Guangna Dakang Completes Tens of Millions of RMB Pre-A Financing to Accelerate Industrialization of Smart Detection Products

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) has learned that Guangna Dakang (Guangzhou) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Guangna Dakang”) recently completed a pre-A financing round worth tens of millions of yuan, with exclusive investment from Knowledge City (Guangzhou) Investment Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Knowledge City Group”).

This round of financing will be primarily used to build Guangna Dakang’s production, operations, and sales channels, facilitating the industrial commercialization of the company’s intelligent POCT products for toxicology testing and driving the development of the rapid biosafety testing industry.

Guangna Dakang was established in November 2020,Specializing in the prevention, control, and detection of drug abuse, food safety, and animal diseases, leveraging two core application platforms: nano-labeled immunoassay and microfluidic molecular diagnostics., providing comprehensive rapid testing solutions and leading technological advancements in the fields of biosafety and rapid diagnostics for general health.

Guangna Dakang brought products to market within less than a year of its establishment, a pace and achievement made possible by the concerted efforts of multiple parties. It is worth noting the background behind Guangna Dakang’s founding: it is a company built uponNational Engineering Research Center for NanomedicineThe technical team's years of accumulated experience in independent innovation and technology R&D, inGuangdong National Nanotechnology Innovation Institute for the Greater Bay Area(hereinafter referred to as Guangna Institute) high-tech enterprises supported by special funds for scientific and technological transformation.

Leveraging Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s A+-rated discipline in Biomedical Engineering, the National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine addresses strategic national needs in the biopharmaceutical industry and keeps pace with international frontiers in nanomedicine. The Center conducts applied research and engineering technology development in three key areas: nanopharmaceutical formulations, nano-biomedical materials, and nanodiagnostic reagents.

The Guangzhou Institute of Nanotechnology (GIN) is a new-type R&D institution jointly established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the People's Government of Guangdong Province. By introducing domestic and international research capabilities and scientific achievements, GIN carries out the translation of research outcomes in fields such as advanced nanomaterials, nano-intelligent sensing, and nanomedicine, striving to build a full-chain nanotechnology innovation system and a nanotechnology industrial cluster.As one of the first industrialization projects implemented at the Guangzhou Institute of Nanotechnology (GINT) under the National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, Guangna Dakang’s project on “Rapid Drug Testing Based on Nanolabel Immunoassay Technology” was officially launched in May 2020, with full efforts devoted to the industrial translation of its “One-Minute Rapid Drug Test.”

Backed by these two powerful major innovation platforms, Guangna Dakang has established an R&D team led by academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and staffed by numerous professors and doctoral experts, and has built a facility of approximately 3,000 m² in Huangpu District, Guangzhou, in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards for medical devices.²R&D and production facilities.

“Leveraging the aforementioned platforms and research teams,Guangna Dakang leverages the unique optical, electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties of nanomaterials to address key technical challenges such as water solubility, biocompatibility, and long-term stability of detection materials. By harnessing the specific recognition mechanisms of nucleic acids and antibodies, the company has established an innovative “nanolabel-based detection” platform. When integrated with specialized analytical instruments that read the distinct optical, electrical, magnetic, and thermal signals emitted by nanolabels, this platform enhances the sensitivity of immunoassays by several-fold to dozens of times, thereby advancing more sensitive and rapid biosafety nanolabel-based point-of-care testing technologies.“Dr. Yang Hai, Head of the Nano-Testing Team at Guangna Institute and Deputy General Manager of Technology at Guangna Dakang, said.”

Furthermore, Guangna Dakang has successfully reduced the sample volume required for a single test from the traditional milliliter level to the microliter level through micro-nano fabrication technology.By using minimal reagents in conjunction with automated micro- and nanofluidic detection devices, the entire process of sample loading, separation, purification, mixing, and detection can be completed in a short time. This approach simplifies operations and significantly reduces testing time, enabling molecular diagnostics—which traditionally require skilled personnel operating in specialized laboratory settings—to be rapidly performed in home environments.

Based on the aforementioned technologies, Guangna Dakang has obtained authorization or transfer for 12 invention patents, 5 utility model patents, 5 software copyrights, and 2 design patents, with nearly 20 additional patent applications currently under review. According to Mr. Wu Ke, CEO of Guangna Dakang, the company’s pipeline is currently focused on strategic布局 in three key areas leveraging these technologies.

The first is the field of drug abuse, Guangna Dakang has developed immunochromatographic rapid test kits based on nanolabeling technology, enabling on-site trace detection of drugs in saliva, hair, and urine. When used with intelligent POCT devices, rapid screening can be completed within 10 minutes. Furthermore, Guangna Dakang has jointly developed “One-Minute Rapid Test System”, from sampling to result output can be controlled within one minute.

The second is the field of food safety., Guangnada Kang team has developed China's first commercially applied fully automated chemiluminescence rapid test reagents and equipment for food safety based on superparamagnetic nanomaterials. Currently, this deviceHas been put into use in some large vegetable wholesale markets.。

The third is the field of animal disease detection., currently Guangna Dakang has established close collaborations with multiple companies in the industry and developed a fully automated nucleic acid/antibody detection system for African swine fever. In addition,In the research and development of at-home rapid testing for pets, Guangna Dakang has also actively begun to lay out its strategy.

Guangna Dakang’s key focus for this round of financing is the development and promotion of toxicology testing products.This strategic focus is naturally closely aligned with market demands. According to the World Drug Report, approximately 270 million people worldwide used drugs last year, and more than 36 million suffered from drug use disorders. Novel psychoactive substances such as “stamp” LSD blotters, “God’s Water” (liquid ecstasy), and “Natasha” have continued to emerge, posing ongoing threats to national and social stability, harmony, and healthy development. In response to these challenges, Guangna Dakang has actively collaborated with universities, research institutes, and relevant government agencies to vigorously develop drug-testing products.Currently, Guangna Dakang’s strategic layout in the field of toxicology testing is primarily divided into three directions.

The first is the one-minute rapid drug testing technology.The rapid drug detection system incorporated in this technology features micro-sampling, completes sample analysis in as little as 60 seconds, and offers an independent detection system, wireless data connectivity, and integration with a cloud-based big data center. Guangna Dakang has completed the structural design and feasibility validation of its one-minute rapid test card and is currently making every effort to finalize the engineering prototype and transition to mass production.

The second is the Mixed Reality (MR) Anti-Drug System.Through brainstorming sessions with the Mixed Reality team at Guangna Institute, Guangna Dakang proposed a novel industry application concept: the “Mixed Reality (MR) Anti-Drug System,” which integrates MR glasses with handheld drug detectors. The framework design and preliminary architecture of the demonstration platform have been completed, with two national invention patents and three software copyrights applied for.

Trinity Holistic Solution

The third is the comprehensive smart anti-drug solution.Guangna Dakang targets the vast market for drug testing by integrating four core technologies: mass production of high-performance nanolabeling materials, self-assembling biomacromolecular nano-encapsulation, AI-powered intelligent detection and digital smart manufacturing, and cloud-based big data analytics. This integration creates a comprehensive solution featuring a triad of “nano-diagnostic reagents,” “intelligent analytical instruments,” and “cloud-based big data.” Leveraging the Smart Anti-Drug Cloud Platform’s big data system, it enables dynamic monitoring and precise detection of individuals involved in or concealing drug use, thereby enhancing the efficiency of anti-drug efforts.

Knowledge City Group, the investor, stated: “China’s medical device market is larger and growing faster than the global average, with point-of-care testing (POCT) standing out as a particularly promising niche within the industry.”The global POCT market currently exceeds RMB 100 billion. Although China’s POCT market started later, its scale has also surpassed RMB 10 billion, with the industry maintaining an annual growth rate of approximately 15% in recent years—far higher than the global growth rate of 6%.Guangna Dakang’s focused drug POCT business addresses the pain points of the drug testing industry, including low detection efficiency, difficult sampling, and inaccurate results.The current growth rate of the drug POCT market has reached 14%, indicating substantial potential.Investing in the POCT sector allows investors to seize the window of industry growth and reap the dividends from the rapid expansion of the market.

Capitalizing on this substantial market potential, Guangna Dakang has rapidly assembled its team and implemented a nationwide strategy. It has already established sales teams in Guangdong, Hubei, Shandong, Sichuan, Hainan, Jiangsu, Henan, and other regions to accelerate market expansion. Within just six months of its establishment, the company has secured letters of intent for orders totaling tens of millions of yuan. Its products under development possess technological advantages, which are expected to provide significant support and drive substantial growth in sales upon their launch, indicating strong prospects for future development.

Guangna Dakang targets a market segment with immense growth potential. Backed by a robust R&D team, the company is capable not only of iterating and upgrading existing market products but also of rapidly developing and manufacturing corresponding diagnostic solutions in the event of sudden biosafety crises.

“Following this equity participation, Knowledge City Group will, in light of Guangna Dakang’s business development, consider negotiating with the original shareholders to intensify business expansion efforts and swiftly seize growth opportunities in the POCT market. Meanwhile, it will consider introducing strategic investors to transform the company into a specialized, competitively positioned POCT enterprise in the capital markets. Furthermore, given Guangna Dakang’s sound and well-regulated corporate governance foundation, it will maintain substantial stability in areas such as personnel and management.”

With its national-level technical platform, a research team led by academicians, and breakthrough nanolabeling detection technology, combined with a vast market size, this is likely the reason for Guangna Dakang’s rapid growth, as well as the rationale behind Knowledge City Group’s decision to partner with them.In the future, Guangna Dakang will leverage rapid drug testing as a breakthrough point to target the hundred-billion-yuan rapid testing market. The company will comprehensively develop prevention and detection products in fields such as substance abuse, food safety, and animal diseases, thereby safeguarding biosafety.

Knowledge City Group was established in 1984, formerly known as Guangzhou Development District Commercial Development Group Co., Ltd. Under the correct leadership and strong support of the District Committee and District Government, the company completed its restructuring and integration in 2017 in accordance with the state-owned enterprise reform plan. Aligning with its strategic positioning as an integrated service provider for the knowledge economy, it has actively promoted the restructuring and optimization of its existing industrial layout, focused on the development of the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, and facilitated the establishment of a high-level cooperation platform between China and Singapore. The company has steadily advanced its business operations in industrial park investment and development, urban construction and operation, and industrial investment.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Knowledge City Group will take the Master Development Plan of Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (2020–2035) as its blueprint and implement the “1135” strategy. Centered on the new goal of “building a group with RMB 100 billion in assets,” the Group will strengthen its role as an aggregation platform for knowledge-intensive industries to serve industrial development. It will establish a business layout with “Knowledge Parks” as the core body and “Smart Cities” and “Industrial Investment” as the two wings, striving to become a leading integrated service provider for knowledge economy development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and fully supporting the construction of the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City into a national knowledge center with global influence.