Bayer Co.Lab Welcomes Two Chinese Biotech Startups: Tengdi Bio and Lingtaike Bio Join Global Innovation Platform

Bayer announced agreements with Chengdu IncTAC Biotechnology Co., Ltd. ("IncTAC Biotech") and Hangzhou 20n Bio Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. ("20n Bio"). These two biotech companies will join Bayer's Co.Lab co-creation platform, leveraging Bayer’s global innovation and collaboration network as well as its deep industry expertise to connect with global pharmaceutical resources and accelerate innovative breakthroughs in new technology platforms.

Dr. Friedemann Janus, Senior Vice President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Regional Business Development, Open Innovation, and Global Head of Co.Lab, stated: "We are highly honored to welcome 20n Bio and Lingtaikr Bio to join Bayer's Co.Lab global co-creation platform network. China has now become a significant source of innovation in the global biopharmaceutical industry, and Bayer is committed to deeply integrating into and supporting the thriving innovation ecosystem in China. As the forefront of our external collaboration, Co.Lab continuously expands Bayer’s open innovation partnerships in China, closely connecting with the emerging cutting-edge innovations in the country. As part of our global co-creation platform network, Bayer Co.Lab empowers local biotech startups by providing tailored support and resource alignment, accelerating the transformation of innovative technologies, and delivering breakthrough new treatments to patients as soon as possible."

20n Bio Signs Agreement to Join Bayer Co.Lab

Dr. Mingfu Zhu, CEO of 20n Bio, stated: "We are honored to join Bayer Co.Lab, a globally leading pharmaceutical co-creation platform. The development of cyclic peptide drugs is one of the most promising directions in the biopharmaceutical field, but it also faces many technical challenges. After more than three years of effort, 20n Bio has successfully built an efficient de novo discovery platform for cyclic peptides and developed multiple candidate molecules with clinical potential. Through this collaboration with Bayer, we will fully leverage its internationally leading translational medicine resources and clinical development experience to accelerate our innovation process, advance more cyclic peptide drugs from the lab to clinical trials, and benefit patients worldwide."

20n Bio is a venture-backed startup dedicated to the discovery of cyclic peptide drugs. The mission of 20n Bio is to develop peptide therapeutics in various treatment areas through high-throughput screening and chemical optimization, addressing unmet medical needs. 20n Bio has developed a proprietary cyclic peptide discovery platform capable of simultaneously screening peptide libraries containing trillions of peptides, creating significant potential for the development of novel cyclic peptide drugs.

Lingtek Bio Signs Agreement to Join Bayer Co.Lab

Song Xu, founder and chairman of 20n Bio, stated: "Joining Bayer Co.Lab demonstrates 20n Bio's commitment to developing innovative treatments for diseases with unmet clinical needs. We recognize and appreciate Bayer's support for the growth of startups through its professional and open collaborative innovation ecosystem in the pharmaceutical field. We believe that through this strategic partnership, 20n Bio will accelerate the 'leading' position of its delivery platform and bring breakthrough therapies to patients worldwide."

Lingtaikr Bio, by exploring long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), is committed to providing solutions for a series of unmet clinical disease treatment needs. Lingtaikr Bio has pioneered a platform technology for liver-avoiding targeted drug delivery based on natural molecules such as lncRNA. It has developed targeted delivery vectors for various tissues and organs including tumors, skin, and CNS, enabling the precise delivery of multiple drug payloads such as nucleic acids, toxins, radionuclides, and small molecules. The effectiveness and safety have been preliminarily verified.

As Bayer's co-creation platform for the global life sciences sector, Bayer Co.Lab aims to accelerate the progress of cutting-edge scientific innovation by promoting open collaboration within the biotechnology ecosystem. Currently, Bayer Co.Lab has completed its strategic layout in global innovation hotspots including China, the United States, Japan, and Germany, empowering startups by providing ideal co-creation spaces and expert mentorship, and transforming breakthrough innovations into impactful healthcare solutions. Officially launched in China in September 2024, Bayer Co.Lab plans to empower 10 to 15 local startups, with a focus on frontier innovations in oncology, cardiovascular, new technology platforms, and cell and gene therapies. To date, five biotech companies—EpigenTech, ImunoCore, RayTrue Genomics, among others—have signed agreements to join Bayer Co.Lab, leveraging Bayer’s global open innovation network, industry expertise, and resources to accelerate their own development and the advancement of their innovative achievements.