Bomie Pharmaceuticals Secures RMB 20 Million in Angel Funding to Advance Live Biotherapeutic Drug Development
VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Suzhou Baimi Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (“Baimi Pharma”) announced the completion of its angel round financing of approximately RMB 20 million, led byMint Angel FundwithYonghua InvestmentCo-led the investment round, with the proceeds primarily used to isolate target functional strains from healthy human subjects, conduct functional validation and identification at the single-strain level, and complete the preliminary formulation of multi-strain consortia based on the target indications.
Baimi Pharma is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of live biotherapeutic products (LBPs). The company’s core founding team comprises microbiologists and seasoned executives from the biopharmaceutical industry, supported by a lean, high-caliber team specializing in biomedical big data, biomarker-based companion diagnostics, and clinical development. Its scientific advisory board includes academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), chairpersons of key medical specialty committees, and senior researchers from CAS. Baimi Pharma has established an R&D laboratory in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, and plans to build integrated R&D and manufacturing facilities in BioBAY, Suzhou Industrial Park. Recently, the company was awarded the “Leading Entrepreneurial Talent” grant in Suzhou Industrial Park.
In response to securing this round of financing, Dr. Shi Yaozhou, Founder of Bomi Pharmaceuticals, stated: “This is primarily attributable to two factors—Team's AccumulationandThe Uniqueness of the Track。
Dr. Shi Yaozhou currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Baimi Pharmaceuticals. With nearly two decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, he previously oversaw research and development and management at the Shanghai National Engineering Research Center for Biochip. He later joined Quest Diagnostics as the General Manager of Clinical Research in China and has since participated in and co-founded two biotechnology enterprises.
In addition to the CEO, Baimi Pharma is backed by several senior experts in the field of microbiology. The companyChief ScientistZhao Guoping is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Society for Microbiology, and a senior expert in microbiome and microbial ecology. He concurrently serves as Chief Scientist at the Big Data Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, and Chief Expert of the Phenome-Microbiome Project; Baimi Medicine’sChief Technology OfficerWith 25 years of experience in microbiological science, he has focused on the research and application of human gut microbiota since 2016. He pioneered the establishment of a healthy gut microbiome bank in Hong Kong and provides fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) services, positioning himself as a pioneer in the fields of FMT and microbiome intervention in Asia.
Furthermore, the Baimi Pharma team has accumulated clinical experience with hundreds of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) cases in the field of microecology, along with the interpretation of gut microbiome profiles from tens of thousands of healthy individuals. The company has conducted a comprehensive analysis of more than 2,000 high-impact articles published over the past five years on the association between gut microbiota and diseases, integrating them into a knowledge base that provides thorough insights into the functional mechanisms of each bacterial species with clearly defined roles.
The team is one factor; the second reason, according to Dr. Shi Yaozhou, is Baimi Pharma’s unique niche positioning and its first-mover advantage.
Research on live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) has emerged as a noteworthy field in recent years. The U.S. FDA proactively drafted technical review guidelines for LBPs in 2016 and has continued to refine them. In late 2019, the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) granted breakthrough approval for an investigational new drug (IND) application for a single-strain microbial drug, signaling the commencement of clinical development of LBP therapeutics.
In recent years, growing evidence has demonstrated that the gut microbiota is closely intertwined with human health and the onset and progression of diseases. The gut even accounts for 70% of the body’s immune function. The dynamic microenvironment formed by microorganisms enables continuous interaction and crosstalk through the intestinal barrier, and precise intervention in the gut microbiota can effectively treat related diseases.
Dr. Shi Yaozhou explained to VCBeat that traditional gastrointestinal diseases, metabolic disorders, neurological conditions, cancers, and autoimmune diseases can all be treated through gut microbiota interventions. These interventions include fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), direct intervention with metabolites, administration of specific live bacterial strains, use of natural products and their derivatives to modulate the gut microbiota, and nutritional interventions. Such precise interventions can eliminate harmful bacteria, colonize beneficial ones, and thereby restore a healthy, diverse microbial ecosystem in patients.
Baimi Pharma is dedicated to developing multi-component bacterial live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases. By delivering precise interventions and targeted nutritional support to patients’ gut microbiota, the company aims to achieve therapeutic efficacy. Baimi Pharma entered the LBP sector at an early stage, securing a first-mover advantage as the field began to emerge.
It is reported that Baimi Pharmaceuticals has established collaborative partnerships with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Center for Biomedical Big Data, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine’s Children’s Medical Center, and the CAS Institute of Nutrition and Health. The company is further expanding its strategic cooperation with key domestic laboratories specializing in functional bacterial strain repositories and bacterial functional evaluation, while actively seeking comprehensive collaboration opportunities with major pharmaceutical companies that have a strategic presence in the microbiome medicine sector.
Regarding the development of the field of microbiology,Dr. Shi YaozhouHe affirmed, “The network of interactions between microbes and the human body is being continuously validated. I believe that with the ongoing advancement of science, the clinical translation of microbiome-based therapies will achieve breakthrough progress within the next two years. Abroad, multiple microbiome-derived drugs have already entered late-stage clinical trials, while in China, Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for single-strain microbiome therapeutics have also commenced. Baimi Pharma has adopted a growth-oriented mindset to rapidly secure a leading position in the domestic market. By progressing from first-in-class to best-in-class and then to population-specific therapies, we are continuously developing new clinical pipelines tailored to different indications. Our strategy is to rigorously select gut microbial strains and carefully screen patient populations.”
Regarding the investment in Baimi Pharmaceuticals,Mr. Bao Yanghuan, Partner at Mint Angel Fund“Peppermint Angel Fund has maintained its focus on the cutting-edge biomedical sector, including the field of microbiome medicine. Live biotherapeutic products based on gut microbiota research have been clinically proven effective, offering novel therapeutic approaches for complex systemic diseases with unmet medical needs, and are now on the verge of widespread application. We believe that Baimi’s scientific expertise and clinical strategy will facilitate the translation of innovative microbiome-based products, address critical clinical challenges, and benefit more patients.”
Mr. Chen Wen, Partner at Yonghua Investment“The founding team of Baimi represents a well-balanced combination of expertise in operations, microbiomics, medical big data, and clinical applications. Over the past few years, the team has accumulated significant technological and data resources, demonstrating strong capabilities in resource integration and execution. The company’s scientific advisory board has established a clear strategic scientific direction. Its R&D philosophy of ‘selecting optimal gut microbes and rigorously selecting patients’ enables the company to rapidly finalize microbiome-based formulations and precisely identify suitable patient populations for indications. Yonghua Investment aims to support Baimi as a long-term partner in this sector, fostering continuous innovation and resource integration to help Baimi quickly emerge as a leading next-generation healthcare technology company.”
BOHE Angel Fund, established in 2015, is China’s first pharmaceutical and healthcare angel investment fund dedicated to global early-stage innovative R&D enterprises. It is committed to building China’s premier platform for identifying, nurturing, and incubating technology transfer projects in early-stage biotechnology.
A seasoned investment team, in collaboration with an international “think tank” of top-tier scientists, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, focuses on cutting-edge life science technologies urgently needed in the Chinese market, as well as the development of novel drugs for oncology, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases based on new targets and mechanisms. The team also strategically invests in innovative precision medicine solutions, including early disease screening and molecular imaging. By leveraging a deep understanding of the pathways and cycles of technology translation, the team helps enhance portfolio companies’ success rates and accelerate their growth.
Yonghua Investment is a fund management company under the Yongjin Group, specializing in private equity investment. Yonghua Investment has invested in more than 180 outstanding enterprises, with cumulative assets under management exceeding RMB 8 billion. Over 60 of its portfolio companies have successfully gone public. Focusing on high-quality enterprises with core competitiveness, Yonghua Investment assists them in continuously enhancing their intrinsic value by improving corporate governance structures, standardizing financial management, introducing professional talent, and optimizing and integrating resources.