Sinogene Biotechnology Completes Over RMB 100 Million in Series B2 and B2+ Financing to Advance Animal Cloning and Preclinical CRO Platforms

In October 2021, Beijing Sinogene Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Sinogene”) successfully completed over RMB 100 million in financing through the B2 round jointly invested by Beijing New Airport City Fund Management Co., Ltd., Ringpu Biology, and YuanBio Venture Capital, as well as the B2+ round invested by Huitianze Investment Co., Ltd. Additionally, Sinogene entered into a comprehensive commercial partnership with Ruipai Pet Hospital focused on pet cloning.

Since its commercial launch, Sinogene has completed four rounds of financing. The company has previously received investments from renowned institutions, including PICC TusStar Fund, CCB Medical Growth Fund, Shunqi Fund, and Sinohengton.

The proceeds from this round of financing will be primarily used for the construction and operation of Sinogene’s industrialized animal cloning production platform and its preclinical CRO service platform for model animals, while also deepening penetration in the pet market and expanding into international markets.

Beijing Sinogene Biotechnology Co., Ltd., established in 2012, specializes in animal genetic technologies, achieving a closed-loop management system for the animal life cycle that spans genetic testing, gene editing, gene therapy, and animal cloning. The company has built two major technology platforms for animal cloning and gene editing, with technological achievements applied in biopharmaceuticals, the pet market, working dogs, and the livestock industry. It is China’s first commercial pet cloning enterprise with fully independent intellectual property rights, the biotech service provider with the widest range of cloned animal species globally, and an internationally leading commercial technical service provider for animal gene editing.

Sinogene’s development path has broadly gone through three stages:

The first phase focused on original technology development and the establishment of a technological platform, marked by the successful birth of “Apple,” a gene-edited canine disease model independently developed by Sinogene, and “Longlong,” China’s first cloned dog.

Phase II involves adapting somatic cell cloning technology for the pet market, integrating cell preservation and genetic testing services to gradually promote commercialization in the domestic market. Meanwhile, we will increase R&D investment and continuously commit resources to areas such as gene-edited dogs/cats, optimization of cloning techniques, cloning of economic animals (e.g., horses, cattle, and sheep), and OPU-assisted reproductive technologies, thereby accumulating technical expertise and maintaining technological leadership.

The third phase involves the translational application of animal gene-editing technologies to the biopharmaceutical market. With the development and accumulation of gene-edited dog and cat disease models, a preclinical CRO service platform centered on gene-edited model animals will be established, providing a supporting platform for innovative drug development, drug evaluation, and life sciences research.

Xinogu Preclinical CRO Service Platform (Beijing Daxing)

This financing will primarily support Sinocelltech in executing its commercial strategy in the biopharmaceutical sector, facilitating the industrial translation and application of gene-edited animal models accumulated by Sinocelltech Bio over the past five years in the research and development of innovative therapies, including gene therapy and cell therapy.

In 2019, the Ministry of Science and Technology elevated “domestic dogs” to the level of a national key project under the “Social and Emotional Biological Basis and Translational Research” direction of the National Key R&D Program’s Key Special Project on “Key Scientific Issues in Transformative Technologies,” particularly for the development and application of novel model animals using gene editing and cloning technologies in domestic dogs. In 2020, the Zhongguancun Administrative Committee approved Sinogene’s application for the “Innovative Platform for Large Animal Models” under its High-Precision and Advanced Special Project. This approval not only provided policy and financial support but also affirmed the application prospects and value of the company’s large animal models in the biomedical field, especially in innovative drug development.

Against the backdrop of national policies encouraging the development of innovative drugs and leveraging its proprietary biotechnology advantages, Sinogene has established a research and development and industrialization application platform in the Beijing Daxing Free Trade Zone to conduct preclinical CRO services, thereby promoting the translation and application of animal gene-editing technology achievements.

Beijing New Airport City FundThis capital injection will significantly bolster Sinogem’s strategic layout in the model animal industry, facilitating the development of efficient and precise gene editing and cloning technologies for domestic dogs, expanding customized development services for other large animal models such as pigs, cats, and rabbits, establishing a drug evaluation platform using large animal models to enhance R&D efficiency, and building a preclinical CRO service platform based on gene-edited model animals. The Airport Economic Zone not only provides site support and biomedical resources but also offers the compounded policy advantages of Daxing District’s biomedical sector and the Free Trade Innovation Zone, thereby accelerating the company’s rapid growth.

YuanBio Venture Capital's Expedition, with extensive involvement in new drug development, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, and healthcare services, having successfully invested in multiple innovative drug and medical device projects. The capital injection from YuanBio Venture Capital will bring broad synergistic collaboration and market resources to Sinogene in the biomedical sector, particularly in innovative drugs, deeply explore cooperative translation channels in the biomedical field and drug R&D service market, facilitate the smooth commercialization of gene-editing technologies in response to market demands, rapidly expand market scale, and realize Sinogene’s vision for industrial layout in the biomedical industry.

Huitianze Investment Co., Ltd., focusing on equity investments in emerging industries such as biopharmaceuticals, next-generation information technology, high-end equipment, and new energy and new materials. The firm covers all stages from venture capital (VC) to mid-to-late stage private equity (PE), forming a phased, sector-focused, and multi-tiered investment portfolio. Leveraging its substantial proprietary capital, the company has cumulatively invested in nearly 100 enterprises. In particular, its multiple investment projects in the biopharmaceutical industry will not only bring industry resources and synergistic development opportunities but also support the company’s strategic growth in the capital markets.

Tianjin Huapu Haihe Biopharmaceutical Industry Fund Partnership (LP), primarily funded by Tianjin Ringpu Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and the Tianjin Haihe Industry Fund, it relies on two industry leaders—Ringpu Biotechnology and Ruipai Pet Hospital—to focus on investment and industrial layout in the fields of pet health and animal protection. Tianjin Ringpu Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is China’s first A-share listed biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the animal health sector (stock code: 300119), as well as the largest manufacturer and service provider of animal health products in China with the most comprehensive product portfolio. Its products have been exported to more than 40 countries and regions, ranking among the top 15 globally in the animal health industry. Ruipai Pet Hospital, invested in by Ringpu Biotechnology, is one of the largest chains of pet hospitals in China and has been included in the “China Unicorn Enterprise List” for two consecutive years. The capital injection from the Huapu Haihe Fund will facilitate the integration of the respective industry advantages of Ringpu, Ruipai, and Sinovet, enabling comprehensive strategic cooperation in the field of pet health services and achieving strong alliances for synergistic and efficient development.

Sinogene possesses two major technology platforms: animal gene editing and somatic cell cloning. Ruipai Pet Hospital Chain, invested in by Ringpu Biology, currently operates over 400 clinics and handles more than 2 million patient visits annually. Both parties will leverage the pet healthcare platform as an entry point for deepened collaboration. Relying on Sinogene’s proprietary biotechnologies and targeting the frontiers of international biotechnology and veterinary medicine, they will jointly promote projects including the research and development of animal vaccines and pharmaceuticals (primarily for dogs and cats), development of model animals, and creation of therapeutic drugs and diagnostic reagents for pets. These efforts aim to accelerate the commercialization of scientific achievements and expand into international application markets to achieve leapfrog growth.

Sinogene Animal Cloning Industrialization Production Platform (Xinyi Base)

With the completion of Sinogem’s Animal Regenerative Medicine Industrial Base in the Xinyi Economic Development Zone, Jiangsu Province, and the commissioning of its industrial-scale animal cloning production platform, Sinogem will significantly enhance its existing capacity for animal cloning and model animal production, eliminate production bottlenecks, and accelerate the company’s rapid growth objectives.

Beijing New Airport City Fund Management Co., Ltd. was established on February 25, 2015. It is a professional investment institution under Beijing New Airport City Holdings Co., Ltd., dedicated to serving the Airport Economic Zone of Beijing Daxing International Airport.

The company adopts a “sub-fund + direct investment” model, dedicated to identifying and attracting high-quality projects to settle in the Airport Economic Zone. While providing enterprises with preferential policies and facilitation services to support their growth, it also drives the development of regional industries.

The company currently manages funds totaling approximately RMB 2.6 billion, with investments spanning the life and health, logistics and supply chain, aviation support, intelligent manufacturing, and next-generation information technology sectors.

Tianjin Huapu Haihe Biopharmaceutical Industry Fund, established on October 21, 2019, has a total fund size of RMB 3 billion. It was jointly established and funded primarily by Tianjin Ringpu Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Haihe Industry Fund. As a leading enterprise in China’s animal health industry, Tianjin Ringpu Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a listed biopharmaceutical company (stock code: 300119) focused on the field of animal health. Aligning with international frontiers in biotechnology and veterinary medicine, and adhering to its corporate philosophy of “Foresight, Innovation, Integrity, and Sharing,” Ringpu leverages high-quality, high-efficacy products to contribute to technological advancements in the industry, the healthy development of animal husbandry, and the safety of animal-derived foods. Ringpu Biotechnology has invested in Ruipai Pet Hospital Chain, one of the largest pet hospital chains in China, which currently operates 400 clinics and has an estimated valuation of approximately RMB 12 billion.

YuanBio Venture Capital is an investment firm focused on the early- and growth-stage healthcare and life sciences sectors, headquartered at Suzhou bioBAY with a global reach.

Currently managing assets of approximately RMB 7 billion, it has completed investments in over 140 high-quality projects, primarily focusing on new drug development, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, and healthcare services. The firm has achieved substantial investment returns and has been repeatedly recognized as one of the Top 10 Venture Capital Funds in China’s healthcare sector and as one of the most active healthcare investment institutions in China.

YuanBio Venture Capital brings together a team of seasoned professional investors and world-class scientific advisors, with extensive experience in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and corporate operations within the biopharmaceutical industry and related sectors. Leveraging its focused strategy and rich industry resources, YuanBio Venture Capital is committed to becoming one of the most successful healthcare and pharmaceutical venture capital funds in China.

Huitianze Investment Co., Ltd. is an investment platform incorporated under the market-oriented entrusted management model of Jifu Venture Capital Co., Ltd. Established in 2004 and headquartered in Guangzhou, Jifu Venture Capital focuses on equity investments in emerging industries such as biopharmaceuticals, next-generation information technology, high-end equipment, and new energy and new materials. Its investment coverage spans all stages, including venture capital (VC) and mid-to-late stage private equity (PE), forming a phased, sector-specialized, and multi-tiered investment portfolio. Leveraging its substantial proprietary capital, the company has initiated, established, and managed multiple sub-funds of government industrial guidance funds in regions including Beijing, Shandong, Anhui, Guangdong, and Jiangsu. It has cumulatively invested in over 100 enterprises, with total assets under management exceeding RMB 15 billion.