Kunqin Bio Secures Tens of Millions in Funding from Shaanxi Venture Capital to Advance Vaccine Pipeline

VCBeat has exclusively learned that at the beginning of the Lunar New Year, a biological vaccine companyShaanxi KQbi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “KQbi”)Completed byShaanxi Venture CapitalExclusive investment of RMB 10 million in financing. The funds from this round will be used for the company's product R&D investment, production line operations, and market layout, among other purposes.

Image source: Weinan Daily

KQbi specializes in the development and translation of recombinant protein therapeutics, as well as the research and development, manufacturing, and sales of human vaccines.Its core technology originates from Academician Li Xiaokun, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a Changjiang Scholar, and President of Wenzhou Medical University, along with his team.is a typical project for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

As a key enterprise for investment attraction in Weinan City, KQbi is registered in the China Enzyme City within the Weinan High-Tech Industrial Development Zone. It is a high-tech project facilitated through collaboration between a government-owned urban investment company and a market-oriented technology team, aiming to achieve multiple objectives including technology transfer, talent aggregation, and industry incubation.Its corporate entityJointly established by Fuping Yike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Weinan High-Tech Zone Agricultural Investment Development Co., Ltd. To support this project, Weinan Industrial Investment Group invested RMB 660 million to construct a research and development and production base covering an area of 133.91 mu on its behalf.

In terms of technological leadership, Academician Li Xiaokun’s team has been deeply engaged in the research and translation of recombinant protein drugs and vaccines for over 30 years. They have achieved a series of representative original breakthroughs, particularly in the study of cell growth factors and diseases, resolving a range of theoretical and industrialization challenges. As a result, China became the first country in the world to successfully develop and commercialize fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). Academician Li Xiaokun has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Second Prize of the National Technology Invention Award, the First and Second Prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and the First Prize of the Ministry of Education’s Natural Science Award.

In recent years, driven by the growing global demand for vaccination, support from governments and international organizations, and the efforts of new vaccine developers, the global market demand for vaccines has risen year by year. Data shows that the market size of China’s vaccine industry reached RMB 76.1 billion in 2021. With continued innovation in vaccine development and increasing public awareness of vaccination, the market size of China’s vaccine industry is projected to reach RMB 215.7 billion by 2030.

In this industry context, KQbi has remained dedicated to the upgrading of traditional vaccines and the research and development of innovative vaccines since its inception. The company has actively expanded its product pipeline, successively researching and developingQuadrivalent Influenza Split Vaccine, Human Diploid Cell Rabies Vaccine, Recombinant Zoster Vaccine, Universal Influenza Vaccine, and Recombinant HPV Vaccineand other products. Furthermore, leveraging its technological advantages, KQbi has conducted in-depth exploration and development ofmRNA Vaccines, Novel Adjuvant VaccinesandNew Vaccine Formulationsetc.

(Image source: Weinan Daily)

In terms of product portfolio, KQbi's products mainly coverOncology Treatment, Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Treatment, Trauma Repairand medical aestheticsand other areas of major diseases and social hotspots. The team has developed mature recombinant cytokine products, which are currently being piloted and applied in certain regions of Shaanxi Province.In the future, KQbi will center on its Weinan production base to accelerate the formation of a product portfolio that is technologically leading and industry-representative, striving to fill the market gap in Shaanxi Province’s vaccine industry.

Regarding this round of financing,Zhang Yu, Senior Investment Manager at Shaanxi Venture CapitalIt was stated that KQbi is a typical project of the Weinan Science and Technology Innovation Fund’s “investment-driven recruitment” strategy, aligning with Weinan’s strategic layout for industries such as biopharmaceuticals. The project team boasts solid technical expertise, extensive experience, and outstanding capabilities in innovation and achievement transformation, having established high barriers to entry within the industry. With the continued advancement of KQbi in future stages, this project will effectively fill the gap in human vaccine manufacturing enterprises in Shaanxi Province and substantially enhance the province’s R&D and production capabilities in the biopharmaceutical sector.

Moving forward, the Shaanxi Venture Capital team will continue to leverage its platform resource advantages and collaborate closely with provincial and municipal departments, as well as partners such as Weinan Industrial Investment Group. By providing more comprehensive and efficient post-investment value-added services, the team aims to help KQbi achieve greater success in relevant fields, thereby empowering the high-quality development of Shaanxi Province’s biomedical industry through the power of technology finance.

Shaanxi Venture Capital (SVC), fully known as Shaanxi Huike Innovation Investment Co., Ltd., is a market-oriented investment platform under the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Originating from the Shaanxi Provincial Achievement Transformation Guidance Fund for Scientific and Technological Achievements, it has established three core business segments: “Venture Capital Fund Management,” “Sci-Tech Enterprise Services,” and “Incubator Operations and Park Management.” Adhering to its mission of “Focusing on Technological Innovation and Investing in Future Value,” SVC is committed to becoming a representative sci-tech innovation investment platform in China.