On July 6, 2021, the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology (IMB), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Guangzhou aiqixi Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (Aiqixi) officially signed a cooperative R&D agreement on class 1 chemical drug IMBZ18g. Professor Yongsheng Che (vice director), Professor Zhuorong Li (vice director), Fengnian Sheng (director of Academic Research Office), Professor Danqing Song and Xuefu You (project leaders) from IMB and Lidong Lin (chairman) and Shengxi Feng (general manager) from Aiqixi attended the signing ceremony and held a friendly and warm discussion. The meeting was presided over by Professor Zhuorong Li.

On behalf of both parties, vice director Yongsheng Che and Chairman Lidong Lin jointly signed a cooperative R & D agreement on class 1 chemical drug IMBZ18g.

IMBZ18g is a novel drug candidate independently developed by IMB. It exerts perfect antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, especially against the clinically intractable multi-drug resistant and extensively-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria producing ESBLs and NDM-1. In addition, it holds the advantages of high safety and stable pharmacokinetics in vivo, and thus promising for further development.

Both IMB and Aiqixi have long been working on the research and development of antibiotics. Both parties have a strong research foundation and a strong research team. In view of the urgent need for antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria, they will harness respective strengths to speed up the R&D process of IMBZ18g, and bring IMBZ18g to clinics to serve the patients.