给每一个科学想法“机会” | 逐梦者说 | Bilingual

编者按：“让天下没有难做的药，难治的病”，是初心，更是愿景。自成立以来，药明康德步履不停：从一间实验室，到覆盖亚洲、欧洲和北美的全球网络。从早期的化学合成服务，到贯穿研究（R）、开发（D）和生产（M）的一体化平台。从第一位客户，到全球三十多个国家的数千合作伙伴。不断发展的，是规模与能力；始终坚守的，是梦想与承诺。

致敬来时路，共谱新篇章！在这一系列访谈中，我们以“逐梦者”视角，回顾药明康德成长发展的峥嵘岁月，回望赋能客户创新的并肩往事，更以独特的“药明精神”展望未来新篇章。

在德国巴伐利亚州的阳光下，格雷佛尔芬生命科学中心的玻璃幕墙闪耀着光芒。走进中心大门，来到药明康德子公司Crelux的新实验室，可以感觉到空气中弥漫着轻快而兴奋的气息——既有对实验结果的期待，也有检验新想法的憧憬。

对Crelux负责人托马斯·迈因斯（Thomas Meins）博士而言，实验室的搬迁远不只是换了一个地址，而是标志着公司成长的一个重要转折点。

从专注蛋白质结构基础研究的初创公司，到慕尼黑蓬勃发展的生物技术社区的关键成员，再到药明康德全球CRDMO一体化平台的重要一环，Crelux已经将属于德国本地的创造力与全球影响力紧密相连。

“新实验室为我们提供了所需的空间与工具，让我们可以探索更多想法，支持更多伙伴。”迈因斯博士说道。

从德国初创到全球赋能

将近20年前，迈因斯师从诺奖得主，从马克斯·普朗克研究所获得博士学位。毕业后，他注意到与研究所毗邻的Crelux公司。

当时，Crelux还只是位于慕尼黑郊外的一家小型初创企业，但却已经在晶体学、蛋白质生物化学与生物物理学领域闯出了名声。

了解新药发现的人都知道，这些技术能揭示药物如何在原子层面与靶点相互作用，有着极其重要的意义。

而这一坚实的科学背景，也让它进入了更广阔的天地。

2016年，药明康德宣布收购Crelux公司。也正是从那一刻起，迈因斯博士感受到了药明康德的与众不同。

“从两家公司的第一次对话，到最终签署协议，仅仅用了六个月，”他回忆道，“现在回想起来，那是我第一次真正体会到人们所说的‘药明速度’。”

对药明康德而言，收购Crelux公司，意味着在欧洲最具活力的生物技术集群之一，建立了重要的研发中心。

而对Crelux来说，通过药明康德全球一体化的CRDMO平台，它能作为“研究-开发-生产”这一链条的源头，借助药明康德的品牌，为更多客户提供赋能。

“我们拥有了全球化公司的资源与影响力，同时还能保留初创公司的创造力。”迈因斯博士说，“无论是初创公司、学术机构还是全球医药企业，Crelux现在都能为他们提供研究服务，让他们的创新想法成为现实。”

让创新者“看见”分子运作

迈因斯博士介绍说，Crelux团队的核心任务，是帮助新药研发者“看见”分子运作。具体来说，是观察新药和靶点如何结合、变化、互动。通过这些洞察，客户可以更快地设计出更优的化合物。

这种赋能精神也融入了Crelux的新空间——开放式实验室打破了不同领域科学家之间的交流障碍。结构生物学家、生物化学家和药物化学家不仅共享空间，更共享思想。

迈因斯博士说，这形成了一股流畅而高效的科研节奏，既追求清晰，也激发创意。

其中，DNA编码化合物库（DEL）筛选技术与片段筛选技术，以及X射线晶体学和冷冻电镜的应用，能让团队在极短时间内找到潜在候选分子。“从靶点到Hits，一般只需要六到八周的时间。”迈因斯博士说，“小型初创公司分秒必争，我们的速度对他们而言尤其重要。”

但速度并不是Crelux赋能能力的全部。真正让其与众不同的，是其前瞻性的思维方式——把每一次实验都看作下一次发现的起点。

“我们的科学家不会把项目交付当作终点，”迈因斯博士解释道，“他们会思考接下来要做什么、怎样推动项目朝着下一个里程碑继续前进。这才是我们支持客户的方式。”

这种理念与药明康德“跟随分子”（Follow the Molecule）的一体化策略完美契合——在慕尼黑启动的项目，在完成早期研发工作后，可以顺利推进至瑞士的开发阶段，或延伸至亚洲和北美的生产环节，从发现到交付，全流程保持科学的连贯性。

“我们不是在移交项目，”迈因斯博士说，“我们是在为每一个分子的旅程做好引导。”

图片来源：123RF

欧洲创新中心的赋能者

Crelux的全球化成长非但没有削弱它在慕尼黑本地的根基，反而使其更加坚固。

迈因斯博士介绍，慕尼黑是欧洲最为活跃的生物技术中心之一，吸引了德国近九成的早期生命科学投资。在BioM等行业组织和IZB创新中心等平台的支持下，慕尼黑已成为初创企业、投资者与科学家汇聚的热土。

在这块热土上，Crelux不仅是当地快速成长的生物技术社区的重要成员，还同时扮演着科研者与连接者的角色。

“我们视自己为生态系统的赋能者，”迈因斯博士说，“有时我们做科学，有时是搭建桥梁。比如我们会举办研讨会，把投资人和研究人员聚在一起，分享我们的经验和想法。”

“科学并不总是发生在实验台上，”他补充道，“更重要的是让对的人相遇，让科学得以发生。”

这一角色在慕尼黑当地的公众活动中体现得淋漓尽致。每隔一段时间，Crelux就会开放场地，举办培训课程，和当地的创新者进行实践讨论，话题包括如何建立高效的合作伙伴关系，以及如何准备新药的下一个阶段。

这种紧密的合作也增强了本地社区的信任。在最近的一场慕尼黑活动上，一位风险投资人表示：“与合适的伙伴、投资者以及像药明康德这样卓越的公司建立联系至关重要。”如今在整个地区，Crelux被视为值得信赖的科学伙伴和创新的推动者。

“当我们加入药明康德时，团队只有二十人，”迈因斯博士回忆道，“现在我们大约有一百人。但我们依然保有初创企业的创造力，同时拥有全球的资源。”这种创意与资源的结合，成为Crelux最大的优势之一。

“药明康德不仅赋能客户，也赋能自己的团队，”迈因斯博士补充说道，“只要有好想法，支持就会迅速到位，让合作伙伴更快看到成果。”

“每一个科学都值得拥有机会”

当夕阳的余晖洒在阿尔卑斯山上，迈因斯博士回顾起了自己的职业道路——从生物化学的博士，到一家全球企业的欧洲基地负责人。一路走来，如果用一句话总结这段经历，“药明康德所做的，就是有机会去更快、更高效地测试更多科学想法。”

“科学界的好点子远比资源要多，”他说，“能测试更多的想法，就能增加带来新药，改变患者生命的可能。”

“每一个科学都值得拥有机会，”迈因斯博士说，“而在慕尼黑，我们正让这个目标成为现实。”

Giving Every Science a Chance

Editor’s Note: “Every drug can be made and every disease can be treated.” Since 2000, from a single laboratory to a global network spanning Asia, Europe, and North America; from early chemical synthesis services to an integrated platform that connects Research (R), Development (D), and Manufacturing (M); from its very first customer to thousands of partners across more than 30 countries, WuXi AppTec has never stopped moving forward to realize its enduring vision.

In tribute to the journey, we look back through the eyes of our “dream-makers”: revisiting the stories of partnership that empowered global innovation, and the unique spirit that continues to guide us toward the next chapter.

Glass walls shine in the Bavarian sunlight as the doors open to Crelux’s new home in the Gräfelfing Life Science Center. Inside, machines start to buzz, screens light up, and rows of experiment plates stand neatly like chessboards. The air feels light and full of excitement: a mix of eagerness for the first results, and the creative spark that comes when big ideas finally have room to grow.

For Crelux, the move is more than just a new address. It marks a turning point in the company’s growth, from a specialist in structure-based discovery to an important part of Munich’s expanding biotech community, now fully connected to WuXi AppTec’s global CRDMO network. The goal is both practical and ambitious: smoother teamwork, faster delivery, and a clear path that links local creativity with global impact.

“This new site gives us the space and tools to do what we love most,” says Dr. Thomas Meins, General Manager of WuXi AppTec’s subsidiary Crelux.“We can explore more ideas, support more partners, and give every science a chance.”

From a Local Startup to a Global Partner

When Meins joined Crelux more than 15 years ago, it was a small startup that began on the outskirts of Munich, between local universities and the Max Planck Institute, where Meins earned his doctorate in structural biology from a Nobel laureate’s lab. By then, Crelux had already become well known for its expertise in crystallography, protein biochemistry, and biophysics: these fields reveal how drugs interact with their targets at the atomic level. This strong scientific foundation prepared the company for a larger role.

When WuXi AppTec acquired Crelux in 2016, Meins immediately sensed something different. “It took only six months from our first conversation to the signed agreement,” he recalls. “That was my first real experience of what people mean by WuXi Speed.”

The merger transformed both sides. For WuXi AppTec, it anchored research capabilities in one of Europe’s most vibrant biotech clusters. For Crelux, it opened a direct connection to WuXi AppTec’s global CRDMO platform, linking Research, Development, and Manufacturing under one integrated model.

Two shared visions also came together. WuXi AppTec’s aim to support innovators of every size, from startups and universities to global pharmaceutical companies, helped Crelux expand its reach while keeping its scientific spirit intact. Becoming part of the WuXi AppTec network opened access to a wider range of technologies and a global platform with one common goal: making innovation accessible to everyone.

“We kept the creativity of a startup but gained the reach and resources of a global organization. That combination is powerful.”Meins says.

Enabling the Innovators

At its core, the Munich team helps drug hunters see their molecules in motion: how they bind, shift, and interact at the molecular level. With that knowledge, clients can design better compounds faster.

In the new facility, the spirit is built into the space itself: open laboratories bring together disciplines that once worked separately; structural biologists, biochemists, and medicinal chemists now share not only hallways but also ideas. The result is a smooth, fast-paced research rhythm that encourages both clarity and creativity.

Crelux’s capabilities have grown alongside its space. From DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening to fragment screening, from X-ray crystallography to Cryo-EM, the team now supports the clients to identify promising compounds in a fraction of the usual time. “We can move from target to primary hit in just six to eight weeks,” says Meins. “That’s a game changer, especially for smaller startups where every week matters.”

Yet speed is only one part of the story. What truly sets Crelux apart is its forward-thinking approach: treating each experiment as a step toward the next discovery.“Our scientists don’t just deliver results and stop,” Meins explains. “They ask what comes next, what is needed to move the project forward. That curiosity is how we support our clients, and help ideas grow into medicines.”

This mindset fits perfectly with WuXi AppTec’s “Follow the Molecule” model. Projects that begin in Munich can smoothly go through its discovery stage, and continue its development and manufacturing in WuXi AppTec’s global sites in Europe, Asia, and North America, keeping the same scientific continuity from discovery to delivery.

“That’s how you maintain momentum from the first hit to the first batch,” Meins says. “We’re not handing off a project. We’re guiding each molecule through its journey.”

Image source：123RF

Part of Munich’s Innovation Community

Crelux’s global connections have not weakened its local roots; they have made them stronger. The company is a key part of Munich’s growing biotech community, a region that attracts over 80% of Germany’s early investment in life sciences. With support from organizations such as BioM and innovation centers like the IZB Innovation Center, Munich has become a place where startups, investors, and scientists come together—and Crelux plays both roles, helping and connecting them.

“We see ourselves as part of the ecosystem,” says Meins. “Sometimes we are scientists, sometimes we are facilitators.We host workshops, bring investors and researchers together, and share our thoughts and ideas.”

“It’s not always about doing the science,” Meins adds. “Sometimes it’s about connecting the right people so the science can happen.”

This role is easy to see at public events. Crelux opens its doors for community events, training sessions, and discussions about practical topics such as how to build strong partnerships, and what to prepare for the next stages.

This close collaboration builds trust within the local community. At a recent Munich event, a venture capitalist said, “Connecting with the right partners, investors, and outstanding companies like WuXi AppTec is critical and meaningful.” Across the region, Crelux is seen as both a reliable scientific partner and a driver of innovation.

Growth has not changed the company’s character. “When we joined WuXi AppTec, we had about twenty people,” Meins recalls. “Now we’re around a hundred. But we’ve kept the creativity of a startup, and now we also have the resources of a global company.” That mix of imagination and strong support has become one of Crelux’s biggest strengths.

It also shows why the integration has worked so well. “WuXi AppTec doesn’t just enable clients, it enables its own teams,” he says. “If you have a good idea, the support follows fast, so the partners can see the results sooner.”

A Future Written in Ideas

As evening light spills across the Alps, Meins reflects on the long arc from biochemistry student to site head within a global enterprise. “There are far more scientific ideas than there are resources to test them,” he says. “What WuXi AppTec does is make it possible for more of those ideas to be tried, faster and more effectively.”

He pauses, watching the sunset catch the glass walls of the new lab.“The more ideas we give a chance, the greater the odds that one of them becomes a life-changing medicine.”

That conviction has become both his mission and his measure of success.

“Every science deserves a chance,” Meins says. “And here in Munich, we’re making sure it gets one.”

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