Weiyi Medical Secures RMB 100 Million Series A+ Financing to Advance Fully Automated mNGS Solutions for Precision Infectious Disease Diagnosis

Recently, WILLINGMED (Beijing) Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (“WILLINGMED”) announced the completion of its RMB 100 million Series A+ financing round, exclusively led by Shanghai United Investment Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai United”). Following this round, WILLINGMED will accelerate the development of its “Pathogenic Microbiology SkyNet Laboratory” in China and the regulatory registration process for its medical device products, while further advancing the implementation of strategies such as the development of new products for precision diagnosis of infections.

This funding round comes just one month after WILLINGMED’s previous RMB 100 million financing. In merely two years, WILLINGMED has completed its angel, Pre-A, Series A, and Series A+ funding rounds, accumulating hundreds of millions of yuan in financing. Focusing on third-party medical testing and the registration of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products, the company has established more than ten wholly-owned subsidiaries or medical laboratories across North, East, South, and West China.

mNGS technology has brought disruptive innovation to the field of pathogenic microorganism detection. WILLINGMED specializes in the field of precision molecular diagnostics for infections,The company's founding team consists of some of the first practitioners in pathogenic microbiology testing in China,With years of in-depth expertise in the diagnosis of pathogenic microbial infections, Dr. Gai Wei, President of WILLINGMED, is a recipient of prestigious honors including Beijing Science and Technology New Star, Beijing Outstanding Young Talent, and Beijing Outstanding Young Engineer. He specializes in the research and development of novel molecular diagnostic technologies for clinical infectious pathogens and in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products. Over the years, he has led his team in developing a series of pathogen detection products based on technologies such as metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS).

For respiratory specimens, the company's R&D team hasChina’s First Product to Simultaneously Detect DNA and RNA Pathogens in a Single Workflow, significantly reducing testing costs.

WILLINGMED is the first in China to launch a solution for high-difficulty blood samplesThe First Ultra-Sensitive Dual-Dimensional Bloodstream InfectionTest Products, significantly enhancing detection sensitivity. The related products can simultaneously detect over 24,000 types of pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, with reports generated within 20 hours.

WILLINGMED possessesFully Proprietary mNGS End-to-End High-Throughput Automation Solution, continuously advancing the standardization and normalization of mNGS technology application, leading the era of clinical localization for precision diagnosis of infections.

WILLINGMED's Featured mNGS Testing Products

In addition to operating multiple regional testing centers and GMP-compliant medical device production bases in Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and other cities, WILLINGMED is collaborating with Runda Medical to develop the “China Pathogenic Microbiology SkyNet Laboratory” project, working with nationwideMore than 300Co-establishment of a Pathogen Metagenomic Testing Laboratory in Collaboration with Grade A Tertiary Hospitals: The initial phase aims to complete, within three years, the development of an intelligent analysis platform integrating metagenomic data on pathogenic microorganisms, clinical data, and antimicrobial resistance gene data specific to the Chinese population.

“China Pathogenic Microbiology Skynet Laboratory” is supported by WILLINGMEDPathoLab: Covering the Entire mNGS Workflow^TMPathogen Laboratory Systemand PathoReport^TMOne-Stop High-Throughput Automated Solution for Intelligent Reporting Systems, it has currently completed the implementation of joint laboratory projects with dozens of hospitals across China, and the number is expected to exceed 50 in the first half of 2022. This project will greatly assist clinicians in making precise diagnoses for large batches of patients with acute, complex, and critical infections, thereby saving treatment time and costs. It will also help improve China’s monitoring and early warning system, enable rapid detection and identification of emerging and sudden infectious diseases, facilitate the clinical adoption and success of more advanced diagnostic technologies, and enhance national biosecurity governance capabilities.

WILLINGMED mNGS Full-Process Automation Solution

WILLINGMED has served over a thousand hospitals across China, earning unanimous acclaim from clinical experts. It has established strategic and project-based collaborations with renowned institutions such as the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Peking University People’s Hospital; and the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, achieving a series of academic accomplishments.

Over the past two years, WILLINGMED has received numerous honors, including recognition as a Beijing “Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative” Enterprise, a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Rising Star, a Beijing Science and Technology SME, a Zhongguancun Golden Seed Enterprise, and a National High-Tech Enterprise. Currently, the company is actively advancing the regulatory submissions for more than ten mNGS IVD pipeline products covering reagents, instruments, and software applications, with several products already having obtained registration approval. WILLINGMED possesses multiple core technologies in areas such as mNGS and microfluidic automated chips, holds dozens of invention patents and over ten software copyrights, has repeatedly achieved perfect scores in external quality assessment programs organized by the National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL) under the National Health Commission, and has had multiple products recognized as Beijing New Technologies and New Products.

To further advance the application of mNGS technology in clinical practice and better serve patients, WILLINGMED is accelerating the filing, registration, and certification of its midstream application products. Meanwhile, the company is strategically positioning itself across the upstream and downstream segments of the infectious disease sector. This includes enhancing independent R&D capabilities for upstream sequencing instruments, supporting reagents, and software, as well as expanding downstream medical testing services centered around its diagnostic products, thereby effectively assisting clinicians in resolving numerous complex and challenging infectious cases.

Dr. Gai Wei, CEO of WILLINGMED“The company stated: ‘We extend our special gratitude to Shanghai Lianhe, the investor in this round, for their recognition. The successful completion of this new financing round in a short period will enable us to confidently and rapidly execute our series of strategic layouts. Leveraging our team’s over ten years of experience in developing pathogen molecular diagnostic products, our integrated mNGS full-process automation solution features a tripartite holistic design that seamlessly integrates independently developed instruments, test kits, and reagents. Incorporating core technologies such as dual cell lysis, human DNA depletion, and background noise reduction, the system accommodates various clinical specimen types and pathogens. It offers a compact footprint, accurate results, and automated convenience. With a throughput of 24 samples, it meets the actual specimen demands within hospitals, reduces manual errors, and effectively lowers overall operational costs. This facilitates the large-scale implementation of mNGS testing in hospital settings, accelerates the construction of China’s Pathogenic Microbiology SkyNet Laboratory network, and provides robust support for the precise diagnosis of infections.’”

Shanghai Lianhe and Liu Yujiastated: “The infectious disease market is vast, with substantial demand and broad prospects; however, the primary clinical pain point lies in diagnosis. We have consistently focused on the field of precision medicine for infections. The widespread adoption of pathogen metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) technology hinges on the regulatory compliance of testing products and their ability to be automated within hospital settings. WILLINGMED is one of the few companies in the industry capable of providing a fully automated, end-to-end mNGS solution. We are highly optimistic about WILLINGMED’s potential to stand out in this sector and lead infectious disease precision diagnostics into a new era.”

Shanghai United Investment Co., Ltd. was established in 1994 as a state-owned investment company approved by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. With the mission of serving national strategies and promoting scientific and technological innovation, the company focuses on key technologies and critical bottlenecks, strategically laying out investments in fields such as information technology, life and health, energy, and intelligent manufacturing. Its external investment scale exceeds RMB 10 billion. Portfolio companies include Hehui Optoelectronics, Shanghai Zhaoxin Semiconductor, Shanghai Yuanxin Satellite, United Imaging Healthcare, Aipuqiang, Yifang Health Data, and QiuZhen Medicine.

WILLINGMED (Beijing) Micro-Rock Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “WILLINGMED”), headquartered in Beijing, is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the precise diagnosis of infectious diseases and personalized medicine. With over a decade of expertise in the field of precise pathogen detection, WILLINGMED’s core team has innovatively applied pathogen metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) technology to pathogen diagnosis. The company has completed the registration filings for multiple diagnostic kits, developed several proprietary detection and analytical technologies, and is capable of detecting and reporting on more than 24,000 types of pathogenic microorganisms—including bacteria, fungi, and viruses—within 20 hours in a single test. Furthermore, WILLINGMED has developed automated molecular laboratories and an intelligent reporting platform, pioneering the industrialization, commercialization, and automation of mNGS technology. This advancement enables mNGS to move “out of” the laboratory and “into” the clinical laboratories of major hospitals, vigorously promoting the clinical application of its one-stop automated intelligent mNGS detection system. By establishing collaborations with numerous renowned experts in clinical medicine, molecular biology, and informatics, WILLINGMED represents the world-leading level of “Intelligent Manufacturing in China” in the mNGS field, continuously contributing to the health of people across China and around the world.