Dark Horse Consulting Group Expands Into China With Shanghai Practice 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Dark Horse Consulting Group (DHCG) has established a China practice in Shanghai and appointed Kang Liu as Senior Director and Head of China and its first hire, marking the life sciences consulting firm's expansion into the Chinese biotechnology market.

DHCG Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Davies said biotechnology has become a global industry and that companies that incorporate China into their development strategies are likely to gain a competitive advantage.

In a statement, DHCG said the expansion reflects China's growing importance in the global life sciences industry, with its advanced contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) and contract research organisation (CRO) infrastructure, evolving regulatory environment and increasing role in generating clinical data.

The new practice will support biotherapeutic developers seeking to access China's CDMO and CRO infrastructure, regulatory pathways for first-in-human (FIH) studies and clinical data generation capabilities.

The firm said Liu brings more than 13 years of experience in life sciences, CRO and CDMO operations, and cell and gene therapy. He most recently served as Director of Business Development, Asia at AGC Biologics, where he supported biologics and CAR-T development programmes across several Asian markets.

DHCG China will provide services including regulatory strategy, chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) planning, CDMO and CRO selection, hospital and principal investigator identification, supply-chain management, and fundraising and licensing support for companies conducting investigator-initiated trials in China.

The practice will guide developers through different stages of investigator-initiated trials, from strategic and regulatory planning to clinical, manufacturing and commercial considerations.

-- BERNAMA