LuMing Bio: A Decade of Mass Spectrometry Expertise and the Quest for a New Growth Trajectory – [Zhangjiang Gaoke 895 Entrepreneur Camp]

Shanghai Luming Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is located in the Caohejing Pujiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai, a major innovation hub that hosts a large cluster of biotechnology enterprises. Ouyi Biotechnology, Luming’s parent company, is situated just across a small street. By integrating their respective strengths in gene technologies and mass spectrometry-based proteomics and metabolomics technologies, the two teams have rapidly joined forces to drive leapfrog development in the company’s multi-omics molecular testing service capabilities.

Dr. Shu Liebo graduated from Huazhong Agricultural University in 2010 and embodies the classic image of a senior researcher renowned for his imagination and creativity in scientific research. He embarked on an entrepreneurial journey immediately after graduation, leading his team to provide diverse mass spectrometry-based research services. For many years, he has delivered convenient, efficient, stable, and reliable research support to scientists across multiple sectors, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, major universities, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and hospitals.

Dr. Shu Liebo

Luming Biotechnology is Dr. Shu Liebo’s second entrepreneurial venture. Dr. Shu openly acknowledges that his first startup ended in failure, an experience that gave him profound insights into the pain points and critical reflections inherent in the transformation from scientist to entrepreneur, which should be integrated into corporate management.

In 2017, Shanghai Boyuan Biology, the first company he founded, was acquired by OE Biotech, a provider of genetic testing services, and renamed Luming Biotechnology. Soon after, Luming Biotechnology procured large-scale equipment such as high-resolution, high-sensitivity mass spectrometers, established a fully independent proteomics and metabolomics service platform, and received advanced management and marketing support from OE Biotech. Since then, Luming Biotechnology has entered a fast track of development, with its scale expanding rapidly. It has successively received funding from the Shanghai Innovation and Entrepreneurship R&D Program, and been recognized as a High-Tech Enterprise and a “Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative” (SRDI) Enterprise, while also achieving ISO 9001 certification.

Dr. Shu Liebo told VCBeat that Luming Biotechnology has completed thousands of scientific and technological service projects, assisted clients in publishing hundreds of SCI-indexed papers, and secured nearly 30 patents and software copyrights related to proteomics and metabolomics. “In the future, in addition to excelling in research services, we plan to strengthen our efforts in pharmaceutical R&D services and clinical applications, aiming to become a trusted partner for scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and physicians.”

Dr. Shu Liebo jokingly remarked that Luming Biotechnology lacks some of the “storytelling” flair, which may explain its relatively low profile in the industry. Nevertheless, we are a serious, pragmatic, and reliable company. In the presentation slides he shared with VCBeat, Dr. Shu opened his business introduction with the phrase, “When it comes to mass spectrometry, we mean business.” Thus, our conversation began with the theme of “seriousness.”

Luming Biotechnology’s rigorous approach to mass spectrometry can be dissected into three levels. The first level is the continuous refinement of technical capabilities. Dr. Shu’s team was the earliest in China to conduct multi-omics integration and analysis. Over the years, it has undergone three version iterations: from Version 1.0, which combined “gene chips (nucleic acids) + 2DE/MALDI-TOF/TOF (proteins) + GC-MS (metabolites),” to Version 2.0, featuring “sequencing technology (nucleic acids) + LC-MS/MS (proteins) + GC-MS (metabolites),” and finally to Version 3.0, incorporating “sequencing technology (nucleic acids) + LC-MS/MS (proteins) + GC/LC-MS (metabolites).” To date, Luming Biotechnology has established a variety of testing and analysis platforms spanning proteomics and metabolomics to the characterization of proteins, antibodies, and peptide drugs, as well as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. These platforms enable comprehensive detection and analysis ranging from whole-omics to single-molecule levels. Additionally, the company is equipped with a complete suite of data analysis systems, including multi-omics integration and single-molecule structural elucidation, ensuring more comprehensive and reliable output of results.

Dr. Shu Liebo told VCBeat that a decade ago, there were more than ten companies in China engaged in mass spectrometry-based omics, but only a handful have successfully upgraded their platforms from version 1.0 to version 3.0. However, even with the advanced technical capabilities of a version 3.0 platform, Luming Biotechnology’s research service capacity remains constrained to some extent by the technical bottleneck of detecting low-abundance substances. Mastery of mass spectrometry is an ongoing journey of exploration; achieving comprehensive and accurate profiling of ultra-trace samples, even down to single cells, remains the long-term goal of the Luming team.

The second layer is clear role positioning. Luming Biotechnology has adopted a highly streamlined business model: clients (life science researchers and pharmaceutical R&D personnel) provide biological samples, while the company leverages advanced equipment, well-trained professionals, standardized testing protocols, and excellent pre- and post-sales services. Luming Biotechnology focuses on delivering rapid and precise test results to clients, thereby facilitating the swift and high-quality advancement of their scientific research.

Previously, the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences commissioned Shu Liebo and his team to employ metabolomics techniques to detect and analyze the content of metabolites (aroma compounds) in various types of tea. Through comparative analysis, they identified the differences in substances (metabolites, also referred to as compounds) among different tea varieties. After obtaining the test data, scientists at the Tea Research Institute can use it to guide subsequent tea variety breeding and improvements in roasting techniques.

In another service case, the Army Medical University commissioned Shanghai Luming Biotechnology Co., Ltd. to employ TMT-labeled quantitative proteomics technology to analyze protein levels in the serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy individuals, thereby identifying protein differences between these groups through comparative analysis. Upon receiving the accurate analytical data provided by Luming Biotechnology, clinical medical scientists can guide the subsequent screening of molecular diagnostic biomarkers and inform medication strategies.

Dr. Shu Liebo emphasized that Luming Biotechnology remains dedicated to providing research services exclusively focused on mass spectrometry-based analytical testing, without engaging in scientific research itself. This specialized approach has earned customer trust and strengthened the team’s professional expertise.

The third, and perhaps most critical, factor is talent development. In fact, mass spectrometry-based technical services are not tasks that can be effectively performed by individual elite experts working in isolation; systematic collaboration is essential to ensuring efficiency and accuracy. “Rather than relying solely on individuals who already perform at a 90-point level from the outset, we prefer to cultivate those starting at a 70-point level into professionals capable of performing at 80 or even 90 points. This approach yields greater team stability and better synergy,” pointed out Dr. Shu Liebo. “Luming Biotechnology has always been committed to fostering an open, pragmatic, integrity-driven, and enterprising corporate culture that motivates everyone to keep moving forward.”

Despite his busy managerial schedule, Dr. Shu Liebo has never slackened in tracking the frontier technologies of mass spectrometry, at times even personally conducting experiments. This technical dedication, rooted in a researcher’s mindset, has become the defining characteristic of the Shanghai Luming Biotechnology team. Therefore, I was not surprised when he stated that his team could deliver higher-quality testing reports in half the time.

As the business scale expands, identifying new growth curves has become a key consideration for Dr. Shu Liebo and his team. “We have formulated an initial action plan and taken the first step.” Previously, Oebiotech, the parent company of Luming Biotechnology, established Jingzhun Biology, a molecular diagnostics company providing preconception care, prenatal diagnosis, and newborn screening. This move established the first link in connecting multi-omics high-end technical services with the “multi-track” molecular diagnostics sector.

Through the combination of OE Biotech, Luming Biotechnology, and Jingzhun Biotechnology, the Group will break down barriers in multi-omics services at the corporate level, establish a horizontal layout for a comprehensive multi-omics research service system, and achieve vertical depth in translating scientific achievements into clinical applications by leveraging its proprietary technologies and platforms.

In effect, this intricately interwoven business system has established a bottom-up internal ecosystem for precision medicine. Within this framework, the genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics capabilities of OE Biotech and Shanghai Luming Biotechnology Co., Ltd. provide a continuous technical foundation for Jingzhun Bio’s reproductive and genetic molecular diagnostics projects. It is reported that, leveraging this internal ecosystem, Jingzhun Bio is planning to launch initiatives such as tumor gene testing and mass spectrometry-based screening. Bolstered by the internal ecosystem—characterized by the sharing of technology, platforms, talent, and end customers—Jingzhun Bio has managed to break into the highly competitive “red ocean” of molecular diagnostics, establishing competitive barriers centered on speed and accuracy.

At this stage, the internal ecosystem is just beginning to operate, and unexpected challenges are likely to arise in the future. Nevertheless, Dr. Shu Liebo remains confident, believing that the team’s decade-long accumulation of expertise provides a solid foundation for both current and future breakthroughs.

Writing Reference:

Shanghai Field Research | The Entrepreneurial Journey Is Long, but the Heart Remains Unchanged—An Interview with Dr. Shu Liebo of Luming Biotechnology

Haina Baichuang · Chuangju Minhang | Congratulations to Dr. Shu Liebo for Winning an Award in the Finals of the 2019 Minhang District Maker Expert Selection Competition