Shenzhen Gnotobio Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Gnotobio Biotechnology"), a comprehensive experimental animal platform company dedicated to providing disease animal models, drug screening models, germ-free laboratory animals, and related services to research institutions, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and other clients, recently announced the completion of its Pre-A round of financing totaling tens of millions of RMB. This round was led by Shenzhen Nanshan Strategic Emerging Industry Investment Co., Ltd. The funds will be used for business expansion, upgrading of animal facilities, and research and development of humanized microbiota models and genetically engineered mice.
Gnotobio Biotechnologyis the first experimental animal platform enterprise in South China to have obtained both the Experimental Animal Production License (Germ-free Grade) and the Experimental Animal Use License (Isolator Facility). Following this round of financing, the company will focus on five strategic directions to provide more comprehensive and in-depth research services in South China, with the goal of growing into a biomedical enterprise and research institution serving Greater China and the global market. The five strategic directions are:
Global Expansion: Building on its foundation in South China, the company aims to expand into Greater China and global markets, establish collaborations with internationally renowned research institutions, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies, and bring Jingtuo's high-quality services to a wider range of regions.
Core Technology and Product Innovation: Continuously increasing R&D investment, optimizing core products such as C57BL/6J and BALB/c strains, while conducting research on new animal strains, disease models, and related technologies to meet evolving market demands.
Exploration of New Business Areas: With advances in biotechnology, actively exploring new business areas such as cell therapy and gene editing to seize future market opportunities.
Service Efficiency and Quality Improvement: Introducing advanced technologies and equipment, particularly in the CRO service sector, to improve service efficiency while maintaining high quality and cost-effectiveness, thereby continuously enhancing customer satisfaction.
Customer Experience and Technical Support: Strengthening the technical support team to ensure customers receive an exceptional experience when using products and services, providing timely and professional technical consultation and effective solutions.
The investment team at Shenzhen Nanshan Strategic Emerging Industry Investment Co., Ltd. stated, "The model animal sector in which Jingtuo Biotechnology operates started relatively late in China but is now in a period of rapid growth, serving as an important foundational link supporting the innovation and development of the biomedical industry. As one of the few enterprises in China with a self-developed and self-built germ-free system, Jingtuo Biotechnology leads in laboratory contamination control capabilities and stability. It is also the only germ-free mouse platform in South China that has obtained both the germ-free use license and germ-free production license (source: Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Guangdong Provincial Laboratory Animal Monitoring Institute), filling a gap in high-end experimental animal enterprises in the region. The company's team possesses differentiated competitive advantages in germ-free mouse disease model construction, microbiota reserve and colonization, and microbiome drug research experience. We look forward to the company providing high-quality model animal CRO services to biomedical enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, centered in Shenzhen, and actively contributing to the development of the biomedical industry ecosystem in the Greater Bay Area."
Wei Guoxing, Partner at Tiantu Capital, remarked, "We are delighted to be an early investor in Jingtuo Biotechnology. Founded through a joint investment by Shenzhen Unknown Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and experts in China's microbiome research and laboratory animal research fields, Jingtuo Biotechnology leverages years of research and accumulation in the germ-free animal and microbiome fields. By focusing on germ-free animal production and disease animal model development as entry points, the company has built an animal service system in response to various policies from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Shenzhen Municipal Development and Reform Commission. We are optimistic about Jingtuo Biotechnology's ability to provide critical software and hardware support for animal production, disease animal model development, and animal experiment services. We look forward to Jingtuo Biotechnology continuing to deepen its efforts in animal product R&D and services, driving rapid industry development."
Dr. Tan Yan, Co-founder and CEO of Unknown Biotechnology, stated, "Jingtuo Biotechnology represents an important strategic investment for Unknown Biotechnology in building an AI-powered microbiome research and industrialization translation platform. We are proud to see that over the past few years, Jingtuo has rapidly evolved from a germ-free animal model platform company into a comprehensive experimental animal platform company. We look forward to, and are confident in, Jingtuo Biotechnology's ability to help more partners build a closed loop from data to experimental validation, thereby advancing China's biopharmaceutical industry and life sciences development."
It is reported that Jingtuo Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was established in 2019 and is the first experimental animal platform enterprise in South China to have obtained the Experimental Animal Production License (Germ-free Grade) and the Experimental Animal Use License (Isolator Facility) (source: Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Guangdong Provincial Laboratory Animal Monitoring Institute). The company has established close collaborative relationships with research institutions, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies to provide more advanced and efficient disease animal models and drug screening models.
Over the past three-plus years since its founding, Jingtuo Biotechnology has continuously increased R&D efforts, optimized core products, and explored new products and services to meet evolving and diverse market demands. Currently, the company's animal facility construction has been completed and put into operation. It has established a germ-free animal technology platform, creating a complete closed loop from data to experimentation. At the end of 2022, Jingtuo Biotechnology was recognized as a National High-Tech Enterprise. Since 2023, the company's order volume has been accelerating rapidly, with orders in the first half of the year alone exceeding ten million RMB. Its business scope has expanded from Mainland China to Hong Kong and overseas markets.
About Nanshan Strategic Emerging Industry Investment Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen Nanshan Strategic Emerging Industry Investment Co., Ltd. is a wholly state-owned limited liability company established by the Nanshan District Government of Shenzhen. Positioned as the district's strategic direct investment platform, the company focuses on strategic emerging industries and future industries as investment priorities, with a focus on Nanshan's advantageous industry sectors such as next-generation information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, biomedicine, and digital economy, while systematically laying out future industries to provide new momentum for Nanshan's high-quality economic development.