On June 5, Biocytogen (2315.HK) announced that the core technology of its fully human antibody mouse platform, RenMab, has been granted an invention patent certificate by the Japan Patent Office.
The platform utilizes Biocytogen’s proprietary large-fragment chromosome engineering technology to replace the entire variable region genes of the mouse antibody heavy and light chains in situ with their human counterparts. As a result, RenMab mice possess complete human antibody heavy chain VDJ genes and light chain VJ genes.
Similar to wild-type mice, RenMab mice generate robust immune responses against various antigens and produce fully human antibody molecules that maximally retain natural diversity.
This represents a critical advancement in the global intellectual property protection for the RenMice family (RenMab, RenLite, RenNano, RenTCR-mimic), establishing a patent barrier for Biocytogen’s international expansion.
Pharmaceutical companies can select antibody molecules from the RenMice platform’s antibody library to meet their diverse R&D needs, bypassing early drug discovery and development steps, saving time, and reducing uncertainties.
To date, Biocytogen has entered into RenMice platform licensing agreements with approximately 20 pharmaceutical companies, including Merck KGaA of Germany, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, and BeiGene.
Leveraging RenMice, Biocytogen’s antibody discovery business has grown rapidly, generating revenue of RMB 318 million in 2024, a year-on-year increase of over 80%.
This technology monetization has also driven Biocytogen to a key inflection point toward profitability, with a net profit of RMB 34 million in 2024, a significant turnaround from the nearly RMB 400 million loss in 2023.
Following the patent certification in Japan, Biocytogen’s growth potential in overseas markets is expected to expand further.
In addition to China and Japan, RenMice has already obtained patent grants in approximately 8 countries, including the United States, with nearly 40 patent applications pending in 15 countries and regions, anticipating more grants in the future.
Regarding capitalization, Biocytogen is advancing its IPO process on the STAR Market, currently in the inquiry phase, aiming to achieve a dual listing in both A-shares and H-shares.
A successful dual listing would mean that the ‘Three Giants of Domestic Model Animals’—Biocytogen, GemPharmatech (688046.SH), and Shanghai Model Organisms (688265.SH)—could all be listed on the A-share market.
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