of Renexes, provided a “Brief update on the Japanese pharmaceutical market,” highlighting how macroeconomic trends, currency dynamics, and evolving in-licensing activity are reshaping Japan’s role as a strategic partner and growth market for global biopharma.
Panel Discussions: Converting Strategy Into Scale
Creating the Future: How the NewCo Model Is Redefining Biotech Growth and Globalization
The discussion explored why and when the NewCo model outperforms traditional licensing, how investors and originators evaluate asset suitability, and the role of NewCos in bridging global development gaps, aligning governance and control, and enabling efficient cross-border collaboration. Panelists also shared perspectives on valuation dynamics, exit pathways, and how the NewCo landscape is expected to evolve in the coming years.
Kun Tao, Managing Partner, U.S., YAFO Capital
Panelists:
Lianshan Zhang, Board Director and Executive Vice President, Hengrui Pharma
Matt Cooper, Venture Partner, Forbion
Josh Resnick, Partner, RA Capital
Diyong Xu, Partner, Orbimed
Xiaoqiang Kang, Founder, Chairman, CEO, Leads Biolabs
From Transactions to Global Stage — Strategies and Opportunities for Chinese Innovative Drug Assets
Panelists shared practical insights on global partner expectations, asset readiness for international development, and how Chinese biotech companies can build long-term collaboration strategies beyond individual transactions.
Qingcong Lin, President, Medicilon
Panelists:
Irene Blat, Head of External Innovation, North America, Servier
Dan Wang, Head of External Scientific Innovation, Asia Pacific, Johnson & Johnson
Kalpana Gupta, VP BD, Head of Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Metabolism Partnering, Regeneron
Stephen Squinto, Chief Investment Officer, JPM Life Sciences
Global Partnering Outlook 2026: New Opportunities for Cross-Border Collaboration Across Asia
The panel discussed global partnering priorities heading into 2026, emerging regional and scientific opportunity areas, and what global pharma leaders are actively seeking when evaluating collaboration opportunities with Asia-based innovators.
Qinfei Shen, BD Director, Medicilon
Panelists:
Betty Huang, Vice President and Head of Collaborate to Cure Hub China, Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Harm-Jan Borgeld, Global Head, Asia Partnering, Roche
Kou Qin, Managing Director of Investment, Eisai Innovation
Murali Gopalakrishnan, Global Head, Search & Evaluation Neuroscience, AbbVie
Tong Zhang, CFO & CBO , VelaVigo
East Coast NewCo Innovation Hub Kickoff Ceremony
The East Coast NewCo Innovation Hub Kickoff Ceremony, co-hosted by GB-Partner, YAFO, and Haomai Tech, marked a strategic milestone of the forum. The ceremony highlighted the growing momentum behind the NewCo model as a pathway for advancing innovative assets through cross-border collaboration and structured incubation.
During the ceremony, Jiawei Tang, COO of GB-Partner, and Holly Meng, CEO of GB-Partner, delivered brief remarks introducing the vision and objectives of the East Coast NewCo Innovation Hub, outlining its role in supporting cross-border incubation, partnership formation, and global asset development.
The initiative underscores a shared commitment to building sustainable innovation hubs that connect Asian biotech innovation with the US ecosystem, enabling long-term development, strategic collaboration, and global expansion.
Company Presentations – Morning Session
During the morning session, the forum featured a Global Innovative Biotech Showcase, highlighting selected presenters from YAFO 100 Asian Biotech Innovators to Watch. This session provided early exposure to innovative platforms and assets, setting a strong tone for deal-focused discussions throughout the day.
Company Presentations – China & Global Session (Afternoon)
The afternoon China & Global Session continued the company showcase with additional innovators from YAFO 100 Asian Biotech Innovators to Watch, further demonstrating the depth and breadth of Asia’s biotech innovation pipeline.
Corporate Presentations – MNC Track
The Corporate Presentations – MNC Track focused on multinational pharmaceutical companies’ China business development strategy and innovation priorities, providing attendees with direct insight into how global pharma evaluates partnerships and collaboration opportunities in the region.
The session featured Ryo Kishimoto, Global Head of Business Development at Santen Pharmaceutical, who shared Santen’s strategic focus on China and its approach to external innovation and partnership development. This was followed by Dan Wang, Head of External Scientific Innovation, Asia Pacific at Johnson & Johnson, who discussed Johnson & Johnson’s regional innovation strategy and priorities for engaging with biotech partners across Asia.
Together, the presentations offered biotech companies a clear view of global pharma decision-making frameworks, collaboration expectations, and BD focus areas, supporting more efficient and targeted post-JPM engagement.
South Korea Session: Regional Innovation Spotlight
The South Korea Session opened with a keynote by Ellen Jooyeon Kim, Director of the Business Development Team at Korea Drug Development Fund (KDDF), who presented “From Funding to Partnership,” highlighting KDDF’s government-led R&D support and global co-development and licensing strategy.
Following the keynote, the South Korea Track featured company presentations, showcasing differentiated pipelines, platform technologies, and partnering opportunities across the Korean biotech ecosystem.
YAFO-Medicilon ACCESS ASIA Dinner Reception
The day concluded with the YAFO-Medicilon ACCESS ASIA Dinner Reception, an invitation-only gathering that enabled deeper engagement among speakers, presenters, investors, and strategic partners in a relaxed setting.
The ACCESS ASIA BD Forum @ JPM 2026 delivered meaningful connections, actionable insights, and new partnering opportunities across the global biopharma ecosystem. Designed not to summarize the market but to activate it, ACCESS ASIA served as a filter for global BD and investment teams, a launchpad for Asia-originated innovation, and a bridge between regions and strategies. As global biotech engagement accelerates, ACCESS ASIA is where momentum turns into movement.
About our upcoming event for ACCESS ASIA Partnering Forum 2026
ACCESS ASIA Partnering Forum 2026 will be at:
- ChinaBio – Shanghai on April 28-29, 2026
- BIO Convention – San Diego on June 22-25, 2026.
For more updates and future announcements, scan the QR codes below to follow us on LinkedIn and WeChat.
About YAFO Capital
Founded in 2013, YAFO Capital is a Shanghai-based boutique investment and advisory firm, with a professional team in our China, U.S., EU, and SEA offices. Partnering with Pharmaceutical companies, YAFO Fund mainly invests in global assets. YAFO Life Sciences is a leading advisory boutique focused on asset transactions. YAFO has built a strong, proven track record and closed dozens of in-licensing and out-licensing transactions with global pharma and biotech companies. Over the past five years, YAFO has been ranked as the No. 1 advisor for China cross-border licensing transactions. For more information, please visit http://www.yafocapital.com
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