Jitong Life Sciences Completes Tens of Millions RMB Pre-A Financing to Accelerate Domestic Production of High-End SPR Biomolecular Interaction Analyzers

VCBeat has learned that Jitong Life Sciences (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (“Jitong Life” or the “Company”) completed its Pre-A financing round in March this year, led by Luxin Venture Capital Group Co., Ltd. This round follows the angel financing completed in 2021, which was invested by Abclonal Technology. The funds raised will be used for the research and development of products such as Jitong Life’s independently owned SPR molecular interaction analyzer.

Jitong Life was established in August 2020 and is located in Suzhou Industrial Park. The company specializes in the research and development, manufacturing, and sales of high-end life science instruments. Leveraging its core proprietary technologies, it is committed to building a technology-driven biotechnology company with high-sensitivity analysis and high-sensitivity detection as its core competencies.

Mr. Liu Jing, the founder, graduated from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Southeast University and later earned his Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany. During his tenure at the Max Planck Institute, he studied under Professor W. Knoll, a pioneer in the field of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and the inventor of SPR imaging technology. Dr. Liu has mastered core technologies for life science instruments, including microfluidics, optics, interfacial biochemistry, and biosensors. After returning to China, he worked for many years at Siemens and United Imaging Healthcare, accumulating extensive technical expertise and operational management experience.

Among the company’s high-end life science instruments currently under development, the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Molecular Interaction Analyzer is advancing most rapidly. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a label-free, real-time detection technology based on optics, microfluidics, and biosensors, enabling dynamic monitoring and analysis of interactions between biomolecules. It is widely used in drug development for studies of molecular kinetics and affinity.

As the gold standard for characterizing drug-binding activity, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology was included in the United States Pharmacopeia and the Japanese Pharmacopoeia in 2016, and in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia in 2020.

Optics, microfluidics, and interfacial biochemistry constitute the foundational core technologies of high-end life science instruments. The Company is one of the few innovative enterprises capable of mastering these core technologies simultaneously. Building on its foundational core technologies in optics, microfluidics, and surface chemical modification, and leveraging its existing product platforms, the Company will align with emerging trends in life science research by advancing toward single-cell analysis, visualization, dynamic monitoring, high-throughput screening, and high spatiotemporal resolution. It will expand its portfolio of related scientific research products to establish itself as a technology-driven life science instrument company, with high-sensitivity analysis and detection as its core competitive advantages.

High-end life science instruments are the cornerstone of basic research and the foundation of technological advancement. Currently, high technical barriers surround domestic high-end life science instruments, which have long been heavily monopolized by foreign brands. The high cost of equipment and consumables, coupled with slow procurement and maintenance response times, has limited their application by end users.

In the global market, Cytiva’s BIAcore 8K represents the pinnacle of high-throughput SPR molecular interaction analysis technology, and thus was established as the benchmark during the early stages of the company’s R&D. Currently, the development of the company’s SPR molecular interaction analyzer is progressing smoothly, with the product poised for imminent launch in the Chinese market.

Regarding this financing,Company Founder: Liu JingStatement: We extend our gratitude to investors and industry professionals for their continued support and recognition, which has bolstered our confidence in becoming a leading provider of high-end domestic life science instruments, with a focus on molecular interaction analyzers. Leveraging this round of financing, Jitong Life Sciences will further strengthen R&D of its core technologies, expand its product pipeline, and accelerate commercialization to meet diverse customer needs, fostering co-creation, symbiosis, and mutual success with our clients. Facing the vast market for high-end life science equipment, we are confident that the Jitong Life Sciences team will seize this opportunity to rapidly establish the company as a robust industry leader capable of driving technological advancement among domestic enterprises.

Regarding this financing round,Qiu Fang, Deputy General Manager of Luxin Venture CapitalStatement: High-end life science instruments represent one of the most promising segments within the life sciences tools sector, and constitute a key focus area for Luxin Venture Capital Group Co., Ltd. Jitong Life Sciences is built upon breakthroughs in foundational technologies for high-end life science instruments, successfully addressing the bottleneck issue where Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) molecular interaction analyzers were previously dominated by international giants. The company is also progressively advancing the research and development of other related high-end life science instruments. We are honored to participate in this round of financing for Jitong Life Sciences and look forward to collaborating closely with the company to establish a leading brand in the field of high-end life science instruments.

For this round of financing,Wu Zhicai, General Manager of AbclonalIt was stated that the localization of high-end life science instruments is an inevitable trend. The company boasts an outstanding founding team and has overcome the core technical challenges associated with Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) molecular interaction analyzers. Both parties will actively seek industrial cooperation opportunities and explore industrial synergies in the future.

Luxin Venture Capital Group Co., Ltd. is the largest professional venture capital firm in Shandong Province and one of the most influential in China, controlled by Shandong Luxin Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. It is the first venture capital institution listed on China’s domestic capital market (Stock Code: 600783.SH). Over the past two decades since its establishment, the company has managed and operated more than 40 funds with a total scale of approximately RMB 20 billion, covering sub-sectors such as healthcare, military-civil fusion, advanced manufacturing, electronic information, new energy, and new materials. It has invested in over 40 companies listed both domestically and internationally. In the healthcare sector, it has successively invested in a number of outstanding enterprises, including 3D Medicines, Silicon-based Bionics, Abclonal, Weimai Medical, Medeast Huicheng, Intellis, and RemeGen.

A Global Core Supplier of Antibody and Molecular Enzyme Reagents. ABclonal is dedicated to providing professional and reliable products and services for various fields, including basic life science research, translational medicine, diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals. The company’s core business encompasses research antibodies, molecular enzyme products, NGS library preparation kits, active recombinant proteins, diagnostic antigen and antibody raw materials, ELISA kits, and CRO services.