Pisheng Medical Pioneers Clinical Mass Spectrometry Applications with Comprehensive Diagnostic Solutions
Since his first encounter with mass spectrometry technology in 2002, Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang has spent 17 years navigating the ups and downs of this industry. From a passionate young man determined to reach the forefront of this technology to a mature provider of comprehensive clinical mass spectrometry solutions, he has both witnessed and participated in the history of China’s clinical mass spectrometry field from its inception to its current state. He is resolved to continue leading the way in exploring the untapped potential of clinical mass spectrometry applications.
At the end of last month, Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang was spotted by a VCBeat reporter at the annual conference of the Laboratory Medicine Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Research Hospitals. Dressed in a red stand-collar T-shirt paired with light-colored jeans, he energetically navigated through the crowd of attendees. It is no easy feat to enter the market through applications, provide reagent products and testing services, integrate upstream and downstream resources single-handedly, and ultimately deliver comprehensive clinical mass spectrometry solutions. During the event, Dr. Cheng took a brief respite from his busy schedule to share with the VCBeat reporter his experiences over the past two decades, including leaving school, apprenticing under mentors, receiving awards, and embarking on his entrepreneurial journey.
Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang Delivers Speech at the Annual Conference of the Laboratory Medicine Professional Committee
During his first year of master’s studies, Cheng Xiaoliang declined the opportunity for a combined master’s-doctoral program and traveled alone to the University of Missouri in the United States. There, he studied under a leading authority in mass spectrometry and began conducting research on cutting-edge applications of the technology. At that time, mass spectrometry was still a highly advanced field in China. “I felt that to master the most advanced mass spectrometry techniques, I needed to go to the United States, so I did,” he explained.
Years flew by as Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang dedicated himself to applied research in mass spectrometry technology. From the University of Missouri to U.S. national laboratories, he eventually became an expert in the field, forging connections with many like-minded colleagues and earning a strong reputation within the mass spectrometry community. In 2013, the R&D 100 Awards—often hailed as the “Oscars of Innovation”—announced their winners, recognizing the 100 most commercially valuable technological innovations of the year. Dr. Cheng and his research team were honored for their high-throughput mass spectrometry technology. “I was the only Chinese recipient among that year’s awardees,” Dr. Cheng recalled, still unable to conceal his excitement when looking back on that moment years later.
In 2013, Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang officially returned to China, aiming to leverage his expertise in mass spectrometry to serve the domestic biopharmaceutical industry.
Upon returning to China, Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang led his team in leveraging a leading mass spectrometry technology platform to provide services to enterprises and research institutions in the fields of biology, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. In the early stages of the startup, the ten-member team simultaneously delivered external services while exploring business models and product application scenarios.
As technological expertise accumulated and market exploration deepened, Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang keenly recognized that applying mass spectrometry to clinical laboratory testing could significantly enhance efficiency and accuracy, offering substantial market potential. Consequently, Dr. Cheng undertook extensive efforts, shifting his focus toward the translational application of clinical mass spectrometry by building a dedicated team, conducting research and development, and designing a viable business model.
In July 2016, as technological pathways and business models became increasingly clear, Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang co-founded Pingsheng Medical with several industry elites, establishing it as one of the first companies in China to focus on the development of clinical mass spectrometry applications. Over the following two years, driven by the rapid advancement of metabolomics and proteomics theories and the emergence of clinical demands, the domestic market for clinical mass spectrometry applications entered its first phase of robust growth. Meanwhile, mass spectrometry instrument vendors continuously developed newer, more user-friendly testing equipment. The launch of assay kits for cardiovascular disease, vitamin, and hormone screening further ignited the domestic clinical mass spectrometry market. Additionally, Pingsheng Medical secured its Series A financing from IDG Capital in 2017.
Dr. Cheng prefers to refer to 2018 as the inaugural year of clinical mass spectrometry in China. “In that year, ‘clinical mass spectrometry’ became a new hotspot pursued by the investment community, began to emerge as a highlight at major medical laboratory conferences, and saw the emergence of a batch of clinical mass spectrometry companies.” Pinsheng Medical, having explored and accumulated experience in the application of clinical mass spectrometry technology for many years, naturally enjoys a first-mover advantage.
“In the domestic clinical mass spectrometry market, the vast majority of players are focused on newborn screening and vitamin testing.” Unlike most companies with limited product portfolios, Pinsheng Medical provides comprehensive clinical mass spectrometry solutions to hospitals and other medical institutions, encompassing in vitro diagnostic reagents, outsourced testing services, mass spectrometry hardware instruments, and technical support.
Among these, the mass spectrometry-based diagnostic applications independently developed by Pisheng Medicine constitute the core of the entire solution package. Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang told VCBeat New Medicine that Pisheng Medicine has developed dozens of clinical mass spectrometry testing items, including routine medical tests such as vitamins, hormones, bile acids, amino acids, and therapeutic drug monitoring, as well as proprietary precision disease-specific tests originally developed for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, metabolic disorders, and other fields. Eighteen of its reagent products have obtained medical device registration or filing. “We possess the most comprehensive panel of testing items and the strongest R&D capabilities in the industry.”
In Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang’s view, mainstream mass spectrometry testing items in the current market, such as vitamin testing and newborn disease screening, have already entered a red ocean. “Testing for traditional test replacements and major diseases such as cardiovascular diseases represents an emerging blue ocean market.” Pinsheng Medical has precisely targeted untapped clinical applications of mass spectrometry, thereby bypassing the red ocean market.
First is the replacement of traditional testing methods. Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang believes that mass spectrometry, with its high sensitivity and strong specificity, can provide more information, enhance detection depth, and establish correlations, thereby replacing traditional methodologies across multiple fields such as biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, and molecular diagnostics. The following are three advantages of mass spectrometry technology.
1. Strong sample analysis capability. It offers high accuracy and good selectivity, closely aligns with reference methods, and serves as the gold standard for clinical testing, particularly for small-molecule detection;
Second, high-throughput detection. Mass spectrometry can simultaneously measure multiple indicators in a single run, with each test requiring only 2–5 minutes, far surpassing other methods in its class;
Third, the platform exhibits strong scalability. In theory, mass spectrometry can detect all molecules; as an open platform, it facilitates the convenient development and application of new assays.
Pinsheng Medical has developed a portfolio of routine medical testing products covering more than 200 molecules, leveraging its tandem mass spectrometry detection platform.
Building on this foundation, Pinsheng Medical has developed a matrix of precision diagnostic tests for specific diseases by establishing joint laboratories with medical institutions, covering early screening for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.
Furthermore, Pinsheng Medical’s comprehensive clinical mass spectrometry solution integrates upstream and downstream applications by partnering with leading mass spectrometry instrument manufacturers and co-establishing medical laboratories, thereby delivering customized solutions tailored to the specific needs of healthcare institutions.
On the upstream side. In terms of instruments, Pinsheng Medical has established partnerships with mass spectrometry manufacturers such as Waters, AB Sciex, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Agilent, and Shimadzu, enabling the design of flexible hardware solutions tailored to the specific needs of healthcare clients. Regarding diagnostic reagents, Pinsheng Medical has developed comprehensive capabilities in independent research and development, regulatory registration, production, and sales. “Our GMP-compliant reagent manufacturing facility in Fujian Province is now operational,” introduced Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang.
On the downstream end, independent clinical laboratories provide Laboratory Developed Tests (LDT) services through a model of collaborative laboratory construction supported by testing centers. According to Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang, Pingsheng Medicine has established a third-party clinical testing institute in Fujian Province and is currently building a large-scale regional testing center in Nanjing. Pingsheng Medicine has successively set up branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Wuhan, Fuzhou, Chengdu, and other cities, gradually achieving network coverage across major cities in China and delivering products and services to diverse types of customers.
“Currently, Pinsheng Medical’s primary customers are in-hospital clients such as hospitals; in the future, it will expand into out-of-hospital markets, including health management centers, physical examination centers, and large insurance companies.” As its business continues to grow, Dr. Cheng Xiaoliang has become even more confident in Pinsheng Medical’s choice of business model.