Go Master Nie Weiping Joins Novogene Health at 'West Lake Go Match': Internet-Based Cancer Early Screening Emerges as a New Industry Hotspot

11Month19In the afternoon, the conference hall on the first floor of the Marriott Hotel in Qianjiang New City was packed to capacity. The melodious sounds of the guqin and se captivated all listeners, as everyone’s attention was fixed on the Go match taking place on stage. One player displayed effortless mastery, while the other remained calm and composed. These two individuals were Nie Weiping, Vice President of the Chinese Weiqi Association and revered as the “Go Sage,” and the co-founder of New Horizon Health.CEO, Zhu Yeqing.

This is the second “West Lake Go Match: Cross-Border Integration—Sharing the New Landscape of Internet+ Early Cancer Screening” Summit, hosted by New Horizon Health. Distinguished experts from various sectors gathered to engage in dynamic exchanges on new concepts in early cancer screening, prevention, and treatment. Nie Weiping stated, “It helps people stay away from cancer at an earlier stage. For today’s event, I, like everyone else, would like to give it a thumbs-up.”

The founding of New Horizon Health has been jokingly described by many as “a meal shared by three Peking University classmates in the United States that advanced colorectal cancer detection in China by five years.”

In 2012, several alumni from the Class of 1992 in the Department of Biology at Peking University reunited in Silicon Valley, USA. One of them, a clinical physician practicing in the United States, mentioned fecal DNA-based early screening for colorectal cancer, which was still in its developmental stages. Although the remark was made casually, it caught the attention of Chen Yiyou, who was engaged in R&D of novel oncology drugs. Recognizing the feasibility of this technology, Chen conducted a one-month study and then immediately called Lu Ning, who had already become an expert in molecular diagnostics. After analyzing the proposal from a molecular diagnostics perspective, Lu Ning responded, “It is challenging, but feasible.” They then reached out to Zhu Yeqing, who possessed management experience at multinational corporations and excelled in corporate management and operations. The three decided to put their idea into action.

Today, New Horizon Health has not only achieved early screening for colorectal cancer via stool DNA testing but also, through three years of growth and expansion, established a market network covering more than 20 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across China. Meanwhile, the company has built high-standard systems for R&D, marketing, sales, and customer service. With a long-term strategic vision, New Horizon Health is integrating with the internet sector to provide better diagnostic services for common, high-incidence cancers to the Chinese population.

In 2012, the number of new global cancer cases increased from 12 million in 2008 to 14 million, with the mortality rate reaching as high as 810 (over 50%). Among new cases, colorectal cancer accounted for 9.7%, ranking third. It is projected that the number of new global cancer cases will exceed 19 million by 2025.

Professor Cai Sanjun, Chairman of the 5th Professional Committee of the China Anti-Cancer Association, stated at the forum, “Tertiary prevention of colorectal cancer is critically important.” Primary prevention targets etiology, secondary prevention focuses on diagnosis and treatment, and tertiary prevention aims to optimize therapy. Secondary prevention accounts for 53% of the factors contributing to improved survival. Professor Cai emphasized, “To enhance survival rates, greater efforts must be made in these three areas.”

Currently, cancer risk prediction through gene sequencing is the mainstream approach in cancer detection. New Horizon Health adopts a reverse-thinking strategy by focusing on screening for a specific high-incidence cancer to achieve early diagnosis.

Large adenomas and high-grade dysplasia are classified as early-stage adenomas, associated with a 100% survival rate. However, traditional fecal occult blood tests and digital rectal examinations fail to detect early-stage adenomas. Furthermore, routine blood-based cancer biomarkers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), exhibit low sensitivity and cannot detect early molecular signals of colorectal cancer; thus, detection relies solely on colonoscopy. Due to the cumbersome preparation required and its highly invasive nature, the colonoscopy screening rate among asymptomatic individuals is less than 1%. Consequently, by the time clinical symptoms manifest, the disease has often progressed to an advanced stage, missing the optimal window for treatment. These factors collectively contribute to the persistently high mortality rate of colorectal cancer.

To address this pain point, New Horizon Health launched “ColoClear,” an early colorectal cancer screening product tailored to the characteristics of colorectal cancer in the Chinese population, last year.^®”. By analyzing genetic material in stool samples to detect gene mutations associated with colorectal cancer, this method enables early, non-invasive screening for colorectal cancer with a sensitivity of 76.4%. It not only allows for home-based sampling, eliminating the hassle of queuing at hospitals, but also facilitates the detection of cancerous cells at an early stage, enabling patients to achieve curative outcomes through simple minimally invasive surgeries. Chen Yiyou stated, “Our goal is not testing for testing’s sake, but rather to provide clear clinical guidance through a simple method for early tumor screening.”

Changweiqing^®Following its launch, the product’s ease of use and usability received widespread acclaim from the medical community, insurance institutions, and the venture capital sector. This year, New Horizon Health has built on this momentum by launching an integrated early screening solution for colorectal and gastric cancers—“Changweiming™”—officially taking on the challenge of gastric cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

China bears a heavy burden of gastric cancer, with 70% of patients infected with Helicobacter pylori. Even among individuals without gastric cancer, those infected with H. pylori have a sevenfold higher incidence rate compared to the general population.

“ColoClear™” has added two new indicators: Helicobacter pylori detection and East Asian strain typing (a subtype of H. pylori associated with a 25–30-fold increased risk of gastric cancer compared to the general population). This enhancement not only detects infection but also further identifies the infecting strain type, achieving an overall accuracy exceeding 95.6%. During his forum address, Chen Yiyou stated, “ColoClear™ enables molecular typing to identify the infecting strain, a capability not yet available in the United States.”

In addition to expanding its product line, New Horizon Health has further refined its comprehensive early diagnosis system for colorectal diseases by launching a patented product—the world’s first “integrated fecal occult blood sampling and testing” device, PooTube™.The PooPoo Tube™ features a non-invasive, painless, and non-interventional design, allowing users to perform sample collection at home. It delivers more precise test results and enables self-testing via the internet.

Yan Dehua, Director of the Disease Control and Prevention Division of the Zhejiang Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission, stated: “Changweiqing^®“After its launch, we were very interested, but the cost increased the difficulty of promotion. Today, this Pupu Tube™ costs only 69 yuan, which facilitates the promotion of our project.”

The company has also launched a quantitative risk assessment questionnaire for colorectal cancer, primarily designed to stratify individuals by risk level and guide the selection of appropriate follow-up diagnostic procedures based on their assessed risk. By integrating this questionnaire with PooPipe™ and Colotect®, the company has established a comprehensive early screening system for colorectal cancer, catering to the testing needs of users across varying economic backgrounds and risk profiles.

Chen Yiyou, Founder and Chief Scientist, stated, “The quality of a product is not determined by the cutting-edge technologies it employs, but rather by its practicality. A product’s design must address market pain points and deliver tangible value to users to ensure its sustained viability.”

If technology is the core of a product, then the Internet is its wings:

For users, this O2O model enables testing without leaving home, while also facilitating regular screening to promptly rule out cancer risks.

For the company, leveraging the internet and mobile health platforms enables an asset-light operational model, eliminating the need to establish a nationwide network of central laboratories or maintain a dedicated sales team.

For the industry, early screening enables risk stratification of patients prior to hospital admission, facilitating precise patient triage for hospitals. This promotes the rational and efficient utilization of medical resources, thereby alleviating the current strain caused by their scarcity.

In February this year, New Horizon Health also entered into cross-industry collaborations with multiple industry giants and renowned hospitals, including Baidu Doctor, Taikang Online, ZhongAn Insurance, iKang Guobin, WeDoctor, and Peking Union Medical College Hospital. By integrating the internet with insurance, mobile healthcare, and hospital check-up services, the company aims to construct a comprehensive landscape for early cancer diagnosis and prevention.

Through its collaboration with insurance companies, New Horizon Health has established a cancer screening system that integrates testing with subsequent coverage. In the event of a confirmed cancer diagnosis, the insurer provides a one-time lump-sum payment to the insured. This arrangement alleviates concerns for users, helps patients and their families mitigate the financial burden of subsequent treatment, and offers ongoing protection. For insurers, this partnership not only enhances actuarial data support for improving claims ratio calculations but also expands product offerings to attract a larger and higher-quality customer base. More importantly, it enables insurers to engage in the medical care process, thereby fulfilling their management functions.

Channel partnerships with mobile healthcare platforms can serve as a gateway to expand the user base. The product’s features align with the operational model of mobile healthcare, facilitating product monetization for these platforms. For users, the integration of mobile healthcare and internet-based testing delivers a truly digital medical consultation experience.

By leveraging early screening technologies, users can conduct preliminary disease screenings at home, thereby avoiding unnecessary hospital visits and long waits, which saves time and effort. For hospital departments, this approach facilitates pre-admission triage and patient routing, helping to alleviate pressure on medical resources. Furthermore, strategic partnerships with physical examination centers enable precise patient referral for these facilities while providing users with integrated services, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.

Through such multi-party collaborations, New Horizon Health has established an integrated comprehensive service that combines consultation, testing, diagnosis, medical treatment, and follow-up support, achieving seamless coordination across the entire process.

Wang Daonan, CEO of Taikang Online, stated, “Through New Horizon Health, we have come to recognize the importance of early screening, which is about taking preventive measures before disease occurs.” Cancer prevention is not solely an individual’s responsibility, nor is it merely a governmental duty; it is a shared responsibility for everyone. Only when every individual recognizes its importance will they seek various channels to achieve this goal. The application of early screening technologies provides patients with alternatives beyond clinical gastrointestinal endoscopy. It enables pre-admission offline testing, accelerates the promotion of tiered diagnosis and treatment, and collaborates with insurers to alleviate patients’ concerns. Wu Yong, co-founder of Mingyi Zhudao, also remarked, “New Horizon Health has done a great deed that benefits both the country and its people, with limitless prospects.”

Environmental issues and population aging have led to a continuous rise in cancer incidence. As health awareness among the Chinese public gradually awakens, there remains a substantial untapped market for early cancer screening. In the words of Cai Daqing, Partner at Legend Capital, “Early screening is an inevitable trend.”

Amidst applause, Yan Dehua, Chen Yiyou, Cai Sanjun, He Yulong, Director of the Department of Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Yao Fang, Professor of the Department of Gastroenterology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, and Cai Shanrong, Associate Researcher at the Cancer Institute of Zhejiang University, jointly launched New Horizon Health’s new products, “ColoClear™” and “PooPipe™.” All eyes were fixed on the scientist as Chen Yiyou stated calmly yet firmly, “Helping everyone achieve precise cancer prevention is our modest goal.”

Moving forward, New Horizon Health will continue to roll out early screening products for other high-incidence cancers, including cervical and breast cancer in women, as well as lung cancer. Expanding from specific offerings to comprehensive coverage, the company is steadily building an all-around early screening platform. New Horizon Health is on its journey—everything is unfolding just as it should, perfectly timed.