Baimu Bio: Driving Cost Reduction and Efficiency in Genomics through BT+IT Integration with Three Core Business Segments

Interdisciplinary fields such as life sciences and digital technology have brought about significant changes to people’s lives in recent years. In particular, the healthcare sector has gradually become the largest application scenario for artificial intelligence, enabling unprecedented cost reduction and efficiency gains across the medical industry chain.

From November 14 to 19, the 2023 (17th) Entrepreneurship Week and Global Entrepreneurship Week China Station (hereinafter referred to as “Entrepreneurship Week” or “GEW”), guided by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and hosted by the Shanghai University Student Sci-Tech Entrepreneurship Foundation, was held in Shanghai.

This Year's Entrepreneurship Week Focuses OnDigital Technology, Hard Tech, Life Sciences Technology, Sustainable Developmentin the four major hard-tech sectors, in conjunction with the series of activities organized by the “Innovation China” Yangtze River Delta Alliance Station, focusing on key development directions such as the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, the incubation and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, and the establishment of an open innovation system with international influence.

As a representative of this year’s “Angel Fund Outstanding Fledgling Enterprises,” Shanghai Baimu Biotechnology Co., Ltd., which received funding from the Entrepreneurship Foundation’s Fudan University Fund in 2022, its CEO, Wang Dongya, shared his thoughts and actions on technological innovation under the theme “A Decade of Chasing Dreams, Starting from the Heart” at the opening ceremony.

“A gentleman is not different by nature; he is good at making use of things.” Wang Dongya noted that “the thorough exploration and application of life science tools constitute a crucial component of original innovation, which holds great potential to unlock new frontiers. In recent years, the iterative development and application of artificial intelligence have significantly accelerated the rapid growth of the genomics industry.”

Baimu Bio is a biotechnology enterprise driven by the integration of IT and BT, focusing on the deep fusion of AI and biotechnology to deliver innovative solutions for life science research and precision medicine. The company was co-founded by Wang Dongya, Ding Pingping, and Wang Tao.

Before founding Baimu Biotech, Wang Dongya’s previous cross-industry experiences were already highly challenging.

During his master’s studies, Wang Dongya studied biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. At that time, he participated in a South-to-North Water Diversion project, which required frequent field surveys. “The conditions were quite arduous but also quite interesting. We often had to organize teams to conduct expeditions into uninhabited areas on our own. The associated tasks—such as staffing, task allocation, and resource planning—provided valuable training and yielded substantial gains.”

After graduation, Wang Dongya serendipitously transitioned across industries to join Xiaomi Group and China Southern Airlines Group, where he engaged in financial risk management and fintech work. He possesses extensive experience in managing risks for assets worth tens of billions of yuan and has participated in the development of petabyte-scale artificial intelligence big data platforms, accumulating rich expertise in big data processing and AI modeling.

From a technical perspective, the rapid development of the internet finance sector in which Wang Dongya is engaged has significantly advanced information and data technologies. These technological capabilities can be applied to more foundational areas critical to national welfare and people’s livelihoods, including life sciences and healthcare. From a resource perspective, having accumulated greater resources and wealth, Wang Dongya has also developed a stronger sense of responsibility to engage in addressing fundamental issues of human survival or tackling more frontier challenges.

Armed with his original aspirations and resources, Wang Dongya reached out to former classmates who were deeply entrenched in their respective fields for discussions, ultimately zeroing in on the life sciences sector for a joint venture. Among them,Ding Pingping and Wang Tao, co-founders of Baimu Biotech, bothHe is a classmate of Wang Dongya.

Ding Pingping holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from Fudan University. In contrast to Wang Dongya’s cross-disciplinary career path, she has remained more “focused,” whether engaging in basic research or leading a team in the industry to drive scientific translation from the ground up. “When you want to do something, just do it—results will follow. Just do it!”

For many years, Ding Pingping has been deeply engaged in the field of bioinformatics, accumulating extensive experience in research and development as well as practical applications. He has participated in the development of more than 16 products and filed over 18 patents. In the process of translating academic achievements into industrial applications, Ding Pingping spearheaded the establishment of a product line from scratch and led his team to achieve a remarkable increase in annual revenue from RMB 1 million to RMB 15 million.

Dr. Wang Tao holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and is an expert in the field of gene editing research and development. He previously conducted scientific research at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and has extensive experience in the development and clinical application guidance of dozens of anti-tumor drug targets.

Currently, Baimu Bio’s core team comprises distinguished scientists from prestigious research institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University, and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, as well as elite professionals with diverse backgrounds from leading internet and technology companies including Alibaba, Meituan, and Xiaomi.

By leveraging the interdisciplinary integration and technological innovation of computer science, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, gene technology, and life sciences, Baimu Biology has completed the research and development of a series of core technologies, facilitating the rapid achievement of cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the gene industry.

Baimu Biology chose to anchor its entrepreneurial venture in the field of genetic testing within the vast life sciences sector due to the enormous market potential and unresolved industry pain points inherent to this domain.

It is estimated that the global genetic testing market will maintain a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19% from 2021 to 2026, with its market size exceeding RMB 265 billion by 2026; China’s genetic testing market will maintain a CAGR of 37% during the same period, with its market size surpassing RMB 30 billion by 2026.

On the other hand, despite the vast market potential, the genetic testing industry faces significant pain points. Currently, end-users such as research institutes, hospitals, CROs, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as service providers like genetic testing laboratories, encounter cumbersome pre-sales consultation processes, gene analysis workflows with poor readability and slow delivery, and frequent yet inefficient post-sales support procedures.

Baimu Biology leverages large AI models combined with genomic industry expertise to train proprietary AI models for the genomics sector. It provides integrated, efficient services—including intelligent Q&A, smart analysis, and automated interpretation—to genetic testing service providers (B2B), helping them reduce costs and improve efficiency. Additionally, it offers efficient Q&A and intelligent interpretation services to end users (B2C).

Currently, Baimu Biology has established an AI-powered bioinformatics platform and a multi-omics biotechnology platform based on high-throughput sequencing technology. Leveraging these core technological platforms, the company has primarily developed three major business segments., with products covering multi-omics experiments such as single-cell sequencing, genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, and spatial omics, as well as AI-based bioinformatics analysis and mining, along with services including gene editing and DNA synthesis.

First is the gene sequencing business conducted based on multi-omics technologies.By leveraging automation and AI technologies, Baimu Biology integrates the gene sequencing industry chain, controlling every link to empower customers with lower-cost, higher-efficiency gene sequencing.

Furthermore, it is an AI-powered intelligent Q&A service derived from genetic testing operations.("Xiao Mu"). Xiao Mu has currently been launched and is in a phase of free, industry-wide open access, providing 24/7 answers to professional questions in the field of biological genetics.

Next is the big data analysis platform for genomics.. The platform is currently live internally at Baimu Bio and is expected to be opened for external use in 2024.

The core logic behind these platforms and products is to reduce costs and improve efficiency in the genomics industry. Driven by Baimu Biology’s continuous innovation and iteration of its technology platforms, the company has filed 23 patent applications and been granted 20 patents to date.

With the launch of its platform and the commercial promotion of its products, Baimu Biology has established a clear and differentiated market positioning.

Currently, most AI-plus-biotech companies are focused on areas such as protein structure and the discovery and design of novel targets; Baimu Biology differs from these companies.“We do not have a competitive relationship in the short term; rather, we are complementary. Because Baimu Biotechnology operates closer to the upstream sector, we can address industry pain points for downstream enterprises while leveraging our accumulated experience to achieve phased development and make innovative biological discoveries in the future.”

In terms of industry chain collaboration, Baimu Biology has currently established foundational R&D partnerships with top-tier research laboratories, covering domestic and international universities, research institutes, clinical hospitals, and renowned pharmaceutical companies. The company has accumulated a portfolio of high-quality clients, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, and CytoNiche Biotechnology, which constitute the core driving force for its future AI-empowered scientific research services and clinical precision medicine applications.

Regarding the future development of the industry, Wang Dongya and Ding Pingping stated that the gene sector is currently divided into three main segments: gene reading, writing, and storage. Gene sequencing encompasses both determining (“reading”) gene sequences and interpreting (“decoding”) the resulting data, which is precisely what Baimu Bio is accomplishing through high-throughput sequencing and AI technologies.

From Baimu Bio’s strategic perspective, the company will focus in the short term on optimizing the “reading” of genetic data to help researchers achieve innovation more efficiently. Meanwhile, leveraging these accumulated data and resources, Baimu Bio will gradually expand into gene synthesis, providing solutions for various refractory diseases. In the future, Baimu Bio may also venture into “gene storage,” upgrading from traditional solid-state drive (SSD) storage to gene-based storage. “Traditional storage relies on binary code (0s and 1s), whereas gene storage utilizes a quaternary system comprising A, G, C, and T, offering greater potential.”

We look forward to the rapid development of Baimu Biotechnology, and to its early success in transforming gene industry-derived products into consumer-grade offerings accessible to households everywhere.