Putech Bio Advances Precision Medicine with Integrated Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics Multi-Omics Platform

Following genomics and proteomics, metabolomics has gradually gained momentum and come into the spotlight.

Gene and protein expression are closely linked, representing an exploration of the fundamental activities of life at the genetic and proteomic levels. However, many critical biological processes within cells actually occur at the metabolite level. If genes and proteins are the helmsmen of life’s activities, then metabolites are the executors.

From genomics to proteomics and metabolomics, and from single-omics to multi-omics integrated analysis, the combination of different omics technologies is playing an increasingly important role in scientific research and has gradually become a hot topic. In the context of precision medicine, joint studies from “source” to “endpoint,” with mutual validation, can provide more evidence for exploring the complexity and holism of biological processes.

PROTEINT, founded in 2014, is a biotech innovation enterprise that provides patients, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies with comprehensive services spanning from R&D to clinical applications, distinguished by its integrated “gene-protein-metabolite” triad omics analysis.

Dr. Li Jie, Founder and CEO of PROTEINTHe/She is among the first researchers worldwide to translate proteomics into clinical practice.

In 1988, Li Jie enrolled at Tianjin Medical University to study clinical medicine. After obtaining his doctoral degree, he became a neurosurgeon at the General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University. Having accumulated nearly 13 years of clinical experience, Li Jie received an invitation from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2001 to travel to the United States to conduct research on cutting-edge technologies for disease diagnosis and treatment.

Over a seven-year period, Li Jie advanced from Assistant Researcher to Associate Researcher, and in 2008 joined the Department of Pathology at Yale University in the United States as a full Researcher specializing in molecular pathology. During this time, he was exposed to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, which later became the core technology underpinning his entrepreneurial venture.

By 2014, gene sequencing technology had become relatively mature and was already being applied in clinical settings in the United States. “Genes are merely a string of codes; they do not possess functional capabilities themselves. Proteins, which are encoded by genes, are the actual effectors of biological functions and can more directly reflect health and disease states,” said Dr. Li Jie.

Gene sequencing can only reveal genetic coding, but it cannot influence protein expression, making its impact on diseases unknown. Since 2004, Li Jie has been dedicated to translating mass spectrometry-based proteomics technology into clinical applications, accumulating over a decade of experience. A large foreign company invited him to apply this technology to precision medicine.

At that time, China was actively engaging with prestigious American universities, seeking to purchase or introduce commercially viable projects. By chance, after delivering an academic lecture on proteomics for a Chinese delegation, Li Jie received invitations from many domestic experts and officials, prompting him to return to China for his career development.

In 2014, Dr. Li Jie returned to China and founded PROTEINT. From day one, the company’s goal has been to apply proteomics technology to clinical practice.

“Early proteomic testing required relatively large sample volumes, and the samples had to be fresh. Currently, there is an emphasis on minimizing trauma to patients, leading to increasingly smaller pathological sampling. We can now complete the test using a sample only 5 micrometers thick and about the size of a soybean, without requiring fresh tissue,” said Dr. Li Jie.

In 2016, PROTEINT was recognized as a National High-Tech Enterprise. In 2018, PROTEINT established the Baikang Hexin Clinical Laboratory, which holds qualifications as a Tier-1 medical institution, marking its genuine entry into serving clinical cases and opening a new window for cancer and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease treatment.

At the time, the clinical application of proteomics in China was largely uncharted territory, while the genetic testing industry was booming. Later, Li Jie chose to integrate genomics with proteomics and subsequently incorporated metabolomics, thereby advancing protein-centric multi-omics (gene–protein–metabolite) toward clinical applications in cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

To expand its advantages and distinctive features in metabolomics, PROTEINT established its subsidiary, Putian NMR, which focuses on the chronic disease management services sector, andFacilitated the deployment of China's first NMR system for lipid profiling.。

NMR, short for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, or NMR spectroscopy, together with ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, is collectively known as the “Four Spectroscopies.” It is one of the most powerful tools for qualitative analysis of the composition and structure of various organic and inorganic substances.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy enables precise lipid profiling, simultaneously measuring 114 lipid parameters—including lipoprotein particles and subtypes—as well as 39 blood metabolites, playing a critically important clinical role in the early warning, diagnosis, and pharmacological management of cardiovascular diseases.

To date, PROTEINT has accumulated a testing volume of 70,000 to 80,000 samples and, in collaboration with Fuwai Hospital, has established reference intervals for lipid subclasses in healthy Chinese adults based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

According to Dr. Li Jie, blood testing has long been a major bottleneck in the clinical application of proteomics. Approximately 10,000 types of high-abundance proteins exist in human blood, accounting for 99.9% of the total protein content. Identifying proteins truly associated with diseases is akin to “finding a blade of grass on Mount Everest.” Since 2016, the team has been working to overcome this technical challenge, striving to remove the “mountain” so that only the “important grass” remains visible.

In October last year, the team led by Dr. Li Jie broke through technical bottlenecks, and their independently developed next-generation liquid biopsy technology has achievedIdentification and Quantitative Analysis of Over 4,000 Blood Proteins per Sample per Hour, currently engaged in the development and commercialization of product pipelines for early screening and diagnosis of common cancers—including liver, lung, gastric, esophageal, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers—as well as pan-cancer applications; chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions; tumor recurrence monitoring; and companion diagnostics. By integrating high-throughput, automated liquid biopsy solutions, it has laid a solid foundation for the application of liquid biopsy in medical healthcare and pharmaceutical R&D.

“Building on genomics, the sequential integration of proteomics and then metabolomics essentially pushes the personalization of precision medicine to its limit, delivering solutions that are more precise for patients and more efficient in their use of medical resources,” said Dr. Li Jie.

Leveraging its accumulation of multi-omics databases, PROTEINT is also strategically positioning itself in drug R&D. “We have integrated nearly 10,000 databases for major cancer types. Based on changes in genes, proteins, and metabolites, the recommended drug targets are more precise.”

According to Dr. Li Jie, the applicability of standalone genetic testing is only 8%, with an efficacy rate of merely around 5%. Tumorigenesis is a highly complex process involving genomic coding errors, protein interactions, and metabolic regulation of the microenvironment. Current genomics approaches can only target genes with mutations at the source, but fail to address pathway-level issues.

“By expanding the scope of monitoring for both diagnosis and treatment, the range of drug selection correspondingly widens. As a result, we have increased the drug recommendation rate from 8% based on genetic analysis to approximately 80%. In addition to enabling more precise and personalized analysis, this approach broadens therapeutic options, thereby benefiting a larger patient population,” said Dr. Li Jie.

Dr. Li Jie shared a real-life case: A cancer patient, initially found to have no detectable gene mutations, received conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Two weeks later, the patient’s tumor had enlarged. Subsequent precise analysis revealed a dysfunction in a specific signaling pathway. Based on this finding, combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results, the medical team selected a lipid metabolism-targeting drug for treatment. After just two treatment cycles, CT scans showed a reduction in tumor size. Five years on, the patient remains alive and well.

Technological breakthroughs are inseparable from the efforts of our talent team. Currently, technical personnel account for 60%–70% of the company’s total workforce. The R&D team comprises more than 20 members, all holding master’s degrees or higher, with approximately half possessing doctoral degrees. Furthermore, the company achieved annual revenue of nearly RMB 100 million last year, 80% of which was reinvested into research and development.

Currently, the company has basically completed the construction of its core team and product R&D, entering a phase of rapid growth. In terms of financing, PROTEINT has initiated its Series A+ funding round. Regarding products, the company’s early-stage lung cancer screening product and MRI-related product have begun the application process for clinical trial approval.

In the short term, PROTEINT is continuously laying out new products while actively advancing product license applications to promote its products to major hospitals. In the next 3-5 years, the company hopes to attract more capital investment to prepare for the internationalization of its products.

“Our vision is to become a setter of new medical standards. By continuously accumulating technology and experience, we aim to achieve absolute leadership in our core areas and establish global standards. Through technological innovation, we seek to generate greater demand within the industry, provide enhanced services for both physicians and patients, and enable humanity to better combat various diseases,” said Dr. Li Jie.