BaseBio Therapeutics Files IPO Prospectus: Pioneering Vaccine Optimization Platform Developed by CUHK Professors

The COVID-19 pandemic has repeatedly thrust vaccines, a niche market accounting for less than 5% of the pharmaceutical industry, into the spotlight.

Vaccines are considered the key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Impacted by the pandemic, the global vaccine market size has been rising steadily. Data shows that the global seasonal influenza vaccine market valuation surged by 31.6% in 2020, reaching over USD 5 billion, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% over the next decade. The CAGR of China’s vaccine market is expected to range between 10% and 20% in the coming ten years.

Meanwhile, the number of newly established pharmaceutical companies is on the rise, with a large number of vaccine R&D projects being launched. Competition in the vaccine industry has become increasingly fierce, leading to product homogenization. Under these circumstances,Beyond patented technologies, leveraging optimized vaccine design techniques to reduce development costs, shorten R&D timelines, and produce vaccines with superior protective efficacy has become key to shaping a company’s core competitiveness.

Beth Bioinformatics specializes in the research and development of optimized vaccine design solutions. By integrating bioinformatics, virology, and big data analytics, the company accurately predicts viral mutations and provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with antigen designs tailored to specific regions to enhance vaccine efficacy. Leveraging technologies such as protein binding site optimization, vaccine efficacy prediction, and codon optimization or de-optimization, Beth Bioinformatics delivers customized technical solutions aligned with diverse vaccine platforms and manufacturer requirements. Its solutions have already been applied in the development of vaccines for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2, and other pathogens.

Both founders of Beth Bioinformatics Co., Limited are alumni of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Wang Haitian is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on statistical genomics and bioinformatics, with a commitment to developing novel methods for analyzing the relationship between genomes and diseases. He has published over 100 papers in leading academic journals.

Co-founder Professor Xu Zhongying is a Professor at the School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, with extensive experience in multi-center clinical trials. He is dedicated to developing novel clinical trial designs, bioinformatics analyses, and AI applications in retinal image analysis. He has published over 250 papers and successfully founded Kangxun Bioanalytics Company, which employs a fully automated retinal image analysis system to assess vascular risk.

In 2013, Wang Haitian’s research team began to focus on viral genomics, developing algorithms for viral genomics, studying viral mutation models, and predicting viral mutations. By 2018, the team’s research had matured,Algorithms based on viral genomics can accurately predict future mutations of influenza viruses, significantly outperforming the strains used in existing vaccines, and hold substantial value for vaccine research, development, and production.

Inspired by these research findings, Wang Haitian and Professor Xu Zhongying co-founded Beth Bioinformatics Co., Limited, aiming to translate the cutting-edge academic achievements of the university’s medical school into health technologies that benefit the general public.

Following its establishment, Beth Bioinformatics quickly set up operations at the Hong Kong Science Park and iterated its vaccine optimization technology. Leveraging leading bioinformatics capabilities, the company collaborates with pharmaceutical manufacturers to develop more effective vaccines.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has provided significant impetus for the rapid development of Beth Bioinformatics.

“Previously, many people paid insufficient attention to infectious diseases, believing that influenza could be quickly recovered from. The influenza vaccination rate in China is less than 10%. In fact, influenza places a burden on public health comparable to that of cancer. The World Health Organization estimates that 290,000 to 650,000 people worldwide die annually from influenza-like illnesses,” said Wang Haitian.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated public awareness of infectious diseases to an unprecedented level,Flu vaccination rates peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic,COVID-19 vaccination will also become routine,Global vaccine manufacturers have also sprung up like mushrooms after rain.”

As competition in the global vaccine industry intensifies, high-quality vaccine products have become a key determinant of corporate success. Consequently, optimizing vaccine design to enhance efficacy has become particularly critical. The vaccine optimization technology developed by Beth Bioinformatics Co., Limited has garnered attention and recognition from multiple pharmaceutical companies. Currently,The company has partnered with multiple pharmaceutical and vaccine R&D enterprises, including China National Biotec Group (CNBG), to jointly develop innovative vaccines.

Furthermore, Beth Bioinformatics has been included in multiple programs and recognized by relevant institutions, including the Biotechnology Incubation Programme of the Hong Kong Science Park, the Startup Acceleration Program of the Hong Kong AI & Data Lab established by the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund and SenseTime, as well as the University-Industry Collaboration Programme (UICP) for Start-ups funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of Hong Kong. Recently, Beth Bioinformatics was successfully selected at the “Greater Bay Area Biotech Innovation Development Summit and the 4th Top 50 Biotech Innovative Enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” event, hosted by China Innovation Industry Research Institute and KPMG China, and organized by Guangdong Medical Valley.

Wang Haitian told VCBeat that protective efficacy is a key metric for evaluating vaccines and is influenced by multiple factors.

First is viral mutation.Predicting viral mutations poses a major challenge in vaccine development. For influenza vaccines, the rapid mutation of the influenza virus means that as few as two to three key amino acid substitutions can reduce vaccine effectiveness against the predominant circulating Influenza A(H3N2) subtype to below 30%.

Second is the regional factor.“Predominant circulating strains or viral variants in each region. Due to regional differences, there are significant disparities between the vaccine efficacy observed in clinical trials and the real-world effectiveness of vaccines administered in certain regions.”

Finally, antigen optimization and codon optimization.“Antigen optimization is a decisive factor in the success rate and efficacy of vaccine development. If antigens are not properly optimized and designed, the failure rate of vaccine R&D is extremely high. However, many Chinese manufacturers still lack antigen optimization technology. Patents for codon optimization have also long been monopolized by foreign entities.”

“If vaccine development is like building a house, Beth Bioinformatics plays the role of the architectural designer.”Wang Haitian stated that vaccine optimization design technology determines the success or failure of vaccine development. However, most vaccine manufacturers on the market rely on reports generated by external software purchased from bioinformatics companies. “This is far from sufficient; each vaccine development has its own specificity, and the types of viruses also differ,”Pharmaceutical companies urgently need to collaborate with bioinformatics firms possessing innovation and R&D capabilities to develop vaccines with greater protective efficacy.”

Beth Bioinformatics Co., Limited has successfully developed multiple patented technologies by integrating bioinformatics, virology, and big data analytics, enablingAccurate Description of Viral Mutations. By leveraging AI technology, it is also possible toAccurately Predicting Future Viral Mutations. When this technology is applied to influenza vaccines,The vaccine antigens designed by the company more closely match the actual predominant circulating strains, increasing vaccine efficacy by 20%–40%.

Leveraging proprietary technologies such as protein binding site optimization, codon optimization, and codon deoptimization, Beth Bioinformatics Co., Limited can provide tailored vaccine technical solutions aligned with the needs of diverse vaccine platforms and pharmaceutical manufacturers, supporting the development of various vaccines including those for influenza and SARS-CoV-2.

Beth Bioinformatics’ vaccine optimization technology can also predict vaccine efficacy., the company has incorporated regional or variant-specific genetic differences into the model, enEarly Prediction of Vaccine Efficacy with High Accuracy, and provide corresponding optimization strategies without the need for time-consuming and costly clinical trials, offering reference for healthcare institutions and governments in selecting vaccines and formulating epidemic prevention policies, while assisting vaccine manufacturers in evaluating product performance across different regions.

During the pandemic, Beth Bioinformatics conducted comprehensive research on the SARS-CoV-2 genome, enabling prediction of vaccine efficacy based on vaccine antigens and local viral strains prior to public vaccination rollout, with an accuracy rate exceeding 90%.

Wang Haitian believes that,Vaccine optimization technologies will play a pivotal role in vaccine development, presenting Beth Bioinformatics with significant market opportunities.Currently, the company is actively pursuing patent layout and refining its vaccine optimization design solutions to help pharmaceutical companies accelerate the development of vaccines with enhanced protective efficacy. In the future, the company will strengthen team development, further consolidate its leading advantage in vaccine optimization design, and leverage its bioinformatics expertise to expand from the vaccine sector into the disease treatment field.

The “Top 50 Biotech Innovation Enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” selection campaign is hosted by the Zhongchuang Industry Research Institute and organized by Guangdong Medical Valley. The selection aims to cultivate an integrated innovation ecosystem combining industry, academia, and research in the Greater Bay Area, promote the in-depth and integrated development of biotechnology—a strategic emerging industry—across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, clearly document the evolution of biotech innovation in the region, and drive the growth of the local biotechnology sector.

The selection covers three sectors: medical devices, biopharmaceuticals and technology, and healthcare services. It will comprehensively assess participating companies’ technological innovation and future development prospects from three dimensions: innovative technology, market application, and capital. A panel of expert judges from government agencies, third-party research firms, professional investment institutions, and healthcare organizations will compile an authoritative list of innovative enterprises after conducting in-depth on-site visits and due diligence. This initiative aims to identify future unicorns in the biotechnology sector within the Greater Bay Area and showcase the region’s urban clusters’ achievements in developing the biotechnology industry.

“Top 50 Biotech Innovation Enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” has garnered extensive attention and coverage from government agencies, scholars and experts, media outlets, and biotechnology companies since its inaugural edition in 2018.