DeepKinase Announces Over RMB 100 Million Series A and Tens of Millions RMB Series A+ Financing, Pioneering China's First Approved Proteomics Mass Spectrometry Kit and Clinical Lab Certification

VCBeat has learned that DeepKinase, a pioneer in clinical proteomics under Jiahua Yaorui Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., completed its Series A financing of over RMB 100 million and its Series A+ financing of tens of millions of yuan in 2022. The Series A round was co-led by Longpan Investment and BioTrack Capital, with continued support from existing investors such as FreeS Fund. The Series A+ round was exclusively invested by Junshan Capital.

The funding will be used to further strengthen the construction of the technology platform, raise technical barriers, and accelerate the automation of the proteomics experimental platform, thereby enhancing stability and throughput capacity. Meanwhile, the company will optimize its AI-integrated protein analysis algorithms to deeply explore new targets and biomarkers, consolidate, expand, and enrich the R&D of its innovative product pipeline, and vigorously promote commercialization, bringing benefits to more enterprises and patients.

Since its establishment in July 2019, Jiahua Yaorui has maintained a low profile, operating almost in “stealth mode.” Nevertheless, the company has achieved rapid growth, continuously leading the development of clinical proteomics in China in terms of technology and products. It is reported that Jiahua Yaorui has completed four rounds of financing in the three years since its inception, with early investors including FreeS Fund, Beijing Zhongguancun Development Qihang Innovation Investment Fund, and Feifan Venture Capital.

Dr. Zheng Naizhong, CEO of Jiahua YaoruiStatement: Prior to 2019, I dedicated many years to the field of genomics, accumulating a dataset comprising millions of samples. However, throughout this journey, I clearly recognized that relying solely on genomic maps is far from sufficient to realize the vision of “precision medicine.” This realization felt akin to enduring hardships to reach the mountainside, only to look around and discover that the path beneath my feet did not lead to the summit. After profound reflection, I trusted my insights and embarked on a new journey by founding Jiahua Yaorui. I am convinced that breakthroughs from zero to one will occur more than once. As various proteomics technologies continue to emerge with increasing accessibility, their applications will expand from scientific research to diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and even agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, and household use, offering tools that are more effective, practical, and promising than those in genomics. While the upstream tool platforms for proteomics have gained recognition in global capital markets, no clear industry leader has yet emerged. We are confident in competing alongside top international enterprises and aspire to stand out. Jiahua Yaorui is a focused and low-profile company. We extend our gratitude to our investors, who possess strategic vision and independent judgment; they discovered and supported us, and together we look forward to the future!

Yu Zhihua, Partner at Longpan Investment ManagementIt is stated that proteomics, as an emerging discipline, represents another breakthrough in the exploration of life, holding significant value in the discovery of new targets, development of novel drugs, and guidance for precision clinical medication. The team at Jiahua Yaorui has been deeply engaged in proteomics for many years. By leveraging AI technologies and automated platform systems, they have transcended traditional methods to achieve value advantages characterized by broad coverage, high affinity, low cost, and easy accessibility, making them more suitable for both scientific research and clinical applications. Combined with the team’s extensive clinical resources, this approach can effectively accelerate the translation of findings into clinical practice.

Dr. Li Han, Vice President of Investment at Boyuan CapitalIt is well established that proteins are the primary executors of various biological functions, and proteomics provides the most direct characterization of cellular functions and states. The proteome offers critical information beyond the genome, paving the way for new cognitive insights and breakthroughs in therapeutic approaches within life sciences and precision medicine. Jiahua Yaorui possesses globally proprietary kinase activity mass spectrometry technology and a diverse toolbox of proteomic technologies. It is the first proteomics company in China to achieve commercial breakthroughs in both clinical diagnostics and new drug development. Under the leadership of its founding team, which boasts extensive industrialization experience, the company aims to achieve rapid and steady growth, leading the advancement of China’s proteomics industry.

Proteomics, following genomics, represents another major systemic industry opportunity—a consensus already reached within the scientific, industrial, and investment communities.Proteins are the ultimate executors and responders of physiological events; changes in their function and activity, as well as their regulation and imbalance, are the direct causes influencing phenotypes.

Although advances in genomics technologies have revolutionized our understanding of genomics and gene-level regulation, genetic information does not directly participate in life activities; changes at the genetic level do not fully manifest in the complex state of cells, and may not even be reflected in transcriptomic data.

In simple terms, mutations, transcription, and protein expression are sufficient but not necessary conditions for one another, with considerable uncertainty involved. As the executors of biological activities, proteins can directly influence the physiological and pathological states of the organism. Therefore,Changes in proteomic function and activity represent the most direct and effective dimension of information, not only directly influencing our understanding of diseases but also aligning closely with drug development and precision medicine.

How large is this market?

At this year’s JPM Healthcare Conference, several publicly traded proteomics companies presented their estimates of the Total Addressable Market (TAM). Olink posits a $35 billion market in total, comprising $19 billion in the research sector and $16 billion in the diagnostics sector. Quanterix offers a more optimistic outlook, citing SVB Leerink’s report data to suggest a $75 billion market, with approximately $20 billion in research and $55 billion in diagnostics. SomaLogic states that the proteomics TAM should be a $90 billion market, broken down into $30 billion in research, $40 billion in diagnostics, and $20 billion in the pharmaceutical industry.

Fifteen years ago, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology enjoyed similar market valuations and industry hype. Will the proteomics market grow rapidly and surpass the NGS market? The entire natural sciences community is filled with anticipation for the answer.

While the genome remains largely unchanged as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, its proteome undergoes dramatic changes.

Compared with genetic mutations, protein activity and function reflect functional execution information, which is more diverse and dynamic. Even within the same cell, the proteome is constantly changing across different time periods and conditions, let alone the significant differences in protein types and quantities among different cells within the same individual organism. Therefore, advancing proteomics presents greater challenges.

For clinical research, proteins that are closer to the phenotype have higher translational value.Currently, many classic biomarkers and drug targets are proteins, among which kinases represent the most direct and critical targets in oncology. This is because aberrant kinase phosphorylation disrupts protein function and activity, thereby driving tumor initiation and progression.

For example, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) specifically inhibit the abnormal phosphorylation of these kinases. Kinases such as EGFR, HER2, ALK, NTRK1, RET, and ROS1 serve as targets for small-molecule inhibitors including Gleevec, Nexavar, Iressa, Tagrisso, Xalkori, Tasigna, and Tarceva, as well as for large-molecule antibody drugs such as Herceptin and Avastin. Between 2001 and 2020, a total of 44 TKIs were launched globally, with an average of no fewer than two TKIs approved annually by the FDA. These agents account for 77% of all known kinase inhibitors targeting identified sites, garnering substantial attention from both the scientific community and the market.

For such an important “family” of proteins, genomics and spatial omics are currently the more accessible technical approaches; however, the fields of scientific research and new drug development continue to seek a stable, high-efficiency method capable of comprehensively assessing protein function and activity.

Addressing these needs, we have finally achieved breakthroughs in key technologies, building upon over four decades of dedicated accumulation by two generations of world-leading scientists and three years of pioneering industrial R&D by the Jiahua Yaorui team.

Within the industry chain, Jiahua Yaorui targets the upstream tool platforms of proteomics, leveraging its functional proteomics technology platform to empower precision medicine and new drug development.Over the past three and a half years, the company has brought together a group of like-minded, outstanding partners and established the shared vision of “making cancer a chronic disease.”

Since its establishment, the company has recruited several senior partners to assemble an elite team in the field of clinical proteomics. The team is characterized by its professionalism, distinguished backgrounds, and extensive experience. Its core members have accumulated nearly two decades of dedicated expertise across multiple disciplines, including life sciences, proteomics R&D, immunology, bioinformatics and AI, and management. Driven by shared goals and a common vision, the team consistently maintains strong execution capabilities.

Through collaborative team efforts, Jiahua Yaorui Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was the first to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies, becoming one of the earliest companies to develop and submit regulatory applications for companion diagnostic products related to tumor signaling pathways. It is not only the first company in China’s proteomics field to initiate regulatory registration but also the first to obtain medical device marketing authorization for a product in this sector.

In 2021, the company’s six comprehensive universal kit products under the Shenji Series, including “protein and peptide extraction or purification reagents” for the enrichment of phosphorylated tyrosine kinases, were all approved for market launch, marking the first approved kit product in China’s proteomics field.

In February this year, the company’s subsidiary, Yaorui Laboratory, also obtained its practice license, hitting the “accelerator” for the clinical application of proteomics.

The current achievements are primarily attributed toJiahua Yaorui’s independently developed DeepKinase deep phosphoproteomics kinase platform, DoTK. The platform mainly comprises: three major sample processing technology platforms, method packages and mass spectrometry platforms, and databases with bioinformatics AI platforms.。

Traditional phosphorylation antibody detection technologies require intact protein structures for analysis, thereby severely limiting sample types and resulting in poor clinical accessibility. Jiahua Yaorui’s DOTK technology platform has overcome this limitation.It is no longer affected by sample protein denaturation, expanding the range of detectable sample types to include fresh-frozen tissues, formalin-fixed samples, and paraffin-embedded sections. This advancement achieves greater clinical accessibility, paving the way for large-scale collection of comprehensive data on signaling pathway functional activity and immune activity profiles from clinical samples.。

Leveraging the DOTK technology platform, Jiahua Yaorui has conducted extensive cutting-edge research, technical optimization, and product development, thereby elucidating the relationships among valid data, biological activity, disease, and therapeutics. A typical example illustrates this approach: when clinicians collect samples from a specific tumor population and identify findings of significant clinical research value, Jiahua Yaorui can perform mechanistic studies through functional proteomics analysis. This process identifies correlations between biomarkers and drug efficacy, ultimately enhancing the therapeutic outcomes of clinical protocols. By adopting a "clinically initiated, clinically concluded" strategy, the company achieves a closed loop of induction, deduction, and validation.

In the fields of oncology detection and drug development, the company has taken a solid step by launching “Danbaizhi,” a new brand imbued with mission and positive connotations, and unveiling its flagship new products: QSure Qianxu, the Shenji series, and the DODT drug proteomics analysis platform.The high-resolution, pY-targeted quantitative platform “QSure Qianxu” is the centerpiece of Jiahua Yaorui’s clinical strategy. “From chaos to order,” QSure Qianxu addresses complex diseases such as cancer by pioneering two key capabilities: guiding precision oncology medication and managing metastasis and drug resistance, earning consistent recognition from numerous clinical experts.

Meanwhile, the booming development of innovative drug R&D has also generated substantial demand and opportunities for proteomics. Proteomics has significant potential to be leveraged across various stages, including drug discovery, preclinical research, and clinical trials, as well as in clinical personalized diagnosis and treatment and companion diagnostics.

Based on this, Jiahua Yaorui’s DeepKinase drug proteomics analysis platform, “DoDT (Deep Omics of Drug Target),” was established. Integrating multiple proprietary technologies (with PCT patents granted), it has launched several service platforms, including DoTK (a proteomics analysis platform for assessing the targeting efficacy of TKI drugs), DoTD (a proteomics analysis platform for evaluating the degradation efficacy of PROTACs and molecular glues), DoTF (a general-purpose drug target analysis platform based on chemoproteomics technology), and DoTB (a platform for discovering pharmacodynamic biomarkers based on plasma proteomics technology). These platforms cover areas such as mechanism of action (MOA) analysis, off-target and mis-target analysis, biomarker discovery and validation, precise patient enrollment, indication expansion, and companion diagnostic development.

The DoDT Drug Analysis Division is built upon the company’s expertise in modified proteomics, employing a hierarchical and integrated approach that combines quantitative proteomics with chemical proteomics. This division categorizes its analyses across three dimensions: targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and drug structures. It conducts omics-level analysis and validation of the targeting capabilities of targeted protein degraders (such as PROTACs and molecular glues) and other small-molecule drugs, while thoroughly investigating potential issues related to polypharmacology, off-target effects, and mis-targeting.

To date, Jiahua Yaorui has established partnerships with more than 30 pharmaceutical companies. As a strategic partner of Thermo Fisher and an innovation partner of AstraZeneca, it leverages its innovative technology platforms to provide in-depth support for new drug development.

Henceforth, tumors are no longer a “black box,” as Jiahua Yaorui has turned on the “searchlight.”

Driven by two decades of significant technological advancements in proteomics, particularly the maturation of mass spectrometry techniques for large-scale cohort samples, the first wave of explosive growth in the proteomics industry is expected to occur within the next three to five years.

However, given the complexity of the challenges facing the proteomics industry, it is difficult for the sector to experience comprehensive, across-the-board growth. Instead, breakthrough technologies and leading enterprises tend to focus on achieving breakthroughs in specific niches. According to Jiahua Yaorui Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., securing a “first-mover advantage” requires not only integrating clinical mass spectrometry with industrial-grade sample processing technologies but also precisely targeting high-value diagnostic and therapeutic scenarios, thereby generating substantial market value.

Why Is Mass Spectrometry Considered an Ideal Focus for Proteomics?

Because proteomics provides highly direct and effective information. Mass spectrometry enables the acquisition of large volumes of data with comprehensive coverage, featuring multi-analyte detection, high specificity, high sensitivity, and high throughput, which aligns well with the trend toward multi-omics integration.

For clinical mass spectrometry, "low-hanging fruits" such as neonatal inherited metabolic disorders and vitamin testing have been widely adopted in clinical diagnostics, whileJiahua Yaorui is targeting the “low-hanging fruit” in complex disease areas such as oncology.。

As tyrosine kinases (TKs) are important tumor targets, Jiahua Yaorui has established the DoTK platform, a world-leading industrial-grade deep profiling platform for global phospho-kinase proteomics, which has now completed global PCT patent registration. Meanwhile, the company has accumulated the world’s largest and most comprehensive databases of tumor signaling pathway activity and tumor immune activity. By leveraging sequence-based protein language models such as proGPT, it deeply mines the relationships among diseases, targets, drugs, and functions. This has enabled various applications, including targeted mining of signaling pathways, comprehensive immune profiling, and disease biomarker discovery solutions, thereby addressing key technical challenges in translating proteomics into clinical applications.

From the perspective of theoretical causal relationships, phosphoproteomics is key to unraveling the complex challenge of cancer, while cancer itself represents an ideal focal point for the integration of proteomics and mass spectrometry. Jiahua Yaorui’s ability to capture “high-hanging fruit” stems from its precisely positioned technology, which enables clear mapping of the comprehensive landscape of signaling pathway activity and immune activity. This approach fundamentally addresses the urgent clinical need for precision diagnosis and treatment of cancer, thereby meeting clinical demands and facilitating new drug development.

Jiahua Yaorui has seized the synergy between theoretical characteristics and clinical needs—a “two-way convergence”—targeting the vast market for precision oncology diagnosis and treatment with unmet clinical demands. By leveraging mature industrial-grade proteomic sample preparation technologies, its proprietary deep kinase proteomics technology, and cutting-edge mass spectrometry techniques, the company has solidly bridged the “last mile” in translating proteomic clinical mass spectrometry into clinical practice.

The integration of proteomics into clinical applications is both a prevailing trend and the future that Jiahua Yaorui has always firmly believed in.

Leveraging proteomics technology as its platform and focusing on precision medicine and novel drug target discovery, the company has been advancing the commercialization of its proteomics technologies following the successful completion of multiple financing rounds. Jiahua Yaorui’s ultimate goal is to deliver “precision diagnostics + personalized therapy” solutions.

From 2019 to 2021, Jiahua Yaorui underwent a phase of technological accumulation, overcoming key barriers to the clinical application of mass spectrometry—namely stability, accuracy, and throughput—and obtained corresponding qualifications in compliance with regulatory standards.

From 2022 to 2024, with the launch of its first product and the continuous introduction of subsequent offerings, Jiahua Yaorui entered a phase of rapid industrialization. During this period, the company plans to continuously upgrade and iterate its products by accumulating clinical data and leveraging the evolution of AI models, while expanding coverage across various cancer types to persistently optimize proteomics solutions better suited for clinical application. Meanwhile, the company will also extend its reach into both upstream and downstream areas, including new drug development, early clinical screening, companion diagnostics, recurrence monitoring, and medication switching due to drug resistance.

Compared with other companies in the industry, Jiahua Yaorui has established differentiated advantages in multiple areas, including target discovery, biomarker identification, product portfolio strategy, and cost control. This is primarily attributable to the company’s clear strategic planning for overall technological and product development at its inception, coupled with its consistent and efficient execution.

In terms of product development, the company has prioritized high standardization and automation from the initial design phase by deploying automated sample processing equipment to enhance product stability and throughput. Regarding cost control, the company has achieved breakthroughs in the in-house production and domestic sourcing of core raw materials, significantly reducing costs while ensuring quality.

With a dual strategy of “Diagnostics + Pharmaceutical Companies,” built on the foundation of a “proteomics platform tool,” and aiming to “cover the entire drug R&D pipeline,” Jiahua Yaorui is committed to becoming the creator of core tools for “new target discovery.”

Life sciences have gradually become the centerpiece of science and technology in the 21st century, with applications across numerous specific scenarios, driven by the vigorous development of biotechnology. Biotechnology has enhanced human understanding and control of various diseases, while continuously generating new medical breakthroughs and industrial opportunities.

Among the diseases afflicting humanity, cancer remains the most formidable challenge in the short term; in the long run, the focus may shift toward immune-related disorders and neurological diseases. In the process of conquering these conditions, various new technologies and methodologies will emerge. Even marginal yet meaningful improvements have the potential to save millions of lives and propel humanity into the next era.

From a scientific and technological perspective, Jiahua Yaorui’s patented functional proteomics technology platform can provide important life science information from an entirely new dimension. Such technological advancements will inevitably lead to significant scientific discoveries and drive the progress of science. However, whether this will usher in a new era of clinical proteomics remains to be answered by Jiahua Yaorui through its actions.

Jiahua Yaorui has clearly recognized this trend and is firmly moving toward the anticipated future.