SeqCode Launches Three Innovative Single-Cell Platforms to Advance Clinical Applications in Reproductive Genetics and Oncology

The advent of single-cell technology has ushered in a new era of precision medicine.

Currently widely applied next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies perform omics analyses on entire cell populations at the bulk level, failing to capture cellular heterogeneity. Single-cell sequencing refers to the amplification and sequencing of genomes or transcriptomes at the individual cell level, enabling the detection of single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variations (CNVs), structural genomic variations, gene expression levels, gene fusions, alternative splicing events in single-cell transcriptomes, and epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation in single-cell epigenomes. This approach facilitates the identification of cell types and functions, as well as changes or variations in the health or status of specific cells, thereby allowing for the investigation of genetic characteristics underlying diseases and biological processes at the single-cell resolution. Furthermore, the high sensitivity of single-cell sequencing technology enables efficient and faithful detection of rare cell populations.

Cells are the smallest units of life, and each cell is unique, just as every individual is distinct. Traditional bulk multi-cell sequencing essentially analyzes cell populations, an approach that can obscure our understanding of cellular heterogeneity.

“Just as we might seek to survey residents’ income levels, whereas previously we only knew the average level for each village or residential community without understanding the situation of each individual within them, single-cell technology not only enables precise identification of each cell but also allows amplification and sequencing of the genome, transcriptome, and epigenome at the single-cell level. This facilitates the study of high intercellular heterogeneity and clonal evolution characteristics during disease onset, progression, and treatment, offering hope for achieving precision diagnosis and therapy.”

“By leveraging single-cell sequencing technologies to investigate the genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic characteristics of individual cells, it is possible to monitor the progression, treatment response, and prognosis of hematologic malignancies. This approach holds significant promise for identifying potential therapeutic targets, thereby providing a foundation for precise diagnosis, dynamic monitoring, and personalized treatment. More importantly, innovative single-cell technologies are expected to advance the screening and diagnosis of chromosomal and genetic disorders during the in vitro fertilization (IVF) stage and early pregnancy. By enhancing efficiency and detection quality, these technologies represent a major step forward in effective disease control and hold profound significance for improving the genetic health of the Chinese population,” said Dr. Zhang Junxiao, Vice President of Xuema Biomedical Research Institute, in an interview with VCBeat.

With its significant advantages, such as high sensitivity and the ability to resolve cellular heterogeneity, single-cell sequencing technology has demonstrated immense application potential in fields including tumor prevention and control, genetic health, developmental biology, immunology and microbiology, and neuroscience, thereby becoming an undeniably prominent area of global interest.

Xukema is one of the few companies in China covering the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of the single-cell industry. The company is dedicated to applying innovative single-cell omics technologies to scientific research, molecular diagnostics, health management, and drug development, with a particular focus on reproductive genetic health and precision diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The company currently possesses its independently developed core technology platforms, MustSeq, mCNVS, and mRRMS, as well as six cutting-edge international technology platforms, including 10x Genomics, BD Rhapsody, and Mission Bio Tapestri. It provides advanced high-throughput sequencing services for single-cell genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, multi-omics, and spatial transcriptomics. Leveraging its proprietary core technology platforms, the company develops innovative single-cell diagnostic kits and instruments for clinical applications, and establishes and operates corresponding bioinformatics analysis platforms, thereby advancing precision medicine and improving human health.

The founding team of Xukema has years of experience in the field of single-cell technology. Core team members hail from Yale University and Southern Medical University, including international pioneers in single-cell technology.

Co-founder and Chief Scientific AdvisorSherman M. Weissman is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Sterling Professor at Yale University., has not only trained numerous members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (such as Francis Collins, director of the U.S. Human Genome Project) and a cohort of Ivy League professors, but also cultivated a group of executives from Fortune 500 companies, while successfully founding two Wall Street-listed companies and three biotechnology firms that were successfully acquired.REPLi-G, the world’s first and currently most widely used single-cell whole-genome amplification technology and reagent kit, was developed by the company he co-founded with Academician David Wood.

The Company’s Co-Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Pan Xinghua, holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from Fudan University, completed dual postdoctoral fellowships at Peking Union Medical College and Yale University, and served as a Research Fellow at Yale University. He is currently the Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Southern Medical University and the Director of the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single-Cell Technology and Applications.Professor Pan has extensive R&D and management experience in the technological innovation and clinical application of single-cell technologies, and holds more than 20 invention patents.He served as the editor-in-chief of the English monograph *Introduction to Single Cell Omics*, which was published in Europe in 2019 and has since been accessed by over 240,000 readers worldwide.

In 2013, single-cell technology was named Method of the Year by Nature Methods across all scientific and technological fields, sparking widespread adoption. In 2019 and 2020, single-cell multi-omics technologies and spatial-temporal sequencing technologies were respectively honored as Method of the Year. Currently, single-cell technology is increasingly applied in scientific research, and its clinical application prospects are gradually emerging. Founded in 2017 in Guangzhou Science City, Seqcode counts Professor Sherman M. Weissman and Professor Xinghua Pan as its Chief Scientific Advisors.

Xuke Code is the first company in China to introduce 10X Genomics single-cell sequencing equipment,At its inception, the company primarily offered 10x Genomics single-cell sequencing services. In 2019, Seqcode introduced BD’s single-cell sequencing platform, and subsequently incorporated Mission Bio’s technology platform, further expanding the scale of its single-cell sequencing services in the research market.

Furthermore, leveraging its years of expertise in the single-cell technology field, the R&D team at Xukema focuses on innovating single-cell sequencing technologies and developing products for clinical applications. Currently,Xukema has become one of the few outstanding national-level high-tech enterprises in China that covers the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of the single-cell industry.

According to Dr. Zhang Junxiao, the upstream segment of the single-cell industry focuses on the development of equipment and reagents for single-cell sorting and library preparation; the midstream segment provides single-cell sequencing services based on commercial platforms; and the downstream segment develops end-use products for clinical applications, leveraging either commercial or independently innovated technological platforms.

Upstream, China’s single-cell analysis platforms are dominated by products from foreign companies such as 10X Genomics and BD. Around 2018, several domestic companies emerged that focused on developing upstream analysis platforms; however, most remained in the “me-too” or “fast-follow” stage. Only a few achieved secondary innovation, with efforts largely concentrated in transcriptomics.

Xukema is dedicated to achieving innovation in upstream technology platforms for the single-cell industry and has independently developedSingle-cell copy number variation technology (mCNVS) and single-cell methylation sequencing technology (mRRMS)。

The company’s proprietary single-cell copy number variation (CNV) technology enables de novo pooled library preparation for individual cells. It incorporates traceable barcoding at the early stage to facilitate precise post-sequencing decoding of each cell. Furthermore, by replacing multi-step protocols with a one-step method, it significantly reduces library preparation time and costs while enhancing efficiency and quality. The single-cell methylation sequencing technology supports batched pooling of single cells for library construction, thereby achieving medium-to-high throughput and improved efficiency.

In the midstream, Xukema leverages its three major technology platforms—its independently innovated mCNVS and mRRMS, along with MustSeq, which is dedicated to clinically applicable, medium-throughput RNA sequencing—as well as international cutting-edge platforms such as 10x Genomics, BD Rhapsody, and Mission Bio Tapestri.Provides single-cell genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, multi-omics, and spatial transcriptomics services to clients such as research institutions, hospitals, and pharmaceutical R&D centers.cutting-edge technical services such as high-throughput sequencing.

Recently, Xuke Code’s innovative single-cell omics technology project was selected for the “Top 100 International Technology Transaction Innovation Projects” list, awarded at the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum jointly hosted by multiple Chinese ministries and commissions.

Currently, Xukema has provided sequencing services to numerous universities and research institutions both in China and abroad. The kits related to its three independently developed innovative technologies have completed small-scale trials and are currently in the pilot-scale trial phase, with market entry expected by the end of this year. While serving the scientific research market, the company has establishedSingle-Cell Databases and Cell Banks, providing services to pharmaceutical companies.

Downstream, XukeMa applies innovative single-cell omics technologies toReproductive Genetic HealthandPrecision Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancerand other terminal scenarios.

“With the relaxation of the three-child policy, the incidence of infertility has risen, and the assisted reproductive technology market continues to expand.Xukema’s single-cell copy number variation technology is highly suitable for the field of reproductive genetic health. It can be applied to preimplantation genetic diagnosis/screening and non-invasive prenatal DNA testing, enabling efficient and precise detection of chromosomal numerical and structural abnormalities as well as genetic disorders associated with copy number variations in early-stage embryos, thereby preventing birth defects.“At the same time, we are also developing precision oncology diagnostic products, such as early cancer screening and prognostic assessment for tumor recurrence,” said Dr. Zhang Junxiao.

Currently, Xukema has partnered with reproductive centers at multiple hospitals in southern China to advance the clinical application of single-cell copy number variation (CNV) technology. Furthermore, the company is establishing a third-party medical laboratory and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production facilities, and is preparing to submit regulatory applications for preimplantation genetic diagnosis/screening (PGD/PGS) kits based on its single-cell CNV technology platform, thereby entering the clinical market for reproductive genetics.

Dr. Zhang Junxiao stated, “Single-cell technology is in its nascent stage in the clinical market. However, we believe that,”Single-cell technologies have become quite mature in the field of assisted reproduction and will be the first to achieve clinical implementation in this area.”

Leveraging its strengths in original innovation, Future Xukema will continue to consolidate its technological advantages in upstream single-cell sequencing library preparation, strengthen midstream single-cell sequencing and bioinformatics services, reduce the cost of single-cell sequencing, improve efficiency, and promote the clinical application of single-cell technologies in downstream areas such as genetics, reproduction, and oncology. The company is committed to becoming a pioneering and leading enterprise in the clinical application of single-cell technologies.

The 4th Top 50 Biotech Innovation Enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, hosted by China Innovation Industrial Research Institute and organized by Guangdong Medical Valley, covers three sectors: medical devices, biopharmaceuticals and technology, and healthcare services. It comprehensively evaluates participating enterprises’ technological innovation and future development prospects from three dimensions: innovative technology, market application, and capital. A panel of experts from government agencies, third-party research institutions, professional investment firms, and medical organizations conducts in-depth on-site visits and due diligence to select an authoritative list of innovative enterprises. Launched in July 2021, the selection has garnered keen attention from both the government and the industry, with active participation from biotech enterprises within and outside the Greater Bay Area.