Shanghai Jiao Tong University Professor Shen Feng's Startup MineBio Files IPO Prospectus with Breakthrough Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Platform

November 11, 2023,Shen Feng, Associate Professor at the School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityTeam Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Project AwardedGold Award at the 2023 Xuhui District “Gathering the Future” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition。

Shen Feng’s team, with its originalNew Technology of Intelligent Sliding Microfluidic BiochipsAs the core, we have developed a product for detecting bacterial antibiotic resistance. This product adheres to the gold standard for clinical culture-based determination of bacterial antibiotic resistance. By integrating novel microfluidic control, rapid nanoliter-scale culturing, and artificial intelligence–driven analysis, it successfully reduces the turnaround time for antimicrobial susceptibility testing to two hours, expands the range of testable antibiotics to thousands, and achieves fully automated and intelligent end-to-end processing. This enables physicians to prescribe antibiotics more precisely and promptly, thereby reducing the emergence and spread of drug-resistant bacteria.

2023 Xuhui District “Gathering the Future” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Site

In Shen Feng’s view, the translation of innovations follows “a clinical diagnosis-oriented approach, prioritizing commercialization based on market demand and technological maturity.” In fact, this university professor, who had prior entrepreneurial experience in the United States, chose to return to China after his company entered a stable phase of development. After joining Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2017, he once again devoted himself to foundational innovation and establishedMine BiologicsTechnology Co., Ltd.Promote the commercialization of scientific research achievements.

Mian Bio has achieved miniaturized, rapid, portable, and automated testing based on its core sliding microfluidic chip technology. According to Shen Feng, Mian Bio will focus on high-throughput rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing and further expand into point-of-care testing and single-molecule immunology in the future.

In 2005, Shen Feng completed his undergraduate studies at Tsinghua University and went on to pursue advanced studies at the University of Chicago in the United States, where he successfully earned his Ph.D. in 2010. During his doctoral training, multiple achievements from his research group were commercialized through licensing agreements, which inspired Shen Feng to embark on an entrepreneurial journey.

In May 2011, Shen Feng co-founded in the United States.Telis Biomedical Corporation, and served as the company’s R&D Director. Over the following seven years, Shen Feng dedicated up to 100 hours per week to his work, leading his team to successfully commercialize a series of microfluidics-based molecular diagnostic systems. “Conducting academic research and publishing papers in university is vastly different from developing products in a corporate setting. As a first-time entrepreneur, I constantly fell into pitfalls and had to keep climbing out.” As the company grew, seasoned industry veterans continuously joined Shen Feng’s team, enabling him to systematically learn how to close the loop from fundamental innovation to product commercialization. The company’s products obtained FDA clearance and were successfully launched on the market.

In October 2017, Shen Feng joined the School of Biomedical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University as a tenured associate professor. With strong support from the school, he established his laboratory within two months and led students in the research and development of next-generation biochips. “During the process of commercialization, I interacted with many clinicians and gained insights into numerous unmet clinical needs. These challenges require innovative approaches at the fundamental level to address, which will create many new opportunities for subsequent commercialization.”

Continuing to pioneer innovations in fundamental principles was the original aspiration that brought Shen Feng back to China, and in choosing Shanghai Jiao Tong University, he placed greater emphasis on the university’sMed-Eng InterdisciplinaryShen Feng’s research team maintains a close collaborative relationship with the affiliated hospital of Jiaotong University. “Clinical challenges encountered by physicians guide my research direction and serve as a litmus test for our research outcomes.”

Shen Feng cited an example to Orange Fruit Bureau, “Rapid bacterial antimicrobial susceptibility testing is a need proposed by frontline clinical doctors in our tertiary hospitals. Antibiotics have saved countless lives, but the bacterial resistance caused by antibiotic use is a major health and safety issue faced by China and even the world. How to conduct rapid, high-throughput, and simple bacterial antimicrobial susceptibility testing is the key to precision medication.” After years of dedicated research, Shen Feng led his team to finally achieve a breakthrough in this field. By combining artificial intelligence with new sliding microfluidic biochips, they realized rapid detection of bacterial and fungal drug resistance.

To expedite the clinical application of a new technology developed at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shen Feng founded Mind Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Shen’s latest entrepreneurial venture also received support from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. “It took only a few months to basically finalize the establishment of Mind Biotechnology,” Shen told VCBeat. “Shanghai Jiao Tong University has dedicated staff responsible for the commercialization of scientific achievements, who guide researchers through relevant policies, procedures, and formalities.”

Mine Biopharma’s site selection also fell within the area jointly developed by Xuhui District and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.Shanghai Jiao Tong University Center for Innovative Translation in Molecular and Nanomedicine, Biomedical Engineering“We are not fighting alone; we have the support of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Xuhui District. This place provides not only office and laboratory space, which significantly reduces our startup costs, but also financial and legal support. Regular roadshows and salon events further help us connect with external resources.”

While driving product R&D, Shen Feng has also been continuously expanding his team and connecting with various resources. “Entrepreneurship is not easy; it requires a group of the right people, at the right time, with the right resources, to do the right thing.”