Lingfu Bio: Building a Full-Chain Service Platform for Experimental Animals and Preclinical Research Through Differentiated Strategic Layout

Recently, Life Biosciences completed its integration with Jiangsu Zhaoshengyuan, a renowned domestic producer of Beagle dogs and marmosets, establishing a leading position in China for the supply of laboratory Beagles and marmosets.

In the past two years, model organisms have been in the spotlight like never before. The astronomical prices of laboratory mice and the scarcity of experimental dogs and monkeys have sent shockwaves through the entire industry. Whether it is Shanghai Model Organisms Center or GemPharmatech, the most mature business development among domestic model organism suppliers remains focused on laboratory mice. In contrast, medium-to-large animal models, which entail greater technical complexity and higher requirements, remain a critical challenge for the industry to overcome.

“The demand for model animals in the industry remains unmet,” stated Zhang Lei, Chairman of Life Biosciences. “From a resource perspective, experimental animal breeding is largely carried out by relatively fragmented enterprises, which struggle to meet market demands in terms of both quantity and quality. In terms of disease animal model development, there is also significant room for growth. As downstream innovative pharmaceutical companies expand, there is an increasing need for model animals with higher relevance to human diseases, particularly in fields such as brain science and the nervous system, where the demand for appropriate large-animal model development is substantial.”

It is precisely in light of these two considerations that, after extensive preparation, Life Biosciences Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Life Biosciences”) has been formally established. Its core technical team comprises renowned industry experts, highly skilled technicians with years of extensive experience in conducting scientific research services involving both large and small animals, and breeding specialists with decades of expertise in laboratory animal breeding. The company is committed to becoming China’s first integrated research service provider that combines the entire industrial chains for laboratory animals and animal models with high-value-added innovative scientific research services, thereby empowering innovation in the life sciences.

In this context, Life Biosciences has chosen to make breakthroughs along two major dimensions: the experimental animal resource industry chain and the experimental animal model industry chain.

Life Biosciences has begun establishing laboratory animal resource bases in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and Southwest China. These facilities produce major medium-to-large laboratory animals, including Beagle dogs, crab-eating macaques, rhesus macaques, and marmosets, forming a multi-center national layout of animal resources to efficiently meet customer demands. Additionally, the company has assembled a top-tier veterinary team within China. “We aim to build a moat around corporate quality by establishing higher enterprise standards and implementing them with a long-term mindset, thereby creating a market reputation that delivers win-win outcomes for both internal and external stakeholders,” said Zhang Lei, Chairman of Life Biosciences.

Furthermore, animal experimental models serve as a critical vehicle for navigating the final stretch of preclinical development for new drugs. Zhang Lei, Chairman of Life Biosciences, told VCBeat that in addition to developing humanized animal models, the company focuses on constructing specialized medium-to-large animal models, particularly achieving notable success and performance in the fields of brain science and the nervous system. Currently, the company has rapidly established multiple animal facilities and laboratories in Beijing, Shenzhen, and other locations, with a total operational and under-construction area exceeding 10,000 square meters. It provides clients with services including the preparation of various animal models, related scientific research support, and animal boarding, catering to the needs of biopharmaceutical enterprises and research institutions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

“In the past two years, laboratory animals and model organisms have garnered significant attention, leading to various large-scale M&A activities in the market. The original aspiration behind the establishment of Life Biosciences has always been to build a high-quality, open public supply chain for laboratory animal resources and a flexible, open public platform for animal experimentation. This enables us to provide diverse services to downstream clients across different sectors, including research institutions, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and CROs. Furthermore, we engage in extensive, multi-form collaborations with industry partners, scientists, and researchers from various fields, pooling collective strengths to advance the laboratory animal industry and achieve open, win-win development,” summarized Zhang Lei, Chairman of Life Biosciences.

In April 2022, Life Biosciences completed a Pre-A financing round of over RMB 200 million. Through the integration with Zhaoshengyuan, the company has not only further expanded its capacity for high-quality beagle dogs and marmosets across China, but will also gradually develop innovative model products and experimental capabilities involving laboratory dogs and marmosets. This move aims to achieve end-to-end integration of resources and technology within the industry chain in niche markets, jointly establishing a leading domestic competitive advantage.

It is reported that the company has recently launched its Series A financing round, with the primary purpose of raising funds to advance the development of its Beijing laboratory and optimize the layout of experimental animal resources.