Malaysia’s Sarawak state is moving ahead with a proposed MYR50mn ($11.6mn) investment to develop what is described as Southeast Asia’s first regenerative medicine hub, following an agreement exchanged at a ceremony in Kota Samarahan on August 13.
The Sarawak Regenerative BioFoundry, planned for the Sarawak Bioindustrial Park, is a collaboration between the Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation and BioVerde Technologies, formalised through a document exchange between the two organisations’ chief executives, Mohd Khairul Fidzal Abdul Razak and Ts. Hazwan Razak, and witnessed by Sarawak’s premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg. The collaboration builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in October 2025.
The facility will bring together four linked components: a Manufacturing Nexus, Clinical Nexus, Technology and Research Nexus, and Wellness Nexus, forming an integrated system spanning research through to patient treatment. It will focus on cell and gene therapy products, advanced treatments using living cells or genetic material to address complex diseases including certain cancers and genetic disorders.
“Cell and gene therapy is still an emerging field in Malaysia,” said Mohd Khairul Fidzal Abdul Razak. “Our collaboration with BVT will provide companies within our ecosystem with a stronger pathway to test, validate and advance their technologies in a real healthcare environment.” He said Bioeconomy Corporation currently supports a portfolio of companies developing more than 50 cell and gene therapy products, forming the pipeline the new facility is designed to serve.
Hazwan Razak said the project would help create “a credible pathway for promising technologies to reach real-world healthcare applications,” while attracting specialised talent and investment to Sarawak.
The facility will operate under Ministry of Health guidelines, with coordination involving the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, the Malaysian Medical Council and the Medical Device Authority, among other bodies. Officials said the project supports Sarawak’s Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 and Malaysia’s National Biotechnology Policy 2.0, aimed at strengthening the country’s position in biologics and precision medicine, with potential long-term implications for the state’s growing medical tourism sector.