By: Marina Mullins
Vice President (VP) Early Clinical Development (ECD)
Marina oversees Novotech’s full ECD infrastructure, leading the strategy and execution of programs that advance therapeutic assets from preclinical research through first-in-human studies, with the ultimate goal of supporting clinical proof of concept. Previously, Marina led Novotech’s global therapeutic strategy team, providing strategic oversight across Oncology, Infectious Disease, CNS, immune-mediated diseases, and ATMPs. Earlier in her career, she led pharmacy functions within a Phase I unit, including building and commissioning a GMP clean room and establishing the supporting quality system; she is a registered Pharmacist in Australia.
Martin Guan, Vice President (VP), Head of LAB
Martin is responsible for driving the execution of the global laboratory development strategy. In this role, he focuses on enhancing operational efficiency and quality standards while orchestrating coordination and management across regional laboratories. Martin brings extensive international experience and proven commercial expertise from the global laboratory sector, leveraging his background to deliver scalable growth and operational excellence.
After spending the week at DIA China 2026 speaking with sponsors, biotech companies, regulators, investigators, and industry partners, one message came through consistently across the meeting: the connection between China and US drug development strategies continues to grow.
Most conversations this year weren’t really about whether China matters globally anymore. That already seems widely accepted.
Instead, discussions focused more on how companies are operating across multiple markets at the same time whether that means Chinese biotech companies preparing for US development and regulatory pathways, or global sponsors continuing to evaluate China-originated assets, partnerships, and development opportunities.
There was also much more discussion around outbound licensing and business development activity than in previous years. It felt like many companies were having partnership and commercialization conversations much earlier in development than before.
At the same time, many of these discussions reflected increasing operational and regulatory complexity, particularly as companies try to move faster in highly competitive therapeutic areas.
Below are a few observations that stood out during the week:
The level of activity felt noticeably different this year
One of the clearest impressions from this year’s meeting was the overall level of activity across China’s biotech and clinical development market. There was strong engagement from biotech companies, sponsors, clinical sites, and regulatory stakeholders throughout the conference, and the atmosphere felt far more active compared to the last few years.
A lot of discussions also pointed to continued interest in outbound licensing and partnership activity, particularly as Chinese biotech companies continue positioning assets for broader global development.
There was also a strong sense that in highly competitive therapeutic areas, time is becoming more valuable than cost. Several conversations reflected concern that delays in development can quickly become both scientific and commercial disadvantages, which is pushing companies to focus more heavily on speed, decision-making, and execution.
Chinese biotech companies are thinking globally much earlier
Across many conversations at DIA China, it felt like Chinese biotech companies are approaching global development much earlier and more strategically than in the past. Compared to a few years ago, more companies appear to be planning with FDA interactions, multi-regional studies, and global commercialization potential in mind early in development rather than later.
At the same time, there also seems to be growing pressure around global readiness not only strong science, but operational execution, regulatory expectations, and data quality standards needed for broader international programs.
Outbound licensing activity came up frequently throughout the week as well, with many companies actively exploring partnership opportunities alongside development planning rather than waiting until later stages.
The pace of scientific advancement across the China biotech market also stood out throughout the meeting. Many of the teams we spoke with were highly focused on how to move innovative therapies into broader global development as efficiently as possible.
Global sponsors are still looking at China, but with a more operational focus
Interest from global sponsors in China remains very active, although the tone of conversations felt more measured and operationally focused than purely growth-driven.
Many sponsors seemed less interested in high-level market discussions and more focused on practical execution questions, study timelines, regulatory coordination, site competition, patient recruitment, and how to manage increasing regional complexity within broader global programs.
There also seems to be growing demand for international clinical development strategies spanning China, the US, and broader APAC markets.
Several discussions reflected how companies are evaluating partners not only on regional execution capabilities, but also on whether they can support programs consistently across multiple geographies and development stages without creating fragmentation along the way.
At the same time, sponsors appear more cautious and operationally focused than they were a few years ago, particularly when balancing opportunity with regulatory coordination and geopolitical considerations.
Global planning is happening earlier but execution is still difficult
A major topic throughout the week was how early companies are now trying to align global development strategy. There were many discussions around designing studies for multiple regions upfront, preparing for parallel regulatory interactions earlier, and avoiding delays caused by regional planning happening too late.
Partnership and licensing discussions also appear to be happening much earlier alongside development planning, particularly for companies looking to position assets for broader international expansion.
At the same time, several conversations reflected how difficult this still becomes operationally once programs expand across regions. Even companies with strong development strategies still seem to run into coordination challenges once timelines tighten and more stakeholders become involved.
One point that came through clearly during the meeting was how important alignment has become across sponsors, CROs, and clinical sites. The strongest programs are usually the ones where all three groups are operating with shared urgency, transparency, and accountability rather than working in silos.
Australia continues to play an important role in early clinical development
While much of the discussion focused on China and US development pathways, Australia also came up regularly in conversations around early clinical strategy.
For companies whose broader global development strategy is still evolving, Australia continues to offer important advantages through efficient startup timelines, experienced sites, and regulatory pathways that can help accelerate entry into broader global programs.
These discussions reflected how many companies are increasingly viewing regional clinical development not as isolated activities, but as connected parts of broader international strategy.
AI discussions felt more grounded this year
AI remained a major topic throughout DIA China, but compared to previous years, the conversations felt far more grounded in practical application. Many CROs, laboratories, and technology providers were discussing how AI could help improve efficiency across clinical operations, laboratory workflows, data review, and trial execution.
What stood out this year was that far fewer conversations focused on broad industry disruption. Most discussions centered instead on where AI may realistically improve workflows, reduce manual burden, and support operational efficiency today.
At the same time, questions around oversight, governance, implementation, and data quality still came up frequently.
Final thoughts
After several days of discussions at DIA China 2026, it feels increasingly clear that China and US development strategies are becoming more connected.
For many companies, the challenge no longer seems to be deciding whether to operate in one market or another. Instead, the focus is on how to navigate cross-border development, partnership activity, and increasing operational complexity at the same time.
The amount of discussion around outbound licensing, global clinical strategy, and integrated development models also reinforced how early many companies are now thinking about global positioning — both scientifically and commercially.
At the same time, the conversations throughout the week repeatedly came back to execution. As timelines compress and competition increases, companies are looking for ways to make decisions earlier, align partners more effectively, and avoid operational delays that can slow programs down later.
As one of the leading CROs in China, Novotech continues to support the country’s biotech market through dedicated bilingual teams based across key biotech regions, helping sponsors manage clinical development programs across China, the US, and broader global markets.