Mumu Health Files IPO Prospectus: Pioneering At-Home HPV Self-Sampling with CFDA-Certified 'Gong Baby' Kit and End-to-End Digital Platform

In less than two years since its establishment, the company rapidly entered the HPV self-testing market and obtained a Class II medical device registration certificate. It also gained the favor of Tencent’s Penguin Doctor, for which it customized personalized HPV self-sampling brushes. This legendary enterprise is Mumei Health Technology R&D Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Mumei Health”). Its founder, Zhang Xiaoli, graduated from the First Military Medical University and has been engaged in the medical and health industry for 13 years.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, one of the catalysts for Zhang Xiaoli to establish Mumei Health was the diagnosis of cancer in a close family member. Despite her medical background, she felt helpless in the face of the disease. Determined to contribute her modest efforts to the fight against cancer, Zhang chose to focus on cervical cancer—the only type of cancer with currently mature technology that enables “early screening, early diagnosis, and early prevention.”

Zhang Xiaoli, Founder of Mumei Health

Cervical cancer ranks fourth among women in both incidence and mortality, following breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are over 560,000 new cases of cervical cancer globally each year, with approximately 311,000 women dying from the disease annually. In China, there are more than 100,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year, resulting in over 50,000 deaths, accounting for about 18% of all female malignant tumor deaths.

Among all currently known human cancers, cervical cancer is the only one that can be effectively prevented and controlled through early prevention and vaccination. Generally, cervical cancer screening involves two key tests: HPV (human papillomavirus) testing and TCT (thin-prep cytologic test). Notably, 99.8% of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV infection.

It is worth noting that HPV infection does not equate to cervical cancer; it typically requires persistent infection over a period of 5 to 10 years, or even longer, for cervical cancer to develop. Therefore, timely and early annual HPV screening can effectively reduce the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer.

Doctors recommend that women aged 25 and older who are sexually active undergo annual HPV screening. Since most individuals exhibit virtually no symptoms in the early stages of HPV infection, regular screening is essential for preventing cervical cancer.

However, in actual clinical practice, most women have a poor experience with HPV screening in hospitals. The procedure requires the use of a professional speculum to insert sampling materials into the vaginal cervix, which compromises privacy and comfort. This has also contributed to the relatively low uptake rate of HPV screening.

Shifting HPV screening from clinical settings to self-sampling at home, while ensuring professionalism and accuracy, creates a favorable environment for the widespread adoption of HPV screening. In 2014, the World Health Organization released its cervical cancer screening guidelines as part of Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Control: A Guide to Essential Practice. In 2015, China actively followed suit by issuing corresponding cervical cancer screening guidelines that designated HPV testing as the primary screening method. That same year marked the founding of Dayikang Medical by Zhang Xiaoli. Dayikang Medical and Mumei Health share a complementary relationship; after Dayikang Medical completed the research and development of HPV-related self-testing products, Zhang Xiaoli established Mumei Health as a platform to provide comprehensive follow-up services.

Mumei Health’s HPV-related self-sampling product, affectionately named “Gong Baobao” by the company, obtained a Class II medical device registration certificate in early 2018. Gong Baobao enables users to independently collect cervical exfoliated cell samples at home and then mail them to designated third-party molecular laboratories partnered with nearby platforms for rapid completion of the entire testing process, thereby confirming the presence or absence of HPV infection. Users need not worry about failing to collect the target sample due to improper operation. First, Gong Baobao provides operational guidelines to instruct users on how to perform self-sampling. If laboratory testing indicates that the target sample was not successfully collected, additional self-sampling kits will be mailed to the user free of charge, supporting complimentary retesting.

During sample collection, users can adopt either the lithotomy position or a standing position with legs apart. They insert a disposable self-sampling twist swab and rotate it six full times to comprehensively collect exfoliated cervical cells. “There is a design challenge involved,” Zhang Xiaoli told VCBeat. “Controlling the length of the brush head is critical: if it is too long, user comfort is compromised; if it is too short, adequate sample collection may not be achieved. In designing the brush head and selecting its material and length, I prioritized user experience through multiple rounds of testing and incorporated clinical guidance from international experts, ultimately selecting a sampling brush head with optimal length and safe materials.”

After sampling, users shall mail the samples back within 24 hours. The laboratory will issue specific test results within 5–7 business days after receiving the samples. Users can view their reports by clicking “Report Inquiry” on the homepage of the official WeChat account.

Regarding the accuracy of sample testing, Zhang Xiaoli stated frankly that even samples falling within the gray zone can achieve a reproducibility rate of nine out of ten tests. For normal samples, the testing process and result accuracy can reach 99%, fully meeting the guideline standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). Zhang Xiaoli also emphasized that these test results are most directly associated with third-party laboratories, while Gong Baobao is only responsible for front-end sample collection.

The sampling brush serves merely as a medium; Mumei Health has effectively connected the upstream and downstream segments of the HPV self-testing ecosystem, establishing a comprehensive, end-to-end information collection system. On the upstream front, Mumei Health collaborates with several specialized laboratories, including Saint Well Third-Party Medical Laboratory, Yunkang Clinical Laboratory/Yunkang Third-Party Clinical Laboratory, and Huayin Clinical Laboratory/Huayin Medical Laboratory. Currently, the company is also engaging in cooperation with Adicon Medical Laboratory Center, further negotiating matching experiments between Aikang HPV reagents and Mumei Health’s sample collection products.

By integrating with downstream partners, Mumei Health has developed a C-end self-sampling information collection system, enabling patients to track the entire process—from data entry and sample return mailing to final result retrieval—via their mobile devices. Mumei Health provides a comprehensive end-to-end service system spanning diagnosis to treatment. This solution begins with the automatic identification and entry of addresses for nearby partner laboratories via its express logistics platform, advances to precise information matching through synchronized scanning of self-collected sample data with third-party laboratory systems, and extends to a positive-case management customer service platform. Furthermore, it offers individuals who test positive a clear pathway for further TCT (ThinPrep Cytologic Test) cellular analysis, including global expert consultations and facilitated access to medical care.

Zhang Xiaoli revealed that Mumei Health is currently collaborating with the WeChat Mini Program platform to co-create the leading healthcare brand on its public platform, with 90% of the development already completed on the platform’s system.

In addition to Gong Baobao, Mumei Health has another patented product that has obtained a Class II Medical Device Registration Certificate. This is closely tied to Mumei Health’s business model, which primarily involves collaborating with B-end medical service providers to deliver corresponding products to C-end consumers. On March 8, 2018, Mumei Health initiated preliminary discussions with Tencent Penguin Doctor. During subsequent rounds of engagement, procurement-related matters were confirmed, and product dimensions were adjusted in accordance with Tencent’s requirements. Consequently, Mumei Health developed a customized new HPV sampling brush for Tencent, for which it also filed a patent application and secured the Class II Medical Device Registration Certificate. Both parties are currently engaged in further negotiations.

However, Zhang Xiaoli also stated that they would launch certain direct-to-consumer (C-end) campaigns during specific holidays. Meanwhile, their product development has gained favor with the national public primary-care screening system, and Mumei Health is actively and steadily pursuing business-to-business (B-end) collaborations.

It is reported that Mumei Health has completed an angel round of financing amounting to tens of millions of yuan. The company is now initiating a new pre-A funding round, aiming to raise RMB 30 million. Of this amount, RMB 10 million will be allocated to the commercialization of HPV self-testing products, while RMB 20 million will be dedicated to launching the company’s new project: non-invasive, safe, efficient, and rapid rehabilitation therapy products based on international physical therapy technologies targeting immune system function.