Xinzongke Secures Tens of Millions in Series B Funding to Accelerate Innovation and Adoption of Flow Cytometric Bead Array Technology

Unlike the traditional in vitro diagnostics market, flow fluorescence technology has achieved rapid development in recent years and has become one of the most prominent innovative technologies in the IVD industry.This technological system integrates multiple advanced scientific achievements, including fluorescently encoded microsphere technology, laser analysis technology, flow cytometry, and high-speed digital signal processing technology. Characterized by high sensitivity, high specificity, and high throughput, it is gradually emerging as an innovative market segment with significant growth potential.

Compared with European and American companies, China started later in the field of flow fluorescence technology. However, with continuous innovation in local technologies and collaborative efforts across the upstream and downstream segments of the industrial chain, domestic enterprises have successively launched independently developed instruments and reagent products. These advancements indicate that China’s flow fluorescence market is entering a phase of rapid growth.

Especially in 2020, Hubei New ZongKe Viral Disease Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “New ZongKe”), driven by both national policies and market demand, took the lead in breaking through the technical barriers of flow fluorescence technology and independently developed NovaHT, China’s first flow cytometry array instrument to obtain a medical device registration certificate.

As a technology-driven enterprise, New ZongKe has remained dedicated to the innovative research and application promotion of precise multiplex detection technologies since its establishment in 2010.In October 2024, New ZongKe officially announced the completion of its Series B financing, raising tens of millions of RMB. The round was led by Wuhan Boxin Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), a life science tools fund jointly initiated by Luxin Venture Capital, Optics Valley Financial Holdings, Wuhan Industrial Innovation Research Institute, and Abclonal Technology. Kelaishi (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. participated as a follow-on investor.

Regarding the first domestic certification,Zheng Haiyan, General Manager of New ZongKe, to VCBeatHe stated, “In fact, since the company’s establishment, few domestic enterprises have achieved substantial breakthroughs in the field of flow fluorescence. The primary reason lies in the fact that the flow fluorescence technology platform involves the deep integration of multiple complex disciplines, including optical analysis, precision manufacturing, fluid dynamics, and high-speed signal processing, thereby presenting a high technical barrier.”

NovaHT Flow Cytometry Array System, independently developed by New ZongKe, is the first domestically produced liquid chip technology platform in China to obtain a medical device registration certificate. This system features advantages such as single-tube multiplexing, high sensitivity, automated modules, and compatibility support, enabling its wide application in various fields, including high-throughput multi-analyte detection of nucleic acids and protein macromolecules.

NovaHT Flow Cytometry Dot Array Analyzer

Since obtaining regulatory approval in 2020, the NovaHT Flow Cytometry Dot Array Analyzer has undergone rigorous market validation and is now serving as a core R&D technology platform for numerous leading IVD companies in China.More importantly, New ZongKe has not only mastered the flow fluorescence instrument platform but also strategically deployed around fluorescently encoded microsphere technology, another area where China has faced technological bottlenecks imposed by Europe and the United States. The company is committed to providing comprehensive solutions for life sciences and healthcare.

Specifically, New ZongKe has developed aThe NovaHT Multiplex Fluorescent Bioassay System, comprising the NovaHT Flow Cytometric Dot Array Analyzer and Fluorescence-Encoded Microspheres.

“Microspheres are another core component of flow fluorescence technology. They not only affect the multiplexing capacity of analytes and the stability of detection reagents, but the active groups on their surface used for conjugating antigens or nucleic acids also directly impact the sensitivity and accuracy of detection. Currently, domestic IVD companies have strong demand for fluorescently encoded microspheres, with their importance being no less than that of instruments. However, due to the monopoly of core technologies and the challenges posed by dozens of complex manufacturing processes, Chinese enterprises still rely heavily on imported products,” emphasized Zheng Haiyan.

To break this deadlock, New ZongKe established one of the earliest R&D teams in China dedicated to fluorescently encoded microspheres. The company achieved breakthroughs in numerous core technologies, including seed microsphere fabrication, fluorescent encoding, magnetic composite structuring, surface modification, and scale-up of mass production processes. Ultimately, it developed fluorescently encoded microspheres with fully independent intellectual property rights, becoming one of the few suppliers worldwide capable of providing such products and filling the domestic gap in China.

Meanwhile, the New ZongKe team is not only dedicated to driving continuous innovation and iterative upgrades of key raw materials—magnetic fluorescent coding microspheres—and flow cytometry array instruments, but also adheres to the philosophy of open collaboration and mutual progress, working hand in hand with upstream and downstream partners across the industry chain to promote the collaborative research and development of new products.

In 2024, New ZongKe, in collaboration with its partners, successfully launched the NovaPlex-1200 Fully Automated Flow Cytometric Bead Array Analyzer (Chongqing Medical Device Registration No. 20242220247). The NovaPlex-1200 is an open, fully automated quantitative detection platform specifically designed by New ZongKe for high-throughput immunoassays. It offers advantages such as ease of operation and a high degree of automation, is compatible with various immune reaction modes, meets the requirements of diverse clinical testing applications, and allows for flexible combination of different test indicators as needed.

NovaPlex-1200 Automated Flow Cytometry Array Analyzer

The NovaPlex-1200 features a tube-based sample loading design, supporting random-access testing. It is ideally suited for applications with high automation requirements, such as clinical laboratory departments, and for test items requiring rapid turnaround. The time to first result is approximately 38 minutes, with a throughput of 120 samples per hour. Furthermore, it requires only a 10 µL sample volume per test to perform rapid multiplex analysis, significantly enhancing detection efficiency and throughput.

The approval and market launch of the NovaPlex-1200 Fully Automated Flow Cytometry Array Instrument will further promote the application of flow fluorescence technology, marking a significant step forward for the company in the field of open-platform flow fluorescence systems.

After 14 years of dedicated development, New ZongKe has not only broken the import monopoly in the field of flow fluorescence but also focused on addressing the bottleneck issues of core components. By integrating resources across the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and engaging in collaborative R&D, New ZongKe has effectively reduced equipment costs at the source.

Currently, the localization rate of components for New ZongKe’s NovaHT flow cytometry dot array instrument exceeds 95%, with performance benchmarked against imported counterparts. The fluorescently encoded microspheres are also independently developed by the team, eliminating dependence on imported seed microspheres. This will not only provide downstream users with more cost-effective options but also make a positive contribution to the autonomy, controllability, and innovative development of China’s IVD industry supply chain.

From the perspective of the end-user market for flow fluorescence technology, demand from clinical application entities is more robust, and reagent and equipment manufacturers generally focus their efforts on this segment.“Although New ZongKe offers an open instrument platform, fluorescently encoded microspheres, and reagent solutions, its business model is fundamentally different from that of traditional enterprises. We primarily serve B2B clients, focusing on providing one-stop product solutions and services to downstream IVD companies,” explained Zheng Haiyan.

The moon waxes only to wane; water brims only to overflow. All things in the universe abide by the law of “letting go” and “gaining.”

Regarding the “trade-offs” and “gains” in New ZongKe’s business model, Zheng Haiyan emphasized, “Positioning our strategic goal to serve the B-end market presents a significant challenge. In this context, the company must, on one hand, ensure that its equipment maintains extremely high stability, and on the other hand, continuously improve its solutions,”Transitioning to a one-stop solution encompassing “key raw materials + instruments + reagents,” thereby providing diverse services—from technical platform establishment to modular collaboration—to various IVD enterprises.。”

First, New ZongKe has developed solutions tailored to the end-user needs of different IVD companies.RZplex-30Flow Cytometry Detection Module: This module can be integrated as a core component into downstream customers' existing flow fluorescence solutions.

RZplex-30 Flow Cytometry Module

RZplex-30 is a customized analytical module designed to integrate with large-scale automated solutions in both plate-based and tube-based formats, while also supporting partners in independently developing complete detection systems with other configurations. Featuring a plug-and-play design and standard fluidic interfaces, the module allows for negotiated customization of both communication and data protocols to ensure seamless integration with customers’ existing systems.

Secondly, inClinical DiagnosisIn this field, New ZongKe is positioned in the upstream segment of the industry, focusing on detection platforms and core raw materials, and does not directly provide Class II or higher clinical reagents. Instead, the company offers bulk reagent solutions, such as multiplex cytokines and tumor markers, based on application needs or collaborative commissions.

Finally,Research DirectionNew ZongKe primarily focuses on epidemiological surveillance of syndromes, innovative diagnostics, and the identification of novel drug targets. It is currently collaborating withMultiple National Research InstitutionsCo-developed multiple multiplex pathogen detection kits and innovative multi-target combination assay kits, achieving the integration and translation of industry-academia-research collaboration from technological R&D to industrial application.

Admittedly, the market value inherent in clinical applications is self-evident. However, collaborating with numerous B-side IVD enterprises to jointly explore a broader end-user clinical market and promote the industry’s shared prosperity also holds long-term value and deeper strategic significance.

In recent years, driven by the collective efforts of all sectors within the industry, the influence and market position of flow fluorescence technology have been steadily rising. Discussing upstream and downstream collaborations in the industry, Zheng Haiyan shared with VCBeat two key partners of New ZongKe.

“First,Abbkine is an investor in New ZongKe and a close partner of ours in the field of multiplex detection platforms.“Over the past three years of collaboration, Abclonal has leveraged New ZongKe’s open platform to develop a series of multiplex cytokine detection reagents tailored for research institutes and biopharmaceutical companies. These reagents are designed to comprehensively meet the demands of multi-analyte testing, driving advancements in multiplex detection technology and facilitating diverse applications and broad adoption of these products in both scientific research and pharmaceutical sectors,” said Zheng Haiyan.

“Both Kelaishi and New ZongKe are portfolio companies of Boxin Fund. Among them, Kelaishi is a leading enterprise in China’s chemiluminescence field, possessing an open chemiluminescence analyzer platform with fully independent intellectual property rights, as well as full automation technology.“To further advance flow fluorescence technology, the two companies swiftly entered into a strategic cooperation agreement. By leveraging their complementary strengths, they completed the development of a prototype for the fully automated flow cytometry array instrument within just six months, and after another six months of validation, successfully obtained regulatory approval and launched the product to market,” introduced Zheng Haiyan.

Driven by its open ecosystem, New ZongKe’s diverse product portfolio has been widely adopted by numerous research institutions, clinical hospitals, and IVD companies.The company currently operates R&D and production centers in both Wuhan and Shanghai, and holds over 60 intellectual property rights, including patents, software copyrights, and trademarks.Among these, multiple patents have been transformed into technological achievements, successfully filling gaps in the industry.Furthermore, New ZongKe is one of the drafters of the industry standards for flow cytometry array instruments.

As a pioneer in the flow fluorescence industry, New ZongKe has consistently earned recognition from capital markets and leading IVD companies, thanks to its meticulously built team of professionals with extensive experience.

Professor Wang Hualin, Founder and Chairman of New ZongKe, is an expert in virology, a doctoral supervisor, a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and the Chief Scientist of a National Key Project. Professor Wang has long been dedicated to applied and basic research in virology. He has published more than 60 significant SCI-indexed research papers in prestigious international journals, filed over 30 patent applications, and obtained 15 granted patents.

In the face of the increasingly cutthroat competition in the industry, Professor Wang Hualin once delivered a speech titled “The Way to Break Through with Flow Cytometry Fluorescence.”“‘Openness’ is the key to achieving new breakthroughs in the IVD industry. This openness should be comprehensive, extending beyond reagents and instruments to include critical materials such as microspheres and core technology modules. New ZongKe hopes to contribute its part by collaborating with more partners to build an open industrial ecosystem, promote resource sharing, accelerate technological innovation, and thereby drive the healthy and sustainable development of the entire industry.”

Furthermore, the core R&D personnel of New ZongKe’s equipment and materials research team are all senior engineers with extensive industry experience. They have dedicated decades to this specialized sector, facilitating the domestic localization of core components by assisting upstream supply chains, thereby jointly advancing and witnessing the development of the industrial chain. Moreover, the company’s overall R&D team boasts a stable structure and seamless collaboration among members, laying a solid foundation for the continuous optimization of one-stop solutions and the achievement of innovative breakthroughs.

At the conclusion of the interview, Zheng Haiyan stated, “Following the completion of our Series B financing, New ZongKe will continue to uphold an open collaboration model while consistently enhancing product performance and services. We expect to launch a highly anticipated flagship product in the first half of 2025. This next-generation desktop flow cytometric array analyzer will be more compact, offer broader application scenarios, deliver greater stability, and feature more competitive pricing, thereby providing an improved user experience. In addition, we are preparing to develop a microsphere analysis device based on innovative technology, featuring a more efficient structure and easier maintenance. This product has the potential to disrupt the existing market landscape in the niche segment of flow fluorescence. Looking ahead, New ZongKe will remain driven by innovation to reduce costs associated with instrument production, manufacturing, and maintenance, better supporting downstream IVD companies in capturing market share, leveraging economies of scale, and facilitating the technological innovation and commercial adoption of precise multiplex detection applications.”