Editor's note

　　Specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs are an important force in consolidating industrial and supply chains, activating regional innovation vitality, and promoting high-quality industrial development. In recent years, Lanzhou has continuously increased efforts to cultivate high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises, improved support policies, optimized the business environment, and built innovation platforms, guiding enterprises to deepen their expertise in niche fields and tackle core technologies. So far, the city has recognized 10 specialized and innovative "Little Giant" enterprises, with industrial layouts covering biomedicine, fine chemicals, high-end manufacturing, new materials, and other fields. Many companies have broken through technical barriers and addressed industrial shortcomings. In recent days, reporters have been going deep into frontline enterprises, exploring innovative development paths and interpreting Lanzhou's practical experience in cultivating specialized and innovative enterprises. Our newspaper has launched the "Lanzhou National Specialized and Innovative 'Little Giant' Enterprise Series Report" to delight readers.

　　Customized nutrition for cell growth

　　Solving the "bottleneck" problem in biopharmaceuticals

　　Entering the process R&D center of Gansu Jianshun Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Jianshun Biotech") located in Anning District, Lanzhou, rows of bioreactors are running smoothly, with R&D staff closely watching computer screens, focusing on recording key parameters such as cell density and vitality. "Cell culture media is like formula milk powder for infants; different cells require different 'nutritional formulas.'" The head of R&D gave a vivid analogy.

　　Cell culture media, a term somewhat unfamiliar to most people, is actually an indispensable core upstream raw material for the biopharmaceutical industry. From protein-based biopharmaceuticals to various human and veterinary vaccines, the production process relies on the optimal environment and nutrients it provides for cell growth. However, this key sector was long monopolized by foreign companies, becoming a "bottleneck" restricting the development of China's biopharmaceutical industry.

　　In 2011, driven by a mission to break the constraints of the domestic cell culture media market due to foreign circumstances, high-level talent Dr. Luo Shun chose Lanzhou as his first entrepreneurial stop and founded Gansu Jianshun Biotechnology Co., Ltd. "Lanzhou's dry climate is especially suitable for producing dry powder culture media, and it has a deep biopharmaceutical heritage." Luo Shun once explained his choice this way. From the very beginning, he brought in a team of top international experts to personally cultivate local technical talent.

　　After fifteen years of dedicated cultivation, Jianshun Bio has grown into a leading enterprise in China's cell culture media industry and the top domestic brand, recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a national-level "Little Giant" specialized and innovative enterprise. The company has established production lines that meet international standards, achieving domestic substitution of key biopharmaceutical raw materials—cell culture media.

　　In recent years, Jianshun Bio has participated in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's "High-end Amino Acid Products and Process One-Stop Application Demonstration" and "High-end Amino Acid Production Technology Research and Industrialization Application" projects, collaborating with domestic universities and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain to successfully overcome core technologies for culture media-grade amino acids, achieving an overall advanced international level. At the same time, as one of the main drafting units, the company, together with consortium members, jointly formulated the "General Rules for Quality Requirements for Amino Acids Used in Culture Media," filling a gap in domestic industry standards. To date, Jianshun Biotech has applied for 35 patents, been granted 20 patents, and registered 27 trademarks. Its products have been successfully applied in more than 40 marketed biologics, over 200 Phase I/II clinical trials, and over 40 Phase III recombinant protein biologics projects.

　　Today, Jianshun Bio firmly holds the top position among domestic cell culture media brands, with business covering more than 500 biopharmaceutical companies at home and abroad, and products exported to dozens of countries. In Lanzhou, Jianshun Bio has collaborated with local biopharmaceutical companies such as Zhongnong Wit, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, and Lanzhou Biological Products Research Institute to cooperate and develop culture media-related technologies, continuously improving the biopharmaceutical industry chain in Northwest China and helping the domestic biopharmaceutical industry reduce costs, increase efficiency, and achieve independent and controllable development.

　　Building a "Safety Line" for Narcotic Drugs

　　Refined specialty drug technology to safeguard people's livelihood

　　Entering the R&D Department of the Gansu Agricultural Reclamation Pharmaceutical Alkali Plant in Lanzhou New Area, precision equipment operates efficiently, and technical staff are dedicated to tackling formulation and process challenges. As the only designated producer of opioid narcotic raw materials in China, the company has been deeply involved in the specialty drug field for thirty years. With professional expertise and continuous innovation, it has been recognized as a national-level "Little Giant" specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprise, fully shouldering the heavy responsibility of supplying national specialty drugs.

　　"Our narcotic drug APIs are not only a clinical necessity, but we must ensure a stable and continuous supply in the domestic market; It is also an important strategic resource, effectively preventing the risk of 'chokehold' during special periods. "Wang Haijun, Party Secretary and Chairman of the company, introduced that the company was founded in 1996 and relocated entirely to Lanzhou New Area in 2020. It has transformed from single raw material production into a comprehensive pharmaceutical enterprise integrating active pharmaceutical ingredients, formulations, and health products.

　　Deeply cultivating the specialty drug sector, the company has built a distinctive industrial system, developed more than 20 new products and processes such as oxycodone, and incubated supporting enterprises to form an industrial cluster. Focusing on the goal of specialization, refinement, distinctiveness, and innovation, four provincial-level science and technology innovation platforms have been established, and R&D and pilot testing platforms are jointly established with the National Critical Studies Office of Lanzhou University, connecting the innovation chain of "basic research—pilot transformation—industrial implementation"; A total of 16 patents have been granted, with multiple processes filling domestic gaps, and the core technologies are 100% independently controllable.

　　Wang Haijun stated that attracting and cultivating high-end talent and investing in high-intensity R&D are key to technological leadership. R&D investment intensity will reach 14.18% in 2025 and remain above 14% in 2026. Several innovative formulations and high-end generics have entered pilot testing and application stages. Once production starts, they will fill gaps in the specialty drug industry chain, reduce drug costs, and break technological monopolies.

　　The company insists on extending and supplementing the supply chain, diversified layout, promoting the integration of "APIs + formulations," and cultivating new growth poles in the big health sector. Over the past thirty years of development, governments at all levels have provided comprehensive support in funding, policies, and green channels for approval, helping enterprises grow into benchmarks for specialization, refinement, distinctiveness, and innovation.

　　Looking ahead, the company will promote the industrialization of ongoing projects, deepen industry-university-research cooperation, accelerate digital and intelligent transformation, and build green factories; Extend the industrial chain, promote the international expansion of core products, and support the high-quality development of China's anesthesia pharmaceutical industry and Gansu's biomedical chain.

　　Fertile ground for the growth of the "Little Giant"

　　Lanzhou focuses on building an industrial ecosystem

　　The growth of these two "little giant" enterprises reflects Lanzhou's solid achievements in continuously optimizing the business environment and precisely cultivating high-quality business entities. By the end of 2025, the city has identified (evaluated) 884 innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, 367 specialized and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, and 10 specialized and innovative "Little Giant" enterprises.

　　Behind these achievements lies a precise and powerful "combination punch" for cultivation. The Lanzhou Industry and Information Technology Bureau has taken the "seedling cultivation and afforestation" project as a key initiative to continuously improve the three-tier cultivation system of "innovative small and medium-sized enterprises—specialized and innovative SMEs—specialized and innovative 'Little Giant' enterprises." Following the implementation of the new "Measures for the Gradient Cultivation of High-Quality SMEs" effective from April 2026, special training will be conducted in cooperation with tax, market supervision, and other departments. Focusing on core topics such as application standards, additional deductions for R&D expenses, and intellectual property, efforts will be made to solve the problem of enterprises "not knowing how to apply or failing to apply," bridging the "last mile" of policy implementation.

　　In terms of innovation empowerment, the Lanzhou Bureau of Industry and Information Technology has focused on core recognition indicators such as enterprise R&D investment and independent intellectual property rights, guiding enterprises to focus on key areas of the industrial chain and breakthroughs in "bottleneck" links. Relying on innovation platforms such as 134 provincial-level and above enterprise technology centers, it continuously promotes the R&D and transformation of new technologies, new processes, and new products.

　　From Jianshun Bio breaking the monopoly of "customized nutrition" for cells, to Gansu Agricultural Reclamation Pharmaceutical Alkali Factory's meticulous development of specialty drug technologies to safeguard people's livelihoods, Lanzhou's national-level "Little Giant" enterprises specializing in niche and innovative are forging expertise through focus and winning the market through innovation. A relevant official from the Lanzhou Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology stated that the city will continue to improve the gradient cultivation system, optimize the business environment, guide more small and medium-sized enterprises to pursue specialized and innovative development, and continuously inject the strength of "little giant" into building a modern industrial system with regional competitiveness and achieving high-quality economic development. (Staff reporter Tao Yibing, text/photos)