Huayu Life Advances in Cell Therapy-Driven Storage Market with Nationwide Expansion and IPO Filing
Following the U.S. FDA’s approval of two CAR-T cell therapy drugs in 2017, attention to cell therapy has been steadily increasing. In 2021, the successive approvals by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of Fosun Kite’s axicabtagene ciloleucel injection and Shanghai WuXi Juno’s relmacabtagene autoleucel injection further fueled the already booming domestic cell therapy market. Cell therapy has now become a prominent area of research in oncology treatment.
Huayu Life’s founding team was among the earliest in China to venture into the field of cell therapy, playing a deep and integral role in the sector’s development from its inception through its rapid growth. The team pioneered the establishment of industrialized cell manufacturing, quality control, and cell storage systems in China. The company’s founder, Wang Dapeng, holds a professional background in cell biology and brings years of experience in scientific research and clinical applications of cell therapy.
The rising popularity of cell therapy in China has enabled Wang Dapeng to keenly recognize the opportunities within the niche market of cell storage. The practice of cryopreserving cells during a healthy state for subsequent extraction and application in disease treatment, health maintenance, and wellness upon illness is gaining increasing acceptance among the public.
Therefore, Wang Dapeng founded Huayu Life, focusing on third-party cell storage services. Huayu Life specializes in the storage of immune cells and stem cells. As a company equipped with PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cell) cryopreservation technology, it serves both healthy individuals and patients, offering cryopreservation for various cell types including PBMCs. Additionally, it possesses the capability to differentiate PBMCs into high-purity immune cells such as NK cells and T cells. Currently, the companyFive cell storage facilities have been established across China.
China’s cell storage market has a long history of development, dating back to umbilical cord blood stem cell storage in the 20th century. In recent years, the wave of cell therapy has propelled the cell storage market to new heights.
Cell therapy employs bioengineering techniques to obtain cells with specific functions. Through processes such as ex vivo expansion and specialized culture, these cells are endowed with capabilities including immune enhancement and the elimination of pathogens and tumor cells, thereby achieving therapeutic effects for specific diseases. Currently, the primary modalities of cell therapy are immune cell therapy and stem cell therapy.
Cell therapy is currently in the spotlight and is regarded as a potential cure for diseases such as diabetes and malignant tumors. Furthermore, all cell therapy products require a cellular source, specifically seed cells that meet quality standards. As an increasing number of people begin to store cells for future needs, the cell storage market has emerged.
Currently, an increasing variety of cell types can be stored, with third-party cell storage companies primarily focusing on the storage of stem cells and immune cells.
Among these, stem cell storage includes hematopoietic stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, as well as mesenchymal stem cells sourced from the placenta, bone marrow, adipose tissue, and dental pulp. Immune cell storage is categorized into peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and adult immune cells.PBMCs can differentiate into various immune cells, such as NK cells, T cells, and macrophages, offering customers greater flexibility in future applications and making them a more promising option for cell storage., but due to the significant challenges associated with storage, only a handful of companies currently offer PBMC storage services on the market.
With the rapid development of the cell storage market and increased awareness, there are more and more companies offering cell storage services on the market. "The market is currently in a phase of intense competition among numerous players. The market size for immune cell and stem cell storage (excluding umbilical cord blood stem cell storage) is estimated at approximately RMB 1 billion, and it is projected to reach tens of billions within five years.”
Although there are many participants in cell storage and the sector is gaining significant traction, the industry as a whole remains in its early stages. Currently, two major pain points exist. First, establishing a cell storage facility typically requires an investment of RMB 3 million to 50 million, which is substantial; consequently, most companies adopt a regional layout with limited coverage, and within the industryNo nationwide leading enterprise has yet emerged.. Second,The industry is still generally unable to provide higher value-added services,Maximize the utilization of stored cell samples.
Huayu Life addresses these two major pain points with the aim of establishing a nationwide professional cell storage enterprise, providing safe, stable, and high-standard cell storage services.
Wang Dapeng stated, “Many people have misconceptions about cell storage, believing it to be a simple process akin to animal hibernation—just place the cells in liquid nitrogen and retrieve them decades later.”
In fact, cell storage is a high-barrier industry. Cells typically need to be preserved for 20–30 years, spanning an extensive period. It is essential first to ensure the safety of stored cells and second to maintain their long-term viability. Furthermore, it is crucial to preserve their differentiation capacity, enabling them to differentiate into various cell types. These requirements pose significant challenges to companies’ cell storage systems.
Huayu Life has built, through years of technological accumulation,Comprehensive Cell Storage System, which can effectively ensure the safety, viability, and differentiation capacity of cells. The company providesComprehensive Cell Storage Solutions, including cryopreservation services for various cell types such as PBMCs from healthy individuals, neonatal placental cells, autologous bone marrow cells, and peripheral blood stem cells from leukemia patients, possessingComplete cryopreservation process and automated storage system.
Meanwhile, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) is the authoritative institution in China for cell quality verification, and Huayu Life is one of the few domestic enterprises that have passed the NIFDC’s cell quality verification.
In terms of cell differentiation, Huayu Life offers cell differentiation services. The company also collaborates with multiple leading cell therapy enterprises, enabling clients to partner with suitable providers to manufacture more targeted cell therapy products, thereby maximizing the therapeutic potential of stored cell seeds. This further underscores the reliability and quality of Huayu Life’s cell storage services.
Currently, Huayu Life has established operations in Tianjin, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hohhot, and Shenyang.Five Cell Storage Facilities.“In 2022, Huayu Life will complete the construction of four additional cell storage bases, hoping”Establish 20 cell storage facilities across China within the next three years,Construction'3-Hour Cell Storage Circle'“, making cell access as convenient as withdrawing money from a bank. Regardless of where customers are located across China, they can enjoy Huayu Life’s services and receive their stored cells within three hours, ensuring ease of use.”
Immunocyte therapy has been included in China’s “13th Five-Year Plan” Guidelines for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry. Wang Dapeng believes that, with favorable policies and improving regulations surrounding cell therapy, China’s cell storage industry still holds vast market opportunities to be explored. Particularly against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of life and health has been elevated to new heights; more people are prioritizing their well-being and actively embracing cutting-edge technologies such as cell storage. “Huayu Life will continue to expand its network of cell storage facilities and forge extensive collaborations with cell therapy companies. ‘One connection, lifelong benefits’—we hope that through Huayu Life’s efforts, cell therapy, once distant and unattainable, will become accessible to more people in need.”