Dingjing Bio Joins Forces with Industry Leaders to Advance Precision Medicine: Tripartite Collaboration Launches Enhanced Breast Cancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment Initiative
November 5, 2022, Shanghai, China – At the 5th China International Import Expo, Zhejiang Shaoxing Dingjing Biopharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Dingjing Bio”), Roche Diagnostics China (hereinafter referred to as “Roche Diagnostics”), and the Precision Oncology Center of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (hereinafter referred to as “FUSCC Precision Oncology Center”) jointly announced the launch of a collaborative project to deepen precision diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. The three parties will leverage the “Breast Cancer Multi-Gene Testing” product of the FUSCC Precision Oncology Center to explore and establish a full-process Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) solution for breast cancer multi-gene testing, thereby promoting clinical translation in the field of precision medicine and accelerating the availability of innovative achievements to benefit more patients.
Launch Ceremony for the Deepened Collaboration on Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the leading malignant tumor threatening the health of women in China, with its incidence rate continuing to rise and showing a trend toward affecting younger populations. With the widespread adoption of early screening and advancements in comprehensive treatment in recent years, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer patients in China has significantly improved, ushering in an era of precision diagnosis and treatment based on molecular subtyping.
Precision tumor testing refers to the use of omics-based detection technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, to acquire tumor-related biological information and further analyze the clinical application value of these results in tumor screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Among these, next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based multi-gene testing has been widely applied in clinical practice. This technology enables high-throughput sequencing to analyze mutation genes, types, loci, and other relevant information in target tumors. Multi-gene mutation testing holds significant reference value for risk prediction of breast cancer and the selection of precision treatment regimens.
Dingjing Bio, established in 2012 as part of this collaborative project, is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the integration, research and development, and sales of globally leading precision medicine technologies and products. Leveraging high-throughput sequencing as its core technology and self-developed reagents, Dingjing Bio has built a nationwide framework encompassing LDT (Laboratory Developed Tests), IVD (In Vitro Diagnostic kits), and TSP (Total Solutions for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment) across the fields of early cancer screening, companion diagnostics (CDx), minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring, precision medication guidance for chronic diseases, and infectious diseases. Its mission is to “make precision medicine accessible.” Roche Diagnostics is committed to developing and providing innovative, cost-effective, timely, and reliable diagnostic systems and solutions spanning early disease detection, prevention, diagnosis, and monitoring. These efforts aim to help healthcare professionals improve patient outcomes, enhance quality of life, and reduce societal healthcare costs.
The Fudan Precision Oncology Center, grounded in high-throughput gene sequencing, conducts work in tumor diagnosis and treatment, scientific research, and the translation of research findings into practical applications. The center’s established genetic testing platform has completed over 20,000 in-house tests; notably, its multi-gene testing product for breast cancer has undergone clinical testing in more than 6,000 cases, achieving deep integration between clinical practice and innovative disciplinary research.
Professor Shao Zhimin, Director of the Center for Precision Oncology at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer CenterIn an interview with VCBeat, the expert stated: “Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous group of tumors, with significant variations in clinical features, malignancy, and prognosis across different molecular subtypes. Therefore, ‘subtype-specific treatment’ is a crucial prerequisite for advancing the diagnosis and management of breast cancer. Precision testing, including multi-gene mutation profiling, enables the development of individualized treatment plans for patients. It holds broad application prospects in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and is playing an increasingly important role in clinical practice.”
Address by Professor Shao Zhimin, Director of the Center for Precision Oncology at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
Mr. Yuan Jianzhong, Vice President of Roche Diagnostics China – Life Science DivisionIn a statement to VCBeat, the company said, “Over the past five years, we have leveraged the strong influence and spillover effects of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) platform to accelerate the localization of innovative in vitro diagnostic solutions in China. Adhering to the philosophy of ‘Rooted in China, Serving China,’ we are joining hands with leading domestic medical institutions and outstanding corporate partners to jointly promote the innovative development of precision medicine. Seizing this opportunity, we will further advance the widespread adoption of innovative breast cancer testing, accelerate the clinical translation and application of innovative products, and ultimately benefit more patients, contributing our collective strength to the Healthy China initiative.”
Mr. Yuan Jianzhong, Vice President of Roche Diagnostics China - Life Science Division
To further leverage the leading role of the biopharmaceutical industry, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government’s “Several Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of the City’s Biopharmaceutical Industry” proposes that, while strengthening support for research and industrialization, greater emphasis should be placed on clinical research translation and medical-enterprise collaboration, with a focus on building a policy support and engineering system that covers the entire industry chain of “R&D + clinical trials + manufacturing + application.”
Deepened exchange and collaboration among medical institutions, research entities, and enterprises facilitate the establishment of a collaborative innovation model, streamline the pathway from technological advancement to industrial application, and ultimately benefit patients. With the achievement of this enhanced cooperation in precision diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center’s Precision Oncology Center, Roche Diagnostics, and Dingjing Biotechnology will fully integrate their advantageous resources. Leveraging Roche Diagnostics’ AVENIO Edge System, an automated and intelligent testing platform, they will establish and optimize a comprehensive Laboratory-Developed Test (LDT) solution for multi-gene testing in breast cancer, further accelerating the integration of industry and healthcare and empowering the translation of clinical research into practice.
Mr. Shen Weiqiang, Chairman and General Manager of Dingjing Biotechnology“The accessibility of precision medicine has always been the core vision of Dingjing Biotechnology, as we have been both witnesses to and drivers of the leapfrog development in this field. Guided by our mission to ‘make healthcare more effective,’ we continuously expand and deepen close ties and practical collaborations with partners across the board. Against the backdrop of the ‘Healthy China 2030’ Planning Outline, and with the introduction of new Laboratory Developed Tests (LDT) policies in various regions, the establishment of this partnership represents an innovative initiative to jointly promote the translation of clinical research achievements. It also marks a promising beginning for mutual benefit, long-term collaboration, and shared growth among the three parties. We look forward to working together to facilitate the widespread clinical application of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology and contribute to the further advancement of precision diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer.”
Address by Mr. Shen Weiqiang, Chairman and General Manager of Dingjing Biotechnology
VCBeat has noted that Dingjing Biology completed a round of equity financing in the middle of this year and further communicated with Chairman Mr. Shen regarding the company’s recent developments. Mr. Shen stated that in 2022, amid the broader economic impact of the pandemic, Dingjing Biology made substantial contributions to national economic recovery while iteratively updating its product portfolio to provide comprehensive care throughout the entire journey for cancer patients. Overall revenue increased by dozens of percentage points year-on-year. The company’s new MRD (minimal residual disease) product, featuring its proprietary Tumor-Informed solution, has achieved a preoperative positive rate of 64.3% and has been fully rolled out for sales, with annual sales volume projected to reach the tens of millions. Its NGS-based test for differentiating benign from malignant thyroid cancer has rapidly gained traction across hospitals at all levels nationwide; this proprietary technology has increased detection sensitivity from 58% with traditional pathology to 86%, significantly reducing unnecessary thyroidectomies and lifelong medication among patients with thyroid abnormalities. The company’s first Class III medical device certification for statin therapy guidance in hyperlipidemia has completed the deficiency correction process and is expected to be approved in the first quarter of 2023. The integrated solutions segment will also leverage collaborations with industry giants to expand its presence in major hospitals across China. Finally, Mr. Shen noted that leading companies in the precision medicine sector have gradually established pathways for listings on both the A-share and Hong Kong stock exchanges, and Dingjing Biology aims to complete the final step of its capital market listing through the most certain approach.