Yakoyin Biotech Files for IPO: Aiming to Accelerate Domestic Substitution of Core Life Science Reagents Within Three Years
Driven by the state’s high priority and sustained investment in the life sciences sector, as well as the rapid growth of the downstream biopharmaceutical industry, the upstream biological reagents industry is experiencing robust development.
Biological reagents, including enzymes, recombinant proteins, antibodies, and other upstream basic consumables, have a wide range of applications. From academic research in universities to corporate R&D, and from the production of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) reagents to the manufacturing of antibody-based drugs and vaccines, biological reagents are indispensable. The performance of these reagents directly determines the quality of end products, earning the sector recognition as the “core” industry of life sciences.
Yakeyin (Wuhan) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yakeyin”), established in 2017,Entering the market with flagship products in niche segments, the company provides innovative biological reagent products and services to the scientific research and industrial markets. It has established a biochemical synthesis and formulation platform as well as a recombinant protein expression and evolution platform centered on biological reagent R&D. Over the past three years, it has developed more than 300 SKUs of research and industrial reagents, with continuous iteration of its key products.。
“Over the next two to three years, we will rapidly achieve domestic substitution of major imported biological reagents,” said Ye Jian, Founder and CEO of Yakeyin.
Since childhood, Ye Jian has aspired to become a scientist in the field of life and health. During his university years, he spent countless hours immersed in laboratories and libraries, where he was long plagued by foreign research reagents that were expensive, inconvenient to obtain, and poorly supported. Deeply aware of China’s passive and lagging position in the research reagent sector, he is determined to change this status quo through his own concrete actions.
After earning his master’s degree from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ye Jian forsook the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. abroad and proactively immersed himself in the industry sector. He held various positions in research and development, production, marketing, and sales at two companies specializing in reagent raw materials. In 2010, he joined Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co., Ltd., an industry leader, where he served as Product Manager/Channel Management.
Ye Jian, Founder and CEO of Yakoin
Leveraging his extensive experience in operating biological research tools, Ye Jian identified a strong demand in the Chinese market for high-quality, cost-effective biological reagents. Coupled with Wuhan’s enhanced connectivity following the opening of high-speed rail lines such as the Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway, and the surge in information exchange driven by internet development, Ye Jian co-founded Wuhan AmyJet Scientific Inc. (“AmyJet”) in 2012.Selected second- and third-tier imported biological reagent brands from overseas for nationwide marketing and promotion in China, achieving nearly RMB 100 million in revenue.。
During the entrepreneurial journey, Ye Jian discovered that customers still had higher demands for product performance, delivery time, price, and after-sales service. As an overseas brand supplier, AmyJet often struggled to address these issues. “For example, regarding delivery time, if the imported brand has stock available in China, delivery can be completed within a few days. However, if there is no domestic stock, it may take approximately 3–4 weeks or even longer. Some research clients do not have dedicated procurement plans; once they fail to obtain reagents in a timely manner, their projects cannot proceed,” Ye Jian explained.
This reflects the industry pain point of low localization in China's biological reagent sector.
For a long time, China’s biological reagent market has been dominated by foreign brands. Biological reagents are primarily categorized into three types: molecular, protein, and cellular. In 2019, just two foreign brands, Thermo Fisher and Qiagen, accounted for approximately 30% of the market share for molecular biological reagents in China, with foreign brands collectively holding a monopolistic position. Antibody reagents constitute the largest segment of protein reagents; in 2019, the domestic antibody reagent market was almost entirely captured by overseas brands, with Chinese manufacturers accounting for only about 10%.
Ye Jian analyzed that the aforementioned situation may be influenced by the following three factors. First, the biopharmaceutical industry is cyclical, and core raw materials cannot be changed arbitrarily. Second, China’s biological reagent industry started relatively late, and there remains a certain gap compared with European and American enterprises in terms of product variety, technological accumulation, production scale, and marketing. Third, many Chinese scientists have returned from studying abroad in Europe and the United States, making them more accustomed to using European and American brands.
Excessive reliance on imported biological reagents has long subjected domestic market customers to pressures such as high prices and prolonged lead times, as well as the risk of supply disruptions triggered by trade frictions and pandemics.
“If we can independently develop biological reagents, we will be able to provide better services to our customers and better support the innovative R&D efforts of researchers.” Thus, five years after his first entrepreneurial venture, Ye Jian founded Yakonin in 2017, dedicated to the global research, production, and sales of flagship products and standardized reagents, striving to achieve domestic substitution of biological reagents in China.
The COVID-19 pandemic has, to some extent, accelerated the process of substituting imported biological reagents with domestically produced alternatives in China. Following the outbreak in 2020, Chinese companies with certain technological advantages, such as Fapon Biotech, Vazyme, Sino Biological, and ACROBiosystems, responded actively by launching biological reagent products including enzymes, antigens, and antibodies. These efforts have enhanced the recognition of domestic biological reagent brands in both the Chinese and international markets.
Amid the wave of domestication of biological reagents in China, Yakeyin has achieved a differentiated layout through product selection, technology, and innovation incubation.
The most critical factor in domestic substitution is speed—specifically, the ability to accelerate localization—rather than immediately producing thousands or tens of thousands of SKUs that outperform foreign products. Under the leadership of Ye Jian, Yakoin has chosen to develop a limited number of high-volume product categories based on market and customer demands, instead of engaging in multi-product competitive imitation. After identifying key flagship products within specific niche segments, Yakoin further deepens its market penetration through technological standardization, synthesis, and intelligent innovation.
In the life science reagents sector, “blockbuster products” refer to those with broad applications, significant growth potential, and suitability for industrial-scale production. Yakoo focuses on micro-innovation and standardization of core overseas products, aiming to achieve domestic substitution within two to three years. This portfolio includes single-component reagents, recombinant proteins, and standardized kits. Beyond the research sector, Yakoo has also begun its strategic layout in the industrial segment of biopharmaceuticals. Building on its provision of assay reagent services to industrial clients, the company will continue to develop supporting products such as recombinant proteins and recombinant antibodies that serve as production tools and raw materials.
Centered on the company’s product positioning, Yakeyin has established two major technology platforms: one isBiochemical Synthesis and Formulation Platform, integrating interdisciplinary biochemical formulation techniques from chemistry, materials science, and optics, it has currently developed hundreds of detection reagents and standardized kits for cell and protein research. The other isRecombinant Protein Expression Evolution Platform, with the capability to develop products such as research-grade enzymes, proteases, antigens and antibodies, drug target proteins, and cytokines; it has currently completed the development of over 100 cytokines and more than 20 drug target proteins.
Yakeyin currently holds more than ten invention patents and utility model patents, with additional patents, intellectual property management standards, and national-level group standards in progress. The number of publications by global scientists using Yakeyin products in international SCI-indexed journals has steadily increased to over 3,000, significantly enhancing the brand’s influence.Its customer base has expanded to include prestigious universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Wuhan University; research institutions including the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and leading hospitals such as Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Tongji Hospital, and Zhongshan Hospital.
Domestic substitution is only the first step for Yakeyin. “After completing domestic substitution within 2–3 years, we will target overseas markets and launch our ownYakeyin's Proprietary Innovative Reagents.” Ye Jian stated that many technological innovations in the life sciences are closely related to combinatorial innovations involving basic disciplines such as chemistry and materials science. Therefore, while actively recruiting talent in relevant fields, Yakeyin has established collaborations with experts in chemistry, optics, materials science, and electronic engineering from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Wuhan University to jointly develop new products.
In addition to innovative reagents, Yakooine is also actively exploring and expandingNovel Services in Innovation Incubation.
As a manufacturer serving both upstream research institutions and downstream enterprises, Yakeyin understands that scientists, despite possessing cutting-edge technologies, often struggle with limited energy and resources, making it difficult to identify application scenarios. It also recognizes the demand from enterprises to leverage new technologies and products to address real-world challenges. Therefore, Yakeyin is actively expanding services such as innovation incubation for biomedical scientists and facilitating connections with innovative technologies in the biomedical industry.
In addition, Yakoin is actively exploring and developingIntelligent Platform Equipment for Biological Reagents, with the aim of enabling intelligent devices to directly match biological reagents in the future, thereby making them more convenient and standardized for customers to use.
Yakeyin is launching its first pre-A funding round, aiming to raise RMB 20 million. The funds will be primarily used for the development, scaled production, and process optimization of recombinant proteins for research-use-only (RUO) and industrial-grade large-volume assay kits, as well as for establishing its marketing network.