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DTN 139: Chinese Biotech innovation surges

Plus: Virtual vineyards, graphene solar cells, new subsea habitat, BBL math, hydrogel tongues, a tabletop particle accelerator, light-powered micromotors, and more.

14 Nov 2025 — 6 min read

Chinese biotechs are shedding their fast-follower reputations as innovation surges

“China’s ongoing transformation is the result of several factors, Smiley said. On the talent side, many PhD students are now coming out of schools in China and directly entering industry…It’s also easier to generate first-in-human data in China versus other countries thanks to last year’s nationwide rollout of investigator-initiated trials (IITs). These studies are started by individual investigators or hospitals instead of drug companies, and are overseen by China’s National Health Commission…The key feature of IITs in China is that they don’t require companies to establish a good manufacturing practice (GMP) pathway…That alone can save a company that’s developing cell therapies the 18 months it typically takes to develop a GMP pathway, he said…Clinical data at all stages are also easier to generate in China due to the country’s large population, which provides a steady supply of patients to enroll for clinical trials.”

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Interior of Vanguard where four people can live and work in for a week at a time. JASON KOERNER/GETTY IMAGES for DEEP

Vanguard, a subsea habitat, will be deployed in early 2026 in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This is the first subsea habitat built in the past 40 years, and the first to receive a DNV classification, which is the independent classification agency that inspects and certifies marine vessels so they can get commercial insurance. Though Vanguard resembles a compact, RV-like living space, its true innovation lies in its pressurized environment, which enables up to four people to live on the seafloor for a week at a time. By matching underwater pressure, Vanguard eliminates the need for daily decompression stops, giving aquanauts hours of productive dive time. Vanguard connects to the surface via a robust tether carrying air, water, power, and Starlink internet. It’s engineered to withstand major hurricanes and includes 72 hours of emergency life support. The project is run by Deep, which sees Vanguard as a testbed for its next system, Sentinel—a far larger, modular habitat planned for 2027, capable of housing 8 to 50 people at depths up to 225 meters. Sentinel hints at Deep’s long-term goal: enabling sustained human presence—and possibly future communities—under the ocean. (via MIT Review)