Non-invasive Cancer Screening Company GeneforOne Completes Tens of Millions RMB Series B Financing

Recently, Hangzhou Heyi Gene Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Heyi Gene”) announced the completion of its Series B financing round, raising tens of millions of RMB. The investment was led by Chengda Pharmaceutical (Stock Code: 301201), a publicly listed company. The funds raised in this round will be primarily used for the regulatory registration and filing of its colorectal cancer early screening product, as well as for the research and development of early screening solutions for gastric cancer and liver cancer. Previously, the company secured financing from investors such as Angels Bay Venture Capital and Yuanfang Information (Stock Code: 300306). It has also received maximum entrepreneurial support under the Hangzhou Binjiang “High-Level Talent Introduction Program (Domestic and Overseas)” and talent support from Zhejiang Province’s “Ten Thousand Talents Program.”

YiGene, established in 2014, is a leading enterprise in non-invasive early cancer screening. Guided by its mission to “enable everyone to stay away from cancer at an earlier stage,” YiGene leverages its independently developed core technologies, including tumor gene methylation and liquid biopsy, to research, develop, and provide early cancer screening products that combine four key advantages: non-invasiveness, precision, early detection, and accessibility. This empowers individuals to win the battle against cancer.

Screening and early detection are the core keys to cancer prevention, control, and avoidance. Taking colorectal cancer as an example, non-invasive early screening for colorectal cancer overcomes the serious limitations of traditional fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), such as low accuracy and difficulty in detecting precancerous lesions. Meanwhile, it offers significant advantages of being non-invasive and convenient compared to colonoscopy, thereby providing a new toolkit for cancer screening. The "14th Five-Year Plan for National Health" proposes strengthening prevention, early screening, and comprehensive intervention, expanding the coverage of early diagnosis and treatment of cancer through multiple channels, and guiding localities to widely carry out opportunistic screening for key cancers based on actual conditions. Non-invasive early cancer screening aligns closely with the national health strategy, holding substantial social value, public welfare value, and prospects for industrial development.

Heyi Gene focuses on the non-invasive early cancer screening sector for digestive tract cancers. The company boasts an industry-leading non-invasive early cancer screening technology platform, holds more than 50 intellectual property rights including patents and software copyrights, and is capable of continuously developing a series of early cancer screening products. Its current product pipeline includes early screening for colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, integrated gastrointestinal cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and multi-cancer types. These technologies address the limitations of existing solutions such as tumor markers and gastrointestinal endoscopy, which suffer from low accuracy or invasiveness, thereby effectively meeting the market demand for both non-invasiveness and precision.

Wang Junyi, Founder and Chairman of Heyi Gene, stated: “We extend our gratitude to the government, clients, and shareholders for their support and assistance to Heyi Gene, and we thank our team for their diligence, determination, and courageous progress. In recent years, the non-invasive early cancer screening industry has encountered a development bottleneck: the high cost of 1.0-generation technology has driven product pricing beyond the affordability of most Chinese consumers. After developing the 1.0-generation technology, Heyi Gene invested five additional years in R&D to successfully launch its 2.0-generation platform. This advancement significantly reduces costs while maintaining high accuracy, establishing a core technology matrix and product system that combine ‘high performance’ with ‘low cost,’ thereby substantially lowering the end-user price for early cancer screening. Heyi Gene’s 2.0 technology comprehensively integrates effectiveness, safety, convenience, compliance, and affordability into a ‘five-in-one’ solution, providing strong impetus for the widespread adoption of cancer screening. Looking ahead, Heyi Gene will collaborate with industry peers to jointly promote the普及 (popularization) of cancer screening and the overall development of the sector.”