The Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) and the Greater Bay Area Clinical Trials Center (BAY TRIAL) on Monday introduced the latest progress under the “one institute, one center” collaboration model in clinical research, including an advanced HIV cure strategy.
The Greater Bay Area Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform was jointly established by GBAICTI and BAY TRIAL in 2025. Through the “one institute, one center” mechanism, the platform provides one-stop support services ranging from regulatory strategy consultation and site matching across the GBA to coordination of multicenter, cross-border clinical trials and participant recruitment.
Bernard Cheung Man-yung, chief executive officer of GBAICTI, said Hong Kong has advantages such as robust systems, internationally aligned standards, and extensive global networks, while the GBA offers abundant resources, a large patient population that provides real-world application scenarios, and a strong industrial foundation.
Under the theme “Deepening Greater Bay Area Collaboration to Advance Clinical Research and Medical Innovation,” the press conference brought together industry practitioners and academics to present the platform’s collaborative outcomes in cross-border clinical trial collaboration.
Jin Xia, co-founder and CEO of Yicura BioMed, shared that the company signed a memorandum of understanding with GBAICTI and BAY TRIAL in 2025 to advance its HIV therapeutic vaccine pipeline as a cure strategy for HIV infection.
With the platform’s support, the team carried out a Phase 1 clinical study at the Chinese University Phase 1 Clinical Trial Centre at Prince of Wales Hospital and plans to initiate two cross-border Phase 2 clinical trials involving multiple mainland cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Chengdu, as well as Hong Kong.
Dennis Lam Shun-chiu, founder of Health Hope Pharma, said the company is pressing ahead with multicenter, cross-border trials of two therapies for metastatic breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration after collaborating with the platform in 2026.
Lam highlighted that through the collaboration, the company worked with a startup from Peking University and accessed the GBA’s patient resources to enhance feasibility and efficiency.
A wearable brain positron emission tomography (PET) project jointly designed by a team from the University of Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bay Laboratory for dementia patients was also presented at the conference.
Cheung also introduced the inaugural Clinical Advancement and Research Excellence Summit, to be held by GBAICTI and BAY TRIAL in Hong Kong on November 4 to 5. The summit will bring together academia, healthcare institutions, industry, and regulatory bodies from across the GBA and overseas to discuss future trends in clinical research.
In the future, the platform will expand partner networks, strengthen research infrastructure and talent development, and deepen “one institute, one center” clinical research collaboration in the Hetao area, he said.
Hetao’s biggest advantage is its proximity, as it is the part of Hong Kong closest to Shenzhen. The headquarters of GBAICTI and BAY TRIAL are both located in Hetao, enabling them to work closely and seamlessly, he added.
