On May 16, under the guidance of the International Isotope Society (IIS) and co-hosted by Wuxi Beita Pharmatech and Suzhou XenoFinder, the 2nd symposium on Innovation and Application of Isotope Science and Technology 2026 was successfully held in the Chenggu Hall of the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM), Chinese Academy of Sciences. With the theme "Nuclear Innovations Converge in the East, Isotope Breakthroughs Ignite the Future: Powering Global Health Through Isotope Innovation", the conference brought together nearly 200 top experts, scholars, and corporate representatives from domestic and international isotope and innovative drug development fields, along with 13 exhibitors, to explore technological frontiers and pathways for industrial translation. The conference was chaired by Dr. Zhang Yinsheng, Executive Vice General Manager of Wuxi Beita and Bot Member of the International Isotope Society.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Zhou Bing, Deputy Director of SIMM, pointed out that isotope technology is a core intersection of pharmacy, medicine, and physics, playing an irreplaceable role in drug tracing, metabolic research, and precision diagnostics. He expressed hope that the conference would promote deep integration of industry, academia, and research. Mr. Chen Zemin, a renowned entrepreneur, Honorary Chairman and President of Wuxi Beita, stated that Wuxi Beita has long been committed to the localization of isotope labeling products and breaking through labeling technology bottlenecks. He hoped to leverage the promulgation and implementation of the Atomic Energy Act and use the isotope annual conference as a bond to further consolidate industry efforts and accelerate the application of isotope technology from basic research to clinical and industrial settings.

The conference focused on directions such as isotope labeling synthesis, precision tracing, nuclear medicine diagnostics and therapy, and advanced energy applications. Thirteen experts delivered high-level presentations covering cutting-edge topics such as isotope detection, industrial separation and purification, design and synthesis of labeled compounds, clinical applications, and carbon-14 nuclear batteries, establishing a complete exchange system spanning "basic research – technological breakthroughs – clinical application – industrial implementation".

Academician Zhu Weihong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice President of East China University of Science and Technology shared his achievements on "Excited State Modulation: Temporally and Spatially Resolved Fluorescence," offering new ideas for isotope detection and bioimaging. Dr. Lin Ronghui, current President of the International Isotope Society and Distinguished Scientist at Johnson & Johnson, presented a report on "Late-Stage Functionalization of Drug Molecules to Accelerate Isotope Labeling and Drug Metabolite Generation for Drug R&D", proposing an efficient new labeling strategy. Mr. Cai Dinglong, Vice General Manager of Wuxi Beita, introduced "New High-End Applications of Radioisotope C-14 – The Development of Ultra-Long-Lasting C-14 Nuclear Batteries." The successful development of their "Zhulong-I" marks a major breakthrough in China's isotope new energy sector, providing new solutions for IoT sensors, implantable medical devices, deep-sea and deep-space exploration.

Dr. Tang Chongzhuang, General Manager of Suzhou XenoFinder., gave a report titled "Using Radioisotope Labeling Technology to Elucidate the Complex In Vivo Disposition Process of Peptide Drugs," systematically revealing the true in vivo behavior of peptide drugs. Dr. Diao Xingxing, Professor at SIMM, shared "Exploration and Application of Radioisotope C-14 Labeling Technology to Elucidate Complex In Vivo Pharmacokinetic Mechanisms of Innovative Drugs." His team's established radioactive ADME research platform has provided key technical support for the regulatory filings of many innovative drugs.

Dr. Zhang Yinsheng, Executive Vice General Manager and Chief Scientific Officer of Wuxi Beita, presented "Strategies for the Design and Synthesis of Radioisotope C-14 and H-3 Labeled Drugs." The company's internationally leading labeling technology platform has assisted many domestic and international pharmaceutical companies in advancing innovative drug development. Dr. Wang Gang, Chairman of Vangas, introduced the application and development of cryogenic technology in the separation of isotopes such as C-13 and helium, offering a feasible solution to long-standing critical bottlenecks in the specialty gas field. 

Professor Deng Pan, Distinguished Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Soochow University, presented "Metabolic Tracing Studies Based on Stable Isotope C-13," sharing new applications of stable isotope tracing technology in disease mechanism research, drug development, and precision medicine. Dr. Guan Bingtao, Researcher and Doctoral Supervisor at Zhengzhou University, gave a report on "Recent Advances in Alkali (Alkaline Earth) Metal-Catalyzed Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Reactions."

Professor Jiang Shan from Qixian (Beijing) Nuclear Science and Technology introduced "Super-strong Ionization Mass Spectrometry Technology and Its Applications in the Isotope Field," presenting breakthroughs in third-generation mass spectrometry technology enabling precise measurement of nuclide spectra. Mr. Zhang Yifan, Senior Engineer at SIMM, shared "The Technical Principles of Quantitative Whole-Body Autoradiography (QWBA) and Its Application in New Drug Development." 

Dr. Zhang Hua, Chief Physician at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, combined clinical practice to present a report on "Special Design Considerations and Case Studies for Radiolabeled Human Mass Balance Studies," providing important references for innovative drug registration applications. Mr. Li Zhenyuan from AIM Research Company (USA) focused on "Principles and Sensitivity Enhancement of On-line/Off-line Radioactive C-14 Detection," showcasing the latest solutions for high-precision radioactivity detection.

The conference fostered a strong academic atmosphere, with lively discussions both during and after sessions. Attendees praised the event as "top-tier and highly substantive," a high-quality platform for industry-academia-research integration in isotope and interdisciplinary fields. It successfully addressed both cutting-edge academic topics and industrial needs, helping to promote the convergence of chemistry, pharmacy, medicine, physics, engineering, materials science, nuclear science, and other disciplines, thereby creating a positive cycle of industry-academia-research collaboration.

At the closing ceremony, Dr. Diao Xingxing expressed gratitude on behalf of the organizing committee. He noted that isotope technology is entering a golden period of localization and industrialization, and the conference has consolidated industry consensus and stimulated innovation vitality, injecting strong momentum into China's self-reliance in isotope science and technology. Finally, the conference announced the successful conclusion of the 2nd Annual Academic Conference on Isotope Technological Innovation and Application 2026, with anticipation for the 3rd annual conference to gather again and continue empowering global health development through isotope innovation.