Cancer has become a major threat to the lives and health of our residents, with an average of about 12,000 new cancers and 7,500 deaths every day. At a time when the incidence of cancer in China is rising, Xiamen Aide Bio (300685) has been focusing on the research and development and production of molecular diagnostic reagents for tumor precision medicine to seek better solutions for cancer treatment.
Relying on the unremitting efforts of the international team for professional technology and catching up with the development of Xiamen's high-tech industry, AIDE Bio has grown rapidly with a compound annual growth rate of more than 50%, and has been recognized by international pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, merck and other international pharmaceutical giants, becoming its partner in the field of tumor molecular diagnosis.
Aide Bio officially embarked on the capital market in August 2017, becoming a rising star enterprise in the field of biomedicine, and also becoming a unicorn in the biopharmaceutical industry, as of press time, the market value of Aide Bio is 17.8 billion. Of course, all this is inseparable from the professor who built it.
Founded by Professor Zheng Limou and working in Xiamen for nearly 10 years, Zheng Limou is a person with a story.
Before choosing to return to China in 2008 to start a business, Professor Zheng Limou held an important position as the head of the R&D department of a well-known biopharmaceutical company in the United States, with a good salary and a rich life. But none of this became a reason to stop him from returning to China to start a business.
More than half a hundred years old but chose to return to Xiamen to start a business, which makes it difficult for everyone to understand, of course, this is not what anyone can do, he immersed himself in research and development, forge ahead, conscientious, with practical actions to prove everything, Professor Zheng is really a pioneer with a pure heart.
From self-made to industry leader, what kind of entrepreneurial story does Zheng Limou have?
01
Resolutely returned to China to start a business and took out many years of savings
Turning over Zheng Limou's resume, excellence is the most intuitive feeling.
In 1982, he graduated from the Department of Biology of Xiamen University with a master's degree under the supervision of Professor Wang Deyao, one of the founders of cell biology in China; in the same year, he went to the University of Lyon-1 in France for further study, becoming an early batch of international students after the reform and opening up; after completing postdoctoral research at Rockefeller University in New York in 1992, he entered a famous multinational pharmaceutical company. Before choosing to return to China in 2008 to start a business, Zheng Limou held an important position as the head of the research and development department of a well-known biopharmaceutical company in the United States, with a good salary and a rich life.
When he became famous, why did Zheng Limou choose to temporarily leave his wife, children and family and leave a stable life? Professor Zheng said that our generation has a strong dream of a strong country, and no matter where we go, it is a common wish to come back and build the motherland.
As a result, a biomedical enterprise focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of individualized tumors landed in Xiamen. "The company's name is Ed, and the English name Amoy is the English name of Xiamen." Zheng Limou said that the deep meaning of the company's name is his unchanging original intention of serving the motherland.
However, Zheng Limou, who had a passion for serving the country, soon encountered many setbacks in reality. When the company was founded, the investors who contacted Zheng Limou promised to give 45 million yuan of funds, of which 14 million yuan in the first phase. However, the company has been operating for less than a year and a half, not only the funds in the later stage are not in place, but the investors have to withdraw the funds in the first phase.
"At that time, personalized molecular diagnosis and treatment was still an emerging field. Investors believe that there will be no results in the short term, so they think of withdrawing. Zheng Limou said that at that time, the company's first batch of products was entering a critical period in the final stage of research and development, and the rupture of the capital chain cast a thick shadow on the development prospects.
In the face of difficulties, Zheng Limou took out the heart of breaking the ship. "If you don't have money, go on your own." He took out his years of savings and invested in the business; if there was a gap, he borrowed it. With many years of contacts, he traveled extensively to explain his techniques and philosophies. Finally, the company's capital hole was filled, and Ed finally survived the difficulties at the beginning of the business.
02
Break the monopoly of foreign countries and walk in the forefront of the industry
In 2008, tumor precision medicine is still an emerging field, China's medical field, including investment capital, has not yet fully accepted this emerging thing, while the molecular diagnostic technology is monopolized by multinational companies, industrialization and market development are facing difficulties. In view of this situation, the ED team adheres to independent innovation and has developed the internationally leading ADx-ARMS and Super-ARMS technologies with completely independent intellectual property rights, completely breaking the technological monopoly of multinational companies.
In the past 10 years, from starting from scratch to leading the industry, Zheng Limou's achievements are remarkable. "The precision medicine of tumors we are engaged in is a medical revolution that has emerged in recent years, and is a research hotspot and development direction in the medical field." Zheng Limou said that it is the advanced concept that brings a dazzling report card.
"Technology must be at the forefront of the industry to have the right to speak." Zheng Limou said that at present, Ed has developed more than 20 kinds of personalized molecular diagnosis products for tumors, which is one of the most abundant and complete enterprises in the same industry, and its products are sold to more than 40 countries and regions. The company's fist products in the global market are only able to compete with another German company, truly filling the domestic gap and achieving international leadership.
Under the leadership of Zheng Limou, Xiamen Aide Bio successfully boarded the GEM on August 2, 2017...
Although the industry prospects are bright, if there is no core technical barrier, it is not easy to get a piece of the fast-growing precision medicine molecular diagnosis field, which is precisely the core competitive advantage of Ed Bio.
Before Aide Bio entered the field of molecular diagnosis of tumor precision medicine, there were already domestic companies trying to do related fields, but unlike other companies, Aide Bio chose the first molecular diagnostic reagent for tumor precision medicine.
With strong R&D strength, at present, AIDE Bio has successfully developed more than 20 kinds of tumor precision medicine molecular diagnostic reagents, which is one of the most complete enterprises in the same industry. The company's nucleic acid molecular detection technology (ADx-ARMS) with independent intellectual property rights is currently one of the leading technologies in the field of molecular diagnosis of tumor precision medicine in the world.
In October 2016, Centennial Pharmaceutical Company Merck reached a cooperation agreement with Aide Biotech. Adx-ARMS and Super-ARMS technology, which have completely independent intellectual property rights, have completely broken the technology monopoly of multinational companies, which has helped Aide Bio gain the favor of giant Merck in only 8 years.
In addition, Aide Biotech is also a partner of many internationally renowned companies such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca in the field of tumor molecular diagnosis technology. From the perspective of the subdivision of molecular diagnostic reagents for tumor precision medicine, AIDE Bio can be regarded as the best enterprise in China.
According to the prospectus of Aide Biologics, from 2014 to 2016, the company's operating income was 107 million yuan, 177 million yuan and 253 million yuan, respectively, and the average annual compound growth rate of revenue in the past three years was 53.90%. In the past three years, the net profit attributable to the shareholders of the parent company was 19.1389 million yuan, 21.0852 million yuan and 65.4649 million yuan, respectively. Overall revenue and attributable net profit both maintained rapid growth.
The funds raised by Aide Biotech will be mainly used for the industrialization project of molecular diagnostic reagents and second-generation sequencers, the expansion project of R&D center, and the construction of marketing network and informatization. Simply put, it is a three-pronged approach to expanding production capacity, increasing research and development, and laying marketing channels.
Do not forget the original intention, focus on diagnosis, Zheng Limou said that since the establishment of the company, Aide Bio has focused on the field of tumor precision treatment concomitant diagnosis, product research and development closely around the actual clinical needs, successfully integrated a variety of the most appropriate technologies for the clinic to provide system solutions, benefiting the majority of tumor patients.
In the future, Ed will not forget its original intention, adhere to independent innovation, and provide systematic solutions for tumor precision medicine, so that precision medicine can benefit every tumor patient. With a child's heart, Professor Zheng rides the express train of China's great health industry, and the story of Ed Bio may have just begun.