GensKey Medical Secures Hundreds of Millions in Strategic Investment from CPE Origin to Lead Infectious Pathogen Genomic Testing

VCBeat has learned that GensKey Medicine, a star enterprise in pathogenic microorganism testing, recently announced its partnership with CPE Yuanfeng to complete its Series C+ financing round. This marks GensKey Medicine’s second financing deal worth hundreds of millions of yuan within six months, following its RMB 230 million Series C round completed in November 2020, as it continues to bring in strategic investors.

In the post-pandemic era, hospitals are placing increasing emphasis on nosocomial infections. In the field of infectious disease diagnosis and treatment, precision medicine has become an industry consensus. Enhancing hospitals’ capability to detect pathogenic microorganisms facilitates accurate diagnosis and rapid treatment for infected patients, while also helping to curb the misuse of antibiotics. CPE Yuanfeng’s recent investment in the sector of genetic testing for infectious pathogens further underscores capital markets’ recognition of both this industry and GensKey Medicine.

GensKey Medicine (Image source: Provided by the interviewee)

Prior to CPE Yuanfeng, GensKey Medicine’s roster of strategic investors already featured a host of prominent names active in the biomedicine sector, including Legend Capital, SoftBank China, Fortune Capital, Lingang Venture Capital, Huagai Capital, Yuansheng Venture Capital, and Xingze Capital. What advantages does GensKey Medicine possess that have attracted so many top-tier investment institutions?

As a leading enterprise in the field of genetic testing for infectious pathogens, GensKey Medicine is the only company in the industry to have launched high-throughput pathogen detection products based on both next-generation sequencing (NGS) and third-generation sequencing technologies. It is also the only company in the industry whose imported and domestically produced sequencing platforms have both achieved high scores in the external quality assessment for metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) conducted by the National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL). Its NGS-based pathogen detection product, Jinshiyuan, has become the preferred choice for many top-tier Grade A tertiary hospitals and third-party medical laboratories. Meanwhile, its nanopore sequencing-based product, Namin Yuan, retains the comprehensive pathogen detection advantage of metagenomic approaches while significantly improving turnaround time, enabling same-day reporting. Since its launch, Namin Yuan has been racing against time to provide rapid test results for numerous critically ill patients with infections.

GensKey Medicine Allergen^TM  （Image source: Provided by the interviewee）

It is understood that GensKey Medicine is the only company offering a product for metagenomic molecular prediction of antimicrobial resistance phenotypes directly from clinical samples. GensKey Medicine’s independently developed DeepAMR technology directly detects and identifies bacterial pathogenic species and their antimicrobial resistance gene profiles in clinical specimens. By integrating machine learning algorithms with big data mining and training, this approach predicts the antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes of pathogens in clinical samples. The method demonstrates high predictive accuracy, providing a more effective reference for precision antibiotic therapy in clinical practice.

In the field of bloodstream infections, GensKey Medicine has accumulated more robust R&D capabilities. Its collaborative partners include top-tier medical institutions in China, such as the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Lu Daopei Hospital. GensKey Medicine’s Jinshiyuan product for detecting bloodstream infections is the only one in its category to have passed registration testing by the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) and entered clinical trials.

As of now, GensKey Medicine is the only company in the field of genetic testing for pathogenic infections that operates its own medical laboratories in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Tianjin. Additionally, through collaborations with local medical laboratories in Wuhan, Chengdu, and Xi’an, it ensures delivery quality and turnaround times equivalent to those of its proprietary facilities.

Furthermore, through collaborations with Grade 3A hospitals, GensKey Medicine has assisted multiple hospitals in Zhengzhou, Shenzhen, Nanchang, Jinan, Kunming, Haikou, Nanjing, and other cities in implementing in-house pathogen gene testing programs. Its extensive laboratory delivery network not only ensures localized or even in-hospital delivery in major cities with concentrated medical resources but also reduces the cross-regional transport of clinical samples suspected of infectious diseases.

VCBeat has learned that GensKey Medicine’s molecular experimentation and bioinformatics R&D teams have consistently developed products and solutions centered on core clinical needs. To date, the company has accumulated a portfolio of products and workflows compatible with various sequencing platforms. GensKey Medicine’s infectious disease genetic testing products have been validated through more than 100,000 clinical samples, whether in national external quality assessment programs or internal testing by clinical clients. GensKey Medicine is also among the earliest companies in the industry to complete the IVD (In Vitro Diagnostic) registration of its products. It has successfully obtained medical device registrations and filings for multiple products, including test reagents, instruments, and analysis software. All reagents, whether for internal use or external supply, are uniformly manufactured at its GMP-certified production facility in Tianjin, in strict compliance with quality system standards for in vitro diagnostic reagents. With both stable product quality and comprehensive solutions, GensKey Medicine stands as the optimal partner for clinical institutions conducting genetic testing for infectious pathogens.

Many partners at GensKey Medicine come from the management teams of top multinational pharmaceutical companies, renowned clinical diagnostics firms in Silicon Valley, and successful domestic genetic testing companies, with most having over twenty years of industry experience.

Dr. Jiang Zhi, CEO, has over a decade of experience in the sequencing industry. The company he co-founded, Novogene, has grown over ten years to become the world’s largest enterprise in genomic sequencing services for scientific research and is listed on the STAR Market. Since its inception, GensKey Medicine has benchmarked itself against top-tier international clinical diagnostic companies, striving to become a leader among molecular diagnostics enterprises in China’s infectious disease sector. With the addition of numerous outstanding partners, first-class talent is propelling GensKey Medicine steadily toward its goal of becoming a world-class molecular diagnostics company.

GensKey Medicine Partner (Image source: Provided by the interviewee)

Peng Wei, Project Leader at CPE Yuanfeng, stated, “Pathogen gene testing for infections effectively addresses critical pain points in clinical practice. It is a high-quality niche segment within the downstream applications of gene testing technologies, characterized by rapid growth and substantial market potential, and represents a sector in which we have long maintained confidence and made strategic investments. Under the leadership of Mr. Jiang, GensKey Medicine has established an excellent portfolio of diversified product solutions and rapidly deployed a nationwide delivery network, consistently driving and leading industry development. We are delighted to partner with GensKey Medicine. This collaboration will support the company’s continued investment in the development of new technologies and products, promoting the comprehensive application and widespread adoption of pathogen gene testing for infections, thereby benefiting patients and healthcare providers both in China and abroad.”

Through its partnership with CPE Yuanfeng, GensKey Medicine will accelerate the market promotion of “Jin Shi Yuan” and “Na Min Yuan,” while continuing to develop new diagnostic products. CPE Yuanfeng will also promote GensKey Medicine’s various products across the nearly 100 hospitals under its controlling investments.

GensKey Medicine, established in 2017 and headquartered in the Zhongguancun Life Science Park in Changping, Beijing, has been continuously deepening its expertise in the application of molecular diagnostic technologies in the field of infectious diseases. It is the only company offering solutions based on three high-throughput testing platforms. Its clinical laboratories and service networks span more than ten provinces and municipalities across China. GensKey Medicine has established in-depth collaborations with top-tier medical institutions, including China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Peking University People’s Hospital, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, the Hematology Hospital of the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Lu Daopei Healthcare Group. Serving over 1,000 clinical institutions, the company provides comprehensive solutions for pathogenic metagenomic diagnostic products and testing services to departments such as respiratory medicine, hematology, clinical laboratory, critical care, and infectious diseases.

GensKey Medicine’s Beijing and Tianjin companies are National High-Tech Enterprises, having received honorary titles such as National Technology-Based SME, Tianjin Eaglet Enterprise, and Tianjin Strategic Emerging Industry Leading Enterprise. The company was ranked among the 2020 Zhongguancun “Top 10 in Virus Detection Technology,” consecutively named one of Venture 50’s Most Investable Companies by Zero2IPO Group for two years, and selected for VCBeat’s “Top 100 Innovative Medical Services in China.”

CPE Yuanfeng is an asset management firm with a global perspective and extensive experience in China. Dedicated to a long-term horizon and value investment strategies, the firm focuses on providing innovative investment solutions to leading enterprises in four key sectors: healthcare and wellness, consumer and internet, technology and industry, and software and enterprise services. Currently, the funds under its management have earned the trust and support of more than 200 institutional investors both domestically and internationally, with cumulative assets under management exceeding RMB 100 billion. Over the past decade, the company’s core team has invested in more than 200 enterprises, accumulating profound industry insights and an extensive resource network. By leveraging a robust investment research system and professional post-investment management capabilities, CPE Yuanfeng is committed to building long-term partnerships with its portfolio companies. It aims to support their sustainable development, deliver substantial returns to investors, drive the overall advancement of the industries in which these companies operate, and create positive social impact.