ZhiZe TongKang Files IPO Prospectus: Pioneering Integrated Screening and Precision Therapeutics for Pediatric Immune and Rare Diseases

Inside a pediatric hospital, a young child is covered in rashes, with accompanying symptoms of redness, swelling, itching, and pain bringing tears to his eyes as he rests in his parents’ arms. For over seven years, his parents have been filled with anxiety due to the refractory and recurrent nature of his condition. Everyone assumed it was just a common case of allergic dermatitis, but why have conventional medications failed to effectively control the recurrent inflammation in this patient?

This unusual phenomenon caught the attention of the scientific advisory team at Pl.HEALTHCARE (hereinafter referred to as “Pl.HEALTHCARE”). By analyzing the genetic and immunological data of the pediatric patient, the advisory team identified a novel pathway responsible for the abnormal activation of skin inflammation pathways, along with a corresponding targeted therapeutic agent. The treatment recommendation was adopted by the clinicians, leading to effective alleviation of the child’s skin inflammation.

This classic case of precision diagnosis and treatment highlights the complex and heterogeneous pathological mechanisms underlying identical disease phenotypes, while a scientific understanding of disease pathogenesis is fundamental to addressing rare and major chronic diseases in children.

According to data from the seventh national census, China’s child population exceeds 250 million. On this basis, with the implementation of the “three-child policy,” demand in the pediatric drug market is expected to expand further, with its scale projected to surpass RMB 200 billion.

The 14th Five-Year Plan explicitly sets forth the following directions: establish national-level biobanks and data repositories for child growth, early development, adolescent health and sexual maturation, nutritional disorders, and major chronic diseases; achieve key technological breakthroughs in genetic diagnosis, systematic monitoring, and standardized treatment of diseases related to child growth and development, along with the research and development of new therapies and products; and strengthen basic research and the translation of scientific and technological achievements in the field of child growth and development.

From these plans targeting children's growth and health, it is evident that diseases should be treated “early.”Many major chronic diseases in adults can be prevented and intervened through effective diagnosis during childhood.For example, children with inflammatory bowel disease face a significantly elevated risk of developing colon cancer later in life—often dozens to hundreds of times higher than that of the general population. However, through emerging preventive measures such as genetic screening, we can mitigate this risk, ensuring health not only in childhood but also reducing the likelihood of disease in adulthood.

Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler once said, “Fortunate individuals spend their entire lives being healed by their childhood.” So, how can we effectively implement these diagnostic and therapeutic approaches? Let’s explore how Pl.HEALTHCARE provides personalized diagnosis and treatment plans for neonatal and pediatric diseases from the perspectives of genetics and immunology, supporting healthy growth in children.

Pl.HEALTHCARE was established in 2021. Its Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Zhang Yuxia, graduated from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. She previously conducted research in basic immunology and translational medicine at the University of Cambridge and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, and has led multiple national- and provincial/ministerial-level translational medicine research projects. The CEO, Yang Bin, formerly worked at China Grand Enterprises Inc., where he served as General Manager and later CEO of the group’s pharmaceutical manufacturing subsidiaries, overseeing internal management functions including R&D, production, and quality control, as well as nationwide sales management.

In April 2016, Professor Zhang Yuxia returned to China to establish an immunology research laboratory, focusing on the pathogenesis, genetic susceptibility factors, and prevention and treatment strategies of immune-related diseases in children. She and her team utilized community-based cohorts to demonstrate that the risk of food allergies can be predicted at birth (Science Translational Medicine, 2016) and leveraged real-world disease cohorts to discover novel therapeutic approaches for pediatric intestinal inflammation (Cell, 2019) and neonatal biliary atresia (Cell, 2020).

In early 2021, Pl.HEALTHCARE was founded with the aim of collaborating with industry professionals to translate these meaningful scientific discoveries into services and products for the prevention and treatment of rare diseases and major chronic conditions in children.

Notably, Pl.HEALTHCARE rapidly established its own“Scientists’ Alliance” represents Pl.HEALTHCARE’s advantages in technology and experience, while also establishing high industry barriers for the company.

The “Scientist Alliance” comprises Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Zhang Yuxia; Co-Scientific Advisors Professor Bai Fan, who has previously conducted translational medicine research in the interdisciplinary field of bioinformatics at the University of Oxford, Osaka University, and Peking University; Professor Liu Ming, who is dedicated to exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor initiation, progression, drug resistance, and recurrence from the perspective of embryonic development, utilizing research approaches such as tumor genetics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics; and Zhang Yan, who has extensive experience in genetic screening and pathogenic mechanism research for immune-related rare diseases and major chronic diseases.

The company’s full-time team possesses extensive industry experience in multi-omics bioinformatics analysis, target discovery and validation, product development and quality management, and intellectual property protection. The companyData Services Analytics Platform, High-Throughput Target Screening and Functional Validation Platform, and Product Development and Regulatory Registration PlatformThree strategic directions to streamline every stage from basic research to product commercialization, facilitating the final market launch. Pl.HEALTHCARE has entered into a strategic partnership with BeiGene and settled in the BeiGene Guangzhou Bio-Island Innovation Center. In late 2021, Tong Xin, Director of Intellectual Property at Pl.HEALTHCARE, received“40 Under 40 Corporate IP Elites of 2021”the honor, reflecting the company’s emphasis on intellectual property.

It is evident that Pl.HEALTHCARE is a provider of integrated diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for pediatric diseases, characterized by a high degree of interdisciplinary integration. The bioinformatics team at Pl.HEALTHCARE specializes inGenomics, single-cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, metabolomicsMulti-omics Data Analysis, specializing in leveraging diverse biostatistical and machine learning algorithms to deeply mine sequencing data and large-scale clinical datasets for novel targets related to disease diagnosis and treatment.

R&D TeamUtilizationLeveraging technologies such as immunology, genetics, gene editing, organoids, and animal models, combined with high-throughput drug screening platforms, we rapidly validate therapeutic and diagnostic targets for diseases and continuously generate intellectual property (IP). Through in-house R&D and collaborative development, we advance product registration and market launch, thereby realizing both commercial and social value.

Currently, Pl.HEALTHCARE focuses primarily on rare immune-related diseases and major chronic conditions in children. Compared with other conditions that are often self-limiting, these diseases have long-term impacts on patients and their families, resulting in substantial healthcare costs for both households and society.

Pediatric patients affected by various immune-related chronic diseases account for 40% of all neonates and children, among whom inflammatory digestive system diseases cumulatively affect over 10% of neonates and children. Pl.HEALTHCARE has established integrated solutions in multiple areas of digestive system diseases, including biliary atresia, Hirschsprung's disease, food allergies, chronic colitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The application of new target therapies has extended to adult metabolic and tumor-related diseases.

Although the formulation of integrated diagnosis and treatment plans varies by disease, the underlying R&D logic for generating disease solutions remains the same.This same methodology has driven Pl.HEALTHCARE to accelerate its R&D and clinical pipeline in the field of pediatric diseases. Of course, this seemingly simple yet highly logical universal approach is built on the premise that “it is easy for those who know how.”This logic has three barriers:

First is the interdisciplinary nature,From data accumulation to subsequent experimental validation, and finally to product commercialization, a fully equipped team with coordinated and complementary capabilities is required;Furthermore, it focuses on the field of pediatric diseases.Scientists have long accumulated expertise in pediatric diseases from genetic, immunological, and developmental perspectives;Then, in terms of downstream industries,Established dual pipelines for precision diagnostics and therapeutics services and drug R&D.

Pl.HEALTHCARE also possesses unique logic and capabilities in the deep mining and interpretation of the aforementioned data.Currently, Pl.HEALTHCARE has established an integrated data platform comprising a database, software products, and project services, providing momentum to accelerate the implementation of downstream diagnostic and therapeutic products.

For disease-specific research, Pl.HEALTHCARE utilizes its proprietary PediManager system to structure clinical data within specific disease cohorts. This facilitates more efficient and convenient cohort management for partner hospitals and clinical departments, while also helping research teams better identify unmet clinical needs and address real-world clinical concerns.

Building on this foundation, the company’s in-house professional bioinformatics team provides multi-omics technical services, including single-cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, family-based exome sequencing, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). This enables multidimensional characterization and analysis of the disease at the molecular level. By integrating clinical data with multi-omics data, the team constructs a comprehensive disease knowledge graph to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

Pl.HEALTHCARE leverages its technological advantages to collaborate closely with clinical teams, jointly building PediOmics, a specialized disease cohort database encompassing multiple informational dimensions. This initiative addresses unmet clinical needs in pediatric immune-related rare diseases and major chronic conditions, facilitates the development of diagnostic and therapeutic products for children, and ultimately supports their healthy growth.We look forward to Pl.HEALTHCARE gradually overcoming various challenges in the field of pediatric diseases and contributing to the building of a Healthy China.