Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the journey of Liang Chun and his team in developing a novel anti-cancer drug targeting DNA replication initiation proteins, highlighting the challenges and milestones over more than 20 years of research and development [1][4][12]. Group 1: Research and Development Journey - Liang Chun's idea of inhibiting DNA replication to develop anti-cancer drugs originated during his doctoral studies at Brown University and postdoctoral work at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory [1][2]. - The research progressed from basic studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to the establishment of Enkang Pharmaceutical, which focuses on commercializing the findings [1][4]. - The first candidate drug, EN002, has completed preclinical studies and is currently undergoing Phase I/II clinical trials for non-melanoma skin cancer and precancerous lesions [4][12]. Group 2: Innovation and Market Potential - The drug development process for EN002 took over 10 years, with significant investments from various sources, including angel funding of 160 million CNY and 150 million CNY from different investors [4][6]. - EN002 has shown promising results in preclinical trials, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to many first-line anti-cancer drugs and effectively inhibiting over ten types of cancer cells in animal models [4][6]. - The drug is classified as a First-in-Class (FIC) innovation, targeting a new mechanism, which presents both high risks and potential for substantial market returns [5][12]. Group 3: Industry Insights and Future Directions - The article emphasizes the challenges of drug development, particularly the "valley of death" in transitioning from research to clinical trials, which typically requires significant time and financial resources [6][15]. - The Business Development (BD) model is highlighted as a strategy for companies to mitigate risks by licensing out drug candidates to international partners while retaining rights in key markets [7][13]. - The Chinese innovation drug industry is evolving, with increasing participation from overseas talent and advancements in drug types, although there remains a gap in discovering new targets compared to global standards [14][18].