Recently, China’s first low-energy Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) for new drug development was installed and commissioned at Pharmaron in Ningbo Qianwan New Area. Its completion marks a comprehensive upgrade of the company’s integrated R&D service platform encompassing "radiopharmaceutical labeling and synthesis - clinical research - analytical testing", further enhancing capabilities in high-sensitivity isotopic tracing, micro-dose drug metabolism, and bioanalysis.
The AMS analytical technology is an ultra-high-sensitivity mass spectrometry method. By combining particle accelerators with mass spectrometry, its analytical sensitivity can reach 10³ to 10⁶ times that of conventional detection methods. Internationally, AMS technology is increasingly applied in preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetic and bioanalytical research, including bio-sample analysis in mass balance studies, comprehensive metabolite quantification, and absolute bioavailability assessment. Compared to traditional liquid scintillation counting, AMS technology significantly reduces clinical radioactive dosing, addressing safety concerns about radiation exposure. Additionally, it enables ultra-trace analysis of samples that are challenging for conventional methods, vastly improving metabolite profiling capabilities. Notably, Pharmaron is the world’s first R&D service platform to leverage AMS technology in supporting clients’ new drug approvals. The latest-generation high-throughput AMS system in Qianwan further optimizes sample processing with a gas interface, enabling direct and efficient sample loading for more comprehensive project evaluation.
As a leader in Qianwan’s life sciences sector, Pharmaron has rapidly expanded since its establishment, with four industrial parks spanning nearly 700 mu. Its services cover synthetic and medicinal chemistry, biology, DMPK, pharmacology, drug safety evaluation, and macromolecular biology, employing 4,800 professionals, including over 1,700 with master’s or doctoral degrees.
Pharmaron’s frequent R&D breakthroughs epitomize the vibrant growth of Qianwan’s life sciences industry. The life sciences sector, a strategic frontier in the new wave of technological and industrial transformation, is a key pillar of Qianwan’s "134" core industry system. In recent years, Qianwan has intensified efforts in biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health industries, refining innovation chains, strengthening drivers, and expanding ecosystems to build a billion-scale life sciences cluster. Over years of development, Qianwan has attracted over 100 high-quality projects, including the Pharmaron, the Kanghui Life Science Park, the MSD, the Shuangcheng Pharmaceuticals, the LenFon Biotech, the Jenscare, and the Hantech Medical, etc. Life sciences firms shone in Zhejiang’s unicorn rankings 2025, accounting for one-third of Qianwan’s listed enterprises. These companies foster synergistic growth, driving upstream-downstream industrial chain expansion and establishing a collaborative ecosystem of industrial leaders and innovative startups.
