In the second of what promises to become a biennial event (the first was held at the same time and venue in 2006), the ICBPS-2 was a repeat collaboration between the two principal organizers: the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association (CPA) of Beijing, China, and the Battelle Memorial Institute, headquartered in Columbus, OH, USA. The CPA is the regulatory and professional body for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists in China and is closely aligned with China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). Battelle is an international technology development company and is the world's largest nonprofit independent research and development organization. Applied Science and Analysis, Inc. (HI, USA), assisted Battelle and the CPA in organizing and managing the ICBPS-2. The meeting's main objective was to continue the introduction of Western biotech firms and regulatory entities into the Chinese biopharmaceutical industry initiated at the 2006 symposium. The principal themes of the second gathering were vaccines, antibodies and gene therapeutics. Approximately 40 mainly scientific or policy papers were delivered to an audience of approximately 150 participants, including 50 attendees from outside China.