SeekingGene Biosciences Files for IPO: Advancing Affordable and Accessible Single-Cell Immune Profiling for Precision Oncology

In the past two years, single-cell sequencing has undoubtedly become a hot track in the field of gene sequencing. In the United States, 10x Genomics, a single-cell sequencing company, has successfully listed on NASDAQ, with global revenue reaching $250 million in 2019, becoming an industry leader. Domestic companies have also been favored by the capital market and completed several large-scale financing rounds.

Cells are the smallest functional units in the human body. Research has shown that the heterogeneity of gene expression and function in individual cells determines cell fate during development and is closely related to the pathogenic mechanisms of diseases.

Conventional NGS-based genetic testing performs genetic analysis on the entire cell population at the macroscopic level of bulk cells, failing to reflect cellular heterogeneity. Single-cell sequencing refers to sequencing the genome at the level of individual cells, applying gene sequencing to the single-cell scale, thereby identifying cell types and functions, as well as changes or variations in the health or status of specific cells.

SeekGene (Beijing SeekGene Biotechnology Co., Ltd.) focuses on single-cell immune profiling diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, specializing in the research and development and clinical application of various single-cell detection technologies. Among them,The high-throughput single-cell transcriptome sequencing kit developed by the company features flexibility, ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and accuracy, thereby accelerating the clinical translation and application of single-cell sequencing technology.

Single-cell sequencing technology is emerging as a rising “star” in the field of precision oncology research and therapy, complementing next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing. Data indicate that the global market size for single-cell-related products in scientific research stands at $13 billion, with even greater potential in the clinical market. Development in the Chinese domestic market has been relatively lagging; in 2019, the scale of domestic scientific research services was estimated to exceed $300 million. Upstream instruments and reagents were dominated by foreign products from companies such as 10X Genomics and BD. Among these, 10X Genomics held a 90% market share, leveraging its water-in-oil emulsion-based technology.

Li Zongwen, founder of SeekGene, clearly recognizes that the prohibitively high costs of instruments and reagents—with single-cell sequencing services based on the 10X Genomics or BD platforms priced at RMB 30,000–40,000 per sample—are the primary obstacles limiting the adoption of single-cell technology in scientific research and clinical applications.Cost-effective, high-quality universal products will significantly promote the expansion of the domestic single-cell market and the development of clinical applications.This is also the original intention behind Li Zongwen’s founding of SeekGene.

Li Zongwen, with a background in tumor next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing, was an early team member at Novogene. He led the domestic regulatory submission of the first NGS kit in China and possesses hands-on experience across the three major application areas of genetic testing: research-grade, clinical-grade, and consumer-grade. He has in-depth knowledge of upstream and downstream products and technologies within the industry, along with extensive experience in building research systems and promoting clinical adoption.

As the potential of single-cell sequencing became apparent, Li Zongwen gradually turned his attention to this technology. He stated, “NGS testing and single-cell sequencing are both important technologies in the field of precision medicine. Moreover,”Single-cell analysis provides more information for disease diagnosis and treatment, helping researchers better understand the transcriptome in cell biology and compensating for the limitations of NGS testing.”

Thus, Li Zongwen completed a significant career transition, shifting from an employee to an entrepreneur by founding SeekGene. In terms of research direction, he has expanded his focus from tumor NGS testing to single-cell sequencing, targeting the application of single-cell technologies in cancer immunotherapy.

Li Zongwen expressed optimism about the prospects of single-cell technology in tumor immunotherapy. The immune cell types involved in tumorigenesis and progression are diverse and highly heterogeneous; studies at the bulk cell level fail to identify precise therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Only by conducting research at the single-cell level can a comprehensive tumor immune atlas be obtained, thereby further enabling precision medicine.

The immune system plays a significant role in the onset and progression of diseases, with adaptive immunity exhibiting complex mechanisms of action at both cellular and molecular levels. Also known as specific immunity, adaptive immunity derives its specificity primarily from highly variable immune receptors within immune cells, such as T-cell receptors (TCRs) and B-cell receptors/antibodies (BCRs/Igs). If high-throughput technologies could be employed to acquire nucleic acid sequences of immune receptors associated with disease states, along with their corresponding ligand information, it would undoubtedly deepen our understanding of diseases at a more profound level, thereby further advancing the development of strategies for disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.

What SeekGene aims to do isDevelop a cost-effective single-cell research platform, and further correlate immune receptor nucleic acid information with corresponding antigens at the single-cell level, thereby facilitating disease research with higher resolution and greater dimensionality.

Currently, SeekGene has developed SeekOne®Single-Cell Detection Platform and SeekPair®Target Screening System.

Li Zongwen emphasized: “Our goal is not only to achieve import substitution, but also to surpass imported products.”

SeekOne at the Single-Cell Level®On the product testing pipeline, the company has established a comprehensive product portfolio. In addition to 3′ single-cell expression profiling, SeekGene, based onMicrofluidic chips have been developed for 5′ single-cell full-length VDJ sequencing and 5′ single-cell expression profiling.; under the patent-protected magnetic bead modification scheme, the company has also developedThe World’s Only Single-Cell Whole-Transcriptome Product, truly achieving full-transcript detection at the single-cell level.

Currently, the 3′ expression profiling product is undergoing large-scale testing and will soon be available for sale, while the single-cell whole-transcriptome product is also set to launch shortly. Meanwhile, SeekOne®The single-cell transcriptome library preparation kit is characterized by its flexibility, ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and precision. It requires no additional expensive hardware or on-site sampling by specialized personnel, while the dual-labeling system ensures accurate results.

SeekPair®The target screening system is currently undergoing internal testing and validation. It is expected to complete the verification of key performance indicators within the year, with plans to conduct joint tests with potential customers to evaluate the efficiency of discovering disease molecular markers.

The primary application scenario of single-cell sequencing in the field of tumor immunotherapy lies in drug development.Next, SeekGene will focus on the SeekOne® testing platform, continuously refine its product portfolio, and carry out promotional efforts. In the future, the company will integrate SeekOne®Detection Platform and SeekPair®Target screening system, enabling the association of antigens and antibodies, and partnering with numerous pharmaceutical companies to jointly conduct drug development.