Zhongjing Pukang Submits IPO Prospectus Following Tens of Millions RMB Pre-A Financing for Multi-Omics Cancer Early Screening

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Zhongjing Pukang, a multi-omics early cancer screening company, has completed a Pre-A financing round worth tens of millions of yuan, led byTengye Venture CapitalInvestment,Taiyu CapitalAs the angel-round investor,Fangyuan Capital | Optimas CapitalServe as the exclusive financial advisor. The proceeds from this round of financing will be primarily used to advance product regulatory approval, clinical validation, and commercialization.

Zhongjing Pukang, established in 2016, has rapidly built a core technology platform leveraging mass spectrometry as the detection method and powered by multi-omics data and a disease mechanism mining engine, to develop early diagnostic products for cancer and other major diseases. The company’s flagship products currently focus on colorectal tumors and gastrointestinal tumors, with future expansions planned for other disease areas. Zhongjing Pukang has established collaborations with numerous top-tier specialized hospitals, universities, and research institutes across China.

Dr. Dai Xudong, founder of Zhongjing Pukang, possesses extensive experience in multi-omics data analysis and the elucidation of disease mechanisms. Dr. Dai earned his clinical medicine degree from the Health Science Center of Peking University and subsequently obtained his Ph.D. in the United States. With over two decades of experience at renowned institutions such as Merck & Co. and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, he previously led efforts at Merck to identify drug targets by integrating data algorithms with multi-omics data. By discovering biomarkers linked to disease mechanisms, he accelerated drug development and market approval.

Dr. Dai Xudong returned to China in 2016 and, leveraging years of accumulated expertise, independently developed the B-GPS system for multi-omics disease mechanism mining. This system integrates vast amounts of medical and pharmaceutical literature to deeply mine causative biomarkers with causal relationships, enabling the detection of early-stage pathological changes.

In late 2017, Zhongjing Pukang, founded by Dr. Dai, secured angel investment from Taiyu Capital. The company is dedicated to the translational application of the B-GPS system, integrating cutting-edge scientific research with clinical needs to develop early detection products for colorectal cancer and other diseases. Zhongjing Pukang’s mass spectrometry-based blood test requires only 100 microliters of blood. By detecting specific cellular metabolites and gut microbiota metabolites, the test can identify intestinal polyps and tumors, prompting patients to undergo timely colonoscopy and treatment. This early detection significantly improves survival rates and reduces treatment costs.

Dr. Dai Xudong explained to VCBeat, “Multi-omics, particularly metabolomics, can reflect changes in bodily functions in real time, making it the most promising approach for early disease detection. Effective detection of oncogenic microbiota metabolites provides a powerful tool for early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Zhongjing Pukang’s B-GPS system serves as a decoder of disease relationships; by elucidating the link between metabolomics and diseases, it brings early disease diagnosis within closer reach.”

The founding team of Zhongjing Pukang possesses extensive experience in both scientific research and industry. Currently, the team focuses on platform technology and product development, achieving a level of expertise in data mining and mass spectrometry detection that ranks among the top teams in China. The co-founder specializing in mass spectrometry technology previously served as the Technical Director of the Tsinghua Mass Spectrometry Center. Another co-founder, the former Director of the Software Institute at Harbin Institute of Technology, is an expert in systems and data technologies.

Zhongjing Pukang was awarded the Third Prize in the 2019 National Medical Device Innovation Competition. The company has established extensive collaborations with Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking University Health Science Center, Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Friendship Hospital, and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Zhongjing Pukang believes that only through accurate, sensitive, low-cost, and convenient testing can broader public health benefits be achieved. The team aims to leverage its platform technologies to drive innovation in clinical diagnostics and promote the wider adoption of precision medicine.

Tengye Capital served as the lead investor in this round. Ms. Gao Wei, Investment Director, stated that colonoscopy remains the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening, as other detection methods fail to achieve ideal sensitivity and accuracy in clinical practice. Due to constraints in medical resources in China, the penetration rate of colonoscopy screening is only 15%, indicating a significant unmet need. In contrast, China’s national medical insurance system spends approximately RMB 30 billion annually on treating mid-to-late stage colorectal cancer. Experience from Europe and the United States has demonstrated that early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer not only benefit patients but also substantially reduce the financial burden on medical insurance systems, yielding significant clinical benefits as well as socioeconomic returns. Zhongjing Pukang’s disease detection platform combines strong scientific rigor with high clinical operability, holding substantial promise for success in the Chinese market.

Mr. Wang Wei, a seasoned professional in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, former COO of Bayer China, and current Vice President of Tengrui Pharmaceutical, pointed out: “First, the trend of population aging will remain unchanged over the next 30 years. For China’s medical insurance system to achieve both cost containment and universal health, it must shift prevention and control efforts upstream—embodying the concept of ‘treating disease before it arises’—just as was done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic early diagnosis of major diseases such as cancer is the only approach proven feasible by data from developed countries. Therefore, Zhongjing Pukang is well-positioned to succeed by developing solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing testing platforms while meeting requirements for accuracy and throughput.””

Taiyu Investment served as the angel-round investor. Founder Ms. Ji Tianrong stated that early cancer screening has long been a critical challenge in China’s cancer prevention and control efforts. Due to the significant gap between China and the United States in early cancer screening, the five-year cancer survival rate in the U.S. is 1.8 times that of China. Compared with traditional tumor marker tests and emerging gene methylation assays, mass spectrometry-based early cancer screening offers advantages such as high accuracy, operational convenience, and high throughput, with the potential to be extended to multiple cancer types in the future. In recent years, mass spectrometry testing, as the fastest-growing segment in in vitro diagnostics, has been increasingly adopted in clinical practice. Leveraging its extensive expertise and product development capabilities in mass spectrometry, Zhongjing Pukang (Beijing) Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. aims to provide greater support to physicians and patients in the fight against cancer.

Mr. Guo Lifeng, Partner at Fangyuan Capital, stated that Zhongjing Pukang’s R&D capabilities have been highly recognized by multiple renowned institutions. He expressed great pleasure that the company ultimately chose Tengye Venture Capital, which is known for its professionalism. In the face of a challenging external economic and financial environment in the coming years, the company will not only need to rapidly translate its colorectal cancer detection project into clinical applications but also rely on continuous innovation by its team to swiftly and iteratively develop diagnostic products that meet clinical needs. Fangyuan Capital affirms its confidence in Zhongjing Pukang and is committed to working alongside the company to navigate these challenges and achieve robust growth.

Tengye Capital focuses on early-stage investments in high-tech innovative enterprises. It currently manages six funds and has invested in over 30 companies. Tengye Capital boasts a professional investment management team with extensive industry expertise, dedicated to identifying outstanding teams and startups with core technologies and product accumulation in emerging industries, while leveraging its rich industry resources to support corporate growth. Its investment sectors include biopharmaceuticals and healthcare, TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecom), new energy and environmental protection, as well as advanced manufacturing and high-end equipment. Notable portfolio companies in the healthcare sector include Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals, Liuhe Ningyuan, Hanhai Gene, Jiabao Renhe, Jinshi Biotech, Ketu Medicine, and Guangwei Pharma.

Taiyu Investment focuses on equity investments in the early and growth stages of the healthcare sector, particularly in medical devices, health supplements, CROs, and healthcare-related service enterprises. Leveraging the platform of Tigermed, Taiyu Investment utilizes its extensive industry experience and resources to provide comprehensive post-investment services to portfolio companies. This support accelerates product commercialization, drives rapid corporate development, facilitates the integration and upgrading of resources within relevant fields, shares in the value of corporate growth, and grows alongside its portfolio companies.

Fangyuan Capital is an entrepreneur among entrepreneurs. Specializing as a financial advisor in the healthcare sector, it is dedicated to identifying and supporting outstanding founders in growth-stage companies, striving to be a trusted long-term partner for entrepreneurs. Its services focus on niche segments such as high-value medical consumables, in vitro diagnostics (IVD), healthcare services, and innovative pharmaceuticals. The team has facilitated financing for companies including Wuse Technology, Boying Medical, Ruishen’an, Pushikang, Zhongjing Pukang, Huopu Medical, Qian Dafu, and Zhicheng Youyuan.