Why Are Model Organism Platforms Receiving Renewed Attention? Industry Leaders and Investors Weigh In on Emerging Opportunities

The price of cynomolgus monkeys once served as a barometer for R&D sentiment in the biotech industry. Last year, the prevailing complaint was “sky-high monkey prices and scarce supply.” However, current discussions highlight that “monkey prices have dropped in China,” while U.S. R&D laboratories are facing a shortage of animal models. This disparity suggests that Chinese model organism platforms may find opportunities for overseas expansion.

Meanwhile, the entire laboratory animal model industry chain is experiencing heightened demand and attention. Companies controlling animal resources are rapidly pursuing diverse development paths: Lingfu Bio is continuously expanding its portfolio of laboratory animal species and disease-specific models, while Vital River, as Charles River Laboratories’ Chinese entity, is forging collaborations with a growing number of innovation platforms. Yifang Health Valley has demonstrated remarkable progress, establishing comprehensive infrastructure by introducing various professional service platforms since its inception.

June 20 (Tuesday) 20:00-21:30,VCBeat Hosts Online Panel on “Model Organisms,” Inviting Stakeholders Across the Industry Chain and Investment Institutions to Jointly Explore the Current State, Trends, and Driving Forces in the Model Organism Sector

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Zhang Lei

Chairman and Co-President, Lingfu Biotech

Former Vice Chairman of a company listed on the Main Board, former Supervisor of Origin Cell Group, Director of Canature Health, Director of Aquaporin A/S (Denmark), and Legal Counsel at the Beijing Representative Office of Gide Loyrette Nouel (France).

With over a decade of experience in the industrial sector and a thorough understanding of corporate operations, I have participated in the initiation and establishment of industrial funds focused on environmental protection, clean energy, and biopharmaceuticals. I possess extensive expertise in integrating industry with finance and facilitating the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

Wen Zefeng

Charles River Senior Sales Director, China

With nearly 15 years of experience in laboratory animal science and industry, holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the United States. Contributed to or led 11 utility model patents and participated in the compilation of the “Guidelines for Quality and Competence Management in Laboratory Animal Facilities.” Previously oversaw production and operational management at Charles River’s Nanjing and Shanghai branches, and led animal production facility construction projects in key regions including Zhejiang, Shunde, and Chengdu.

Li Chen

General Manager, Beijing Yifang Health Industry Co., Ltd.

Authored the book *Healthy China: Industrial Development Opportunities and Challenges*. Previously held positions at Fortune 500 companies, overseeing brand communication, strategic research, and industrial operations. Currently serves as the Head of the Health Industry at Yifang Group, managing and operating projects such as large-scale health industry parks.

Zhang Bingjie

Vice President of Investment at Puhua Capital

Holds dual master’s degrees in Business Administration and Finance from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and emlyon business school, with a bachelor’s degree majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Focuses on investments in biotechnology and innovative medical devices. Previously worked at the venture capital arm of Allianz Insurance Group, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Audi AG’s Strategic Planning Department in Germany, possessing robust capabilities in investment and industry analysis.

Investment cases: Enzyme Biotech, Smart, Lingfu Biotech, etc.

Yifang Health Valley Beijing Sub-Center Smart Healthcare Park, located in the Zhongguancun Tongzhou Park, features rehabilitation medicine, reproductive care, and high-end elderly care as its industrial specialties, with biopharmaceutical R&D and corporate headquarters as its industrial clusters. It covers the entire healthcare industry chain, supporting the development of the pharmaceutical and health industry cluster in the Beijing Sub-Center.

PuHua Capital was founded in 2004. Over the years, it has adhered to the philosophy of “deepening industry engagement and investing in the future,” focusing on venture capital investments in four key sectors: new technology, healthcare, new energy, and new consumption. Since its inception, PuHua Capital has identified healthcare as one of its four core focus areas and has built a professional medical investment team. The firm continues to strengthen its traditional strengths in fields such as in vitro diagnostics (IVD), medical devices, and life sciences, while actively expanding into innovative drugs and pursuing strategic overseas deployments to track early-stage, source innovations with significant application value.

By the end of 2021, it had invested in more than 120 healthcare companies, including Micro-Tech (Nanjing) Co., Ltd., ACROBiosystems, Starna Therapeutics, Aimei Biologics, Jianjia Robotics, and Core Medical, among others.

VBPharma is a media and research platform under VCBeat that focuses on the biopharmaceutical sector. It delivers “in-depth” and “incremental” communication value to innovators and entrepreneurs through two dimensions: content and operations. In terms of content, it offers exclusive coverage of financing rounds, corporate interviews, the “Drug Developers” column, in-depth industry analyses, and sector reports. On the operations front, its branded series “VB Think Tank” focuses on practical challenges, discusses industrial trends, and fosters tangible collaborations through the exchange of ideas.

Special Topic Achievements:【CXO】[Organoids and Organ-on-a-Chip]【iPSC】[Nuclear Medicine]【Upstream Tools】[Synthetic Biology]Wait

VB Think Tank is one of VCBeat’s flagship events, serving as a face-to-face platform centered on exploring solutions in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, with the mission to “focus on practical challenges and discuss industry trends.” The event conducts in-depth discussions, analyses, and brainstorming sessions around the current development status of core themes, addressing encountered difficulties, pain points, and barriers. Meanwhile, it delves into the resource endowments of participating enterprises, fostering tangible collaborations through intellectual exchange. Each edition follows the principle of “one theme, one platform, one ecosystem.”