Biometas and Hugang SinoTech Complete Strategic Integration to Build a Full-Service Preclinical CRO Platform

VCBeat has learned that recently, a leading domestic one-stop preclinical CRO platformBioMetaswith a focus on GLP laboratory servicesZSHKA strategic integration signing ceremony was held at BioMetas’ Shanghai headquarters. Attendees included Hua Fengmao, Chairman of BioMetas; Dr. Zhang Yingjia, President of BioMetas; Dr. Ren Jin, Founder of ZSHK and Honorary Director of the Drug Safety Evaluation Research Center at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Dr. Xing Guozhen, a management representative of ZSHK, among others. Shareholders from both parties, including CICC Strategy Investment, Huagai Capital, Qiming Venture Partners, Jishi Capital, and the AstraZeneca-CICC Fund, jointly witnessed the ceremony. This event marks the formal completion of BioMetas’ acquisition of ZSHK, including signing and closing. The two parties will deeply integrate their resources to build a full-chain service system covering drug discovery, preclinical research, and IND filing, thereby providing more efficient and professional innovative drug R&D solutions for global pharmaceutical companies.

Group Photo at the Signing Ceremony

BioMetas has achieved rapid growth over the past three years, leveraging its top-tier R&D team and global service capabilities. Its core team hails from multinational pharmaceutical companies and leading international CROs, bringing extensive experience in drug discovery and preclinical development. The company serves leading global multinational pharmaceutical firms as well as emerging biotechnology enterprises, with approximately 85% of its revenue derived from overseas markets. It has established differentiated technological advantages in fields such as oncology and autoimmune diseases.

ZSHK has long been deeply engaged in the Chinese market, operating internationally accredited GLP laboratory centers in Suzhou and Shenzhen, equipped with its own facilities for experimental monkeys and dogs. It provides a one-stop GLP service system covering pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and safety evaluation. With over 90% of its clients based in China, ZSHK’s customer structure is highly complementary to that of BioMetas, which focuses on overseas markets.

Mr. Hua Fengmao Shares Insights on Global Strategic Layout and Capital Operations

Hua Fengmao, Chairman of BioMetasIndicates：“Thanks to the support of our shareholders and partners, the two companies have successfully completed their strategic integration. Since its establishment in 2022, BioMetas has maintained rapid development, continuously expanded its business scale, and achieved a positive commercial cycle. It has established a comprehensive technical and service system in key preclinical areas, including protein science, in vivo and in vitro pharmacodynamic evaluation, and DMPK. This integration will create an integrated CRO platform covering the entire preclinical process, strengthen complementary capabilities and market synergy, and enhance global competitiveness. In the future, the company will continue to promote scale growth, capital layout, and the construction of a ‘service + capital’ ecosystem, accelerating its path toward industry leadership.”

Dr. Ren Jin Introduces the Advantages of the GLP Laboratory Platform and Experimental Animal Resources

Dr. Ren Jin, Founder of ZSHKindicates：“ZSHK, originating from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has extensive expertise in preclinical safety evaluation and was the first to establish a GLP platform compliant with international standards. Since its inception in 2019, the company has progressively enhanced its preclinical service portfolio. The integration with BioMetas will enable resource complementarity and synergistic capabilities, creating a more comprehensive integrated platform. Moving forward, the team will continue to strengthen its professional competencies and strive toward industry leadership with support from all stakeholders.”

Dr. Xing Guozhen, Co-founder and Management Representative of ZSHKIndicates：“Since 2019, ZSHK has been progressively enhancing its preclinical and GLP system layout, establishing a foundation for synergy across multiple locations. This integration is a strategic choice made after thorough assessment and prolonged communication, aiming to optimize resource allocation and improve overall efficiency. Both parties are poised to jointly build an integrated CRO+GLP platform, thereby creating differentiated competitive advantages. We will continue to advance our globalization and systematic capability building, and we extend our gratitude to all parties for their support.”

Shareholders of BioMetasRepresentativeZhang Yi, Huagai Capitalindicates：“This collaboration stems from over a year of continuous dialogue and consensus between the two parties. In the highly competitive ‘red ocean’ of the CRO industry, relying solely on scientific research or capital pathways is insufficient for breakthroughs; instead, it is essential to leverage the comprehensive advantages of ‘scientific R&D capabilities, capital perspective, and industrial operations.’ BioMetas and ZSHK exhibit high complementarity in business capabilities and resource alignment. This integration represents not only a capital partnership but also deep, business-centric synergy.”

ZSHK Shareholder Representative, Qiming Venture Partners’ Liu Xingdiindicates：“This collaboration is based on our long-term assessment of globalization trends in the CRO industry, with a focus on companies possessing overseas operational capabilities. Against the backdrop of a tightening capital environment, ZSHK’s business has maintained steady growth and continued improvement. Following the integration with BioMetas, the two parties will leverage their complementary strengths to build an integrated CRO platform covering early discovery through IND-enabling studies, thereby enhancing overall service capabilities and international competitiveness.”

ZSHK shareholder representatives Chen Fei of Jishi Capital and Wang Shuai of AstraZeneca CICC stated:“Consensus and mutual trust were gradually established through long-term communication and sustained interaction. Despite certain adjustments and periods of adaptation, the overall objectives remained aligned, ensuring a smooth implementation process. Through phased collaboration, the integration was ultimately completed and put into practice. We believe this is not only the starting point for enhanced efficiency but also a critical factor determining the success or failure of innovation. In the future, the company will firmly seize the dividends of globalization, integrate more deeply into the international R&D value chain, and create greater value in areas such as standards alignment, mutual recognition of data, and multi-center collaboration.”

Following the completion of this integration, BioMetas will establish an integrated service model oriented toward customer needs:

Early R&D Stage: Target validation, molecular screening, in vitro functional studies, and animal efficacy evaluation

Translational Research Phase: DMPK Studies, Dose Exploration, and Druggability Assessment

Application Support Phase: GLP Safety Evaluation, Systemic Toxicology Studies, Safety Pharmacology Studies

This model will significantly reduce the time and communication costs associated with switching between different service providers, enhance R&D efficiency and data consistency, and provide clients with a more deterministic R&D pathway.

ZSHK possesses significant advantages in laboratory animal resources, having established breeding and research bases for non-human primates and laboratory dogs in Nanning, Guangxi, and Changsha, Hunan. It boasts a comprehensive genetic background system and pedigree management capabilities. Following this integration, BioMetas will further strengthen its capabilities in the following areas:

This collaboration will provide a more robust foundational support for research into complex mechanisms and the development of high-end innovative drugs.

The integration of BioMetas and ZSHK marks a significant step for the company toward becoming an international-standard, full-process CRO platform, and reflects the shared commitment of both teams and shareholders to drive the industry’s transition from “cost competition” to “value competition.”

Over the past two decades, China’s CRO industry has undergone rapid development and significant differentiation, and is now entering a new cycle of resource integration and capability upgrading. Driven by capital market expertise, scientific and technological capabilities, and emerging technologies such as AI and automation, the industry will further advance toward high-quality development, providing global innovative pharmaceutical companies with more efficient and higher-value R&D service systems.

As a global leading one-stop R&D service platform for innovative biopharmaceuticals, BioMetas leverages the professional resource advantages of leading domestic CROs and has assembled an internationalized, high-caliber technical team. With efficient and innovative expertise, a scientific and rigorous service attitude, and a comprehensive and standardized quality management system, BioMetas provides clients with compliant, high-quality, and personalized end-to-end preclinical biotechnology R&D solutions. Its business scope covers the full one-stop process from drug discovery to IND for both small molecules and biologics.

ZSHK is a comprehensive CRO service platform specializing in preclinical research and evaluation for biopharmaceuticals. Focusing on key stages of early-stage new drug development, it provides one-stop services covering pharmacology and efficacy studies, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) studies, and safety assessment (GLP). Leveraging its two GLP-compliant laboratories in Suzhou and Shenzhen, along with supporting experimental animal resources, the company offers end-to-end capabilities from study design and efficacy screening to safety evaluation. Its research data comply with NMPA, FDA, and OECD submission standards, serving pharmaceutical companies and R&D institutions worldwide.