On 16 September, Tee Labs, a biopharmaceutical innovation incubator managed by Shanghai TF Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd., held an opening ceremony. Located in Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, the incubator focuses on building an international biopharmaceutical innovation service platform, providing start-ups with a full range of support including R&D premises, supply services, operation management, investment and financing, and working with entrepreneurs to create breakthrough technologies and products that improve human health.

At the opening ceremony, Ms. Fu Jun, Deputy Director of Zhangjiang Administration Bureau of Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, Dr. Ma Jing, Chairman of the Scientific Committee of TF Capital, and Dr. Ni Lin, Senior Partner of TF Capital and General Manager of Tee Labs delivered speeches. Guests from Fudan University, Zhangjiang Group, Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Entrepreneurship Service Center, Zhangjiang S&T Investment, Qiming Venture Partners, Hillhouse Capital, Temasek China and other venture capital and business circles attended the event.

Ms. Fu Jun, Deputy Director of Zhangjiang Administration Bureau of Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, pointed out that Zhangjiang has already given a lot of support to biomedical innovation in terms of space and system, and that Pudong New District will further deepen biomedical legislation in the future, and is currently studying the optimization of the import and export system with the relevant customs departments. She hopes that there will be a steady stream of new companies setting up in the incubator, and they will grow at a fast pace and go public soon.

Speech by Ms. Fu Jun

Dr. Ma Jing, a toxicology expert and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of TF Capital, has witnessed the growth of TF Capital in recent years. Scientists needs the support of the government, funds and industry to innovate. The asset light R&D mode that combines venture capital, intellectual property and CRO R&D outsourcing is showing us the advantages of high efficiency and low cost. Tee Labs is conforming to the trend of this evolution in the biomedical industry. We hope that more pharmaceutical unicorns will emerge from Zhangjiang and that Chinese patients will have access to China’s own medicines.

Speech by Dr. Ma Jing

Dr. Ni Li, Senior Partner of TF Capital and General Manager of Tee Labs, believes that with advances in the life sciences and the in-depth application of computer science and digitalization are transforming biomedical and biotechnological research and development from the scientific era of manual workshop to the era of engineering and industrialization, and that this will be an industrial revolution that will create life and make the world more vibrant and prosperous. She explains the meaning of the name Tee Labs: Tee is a small piece of wood or plastic which is used to support the ball before it is hit. The incubated enterprises are the little balls that go forward and go global, and Tee Labs is the little solid T-shaped support that holds them up.

Speech by Dr. Ni Lin

Tee Labs was established under the support of Wu Qiang, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Pudong New District and the Shanghai Zhangjiang Science and Technology City Construction Management Office. It is independently operated and managed by TF Pharmaceutical Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of TF Capital, relying on TF Capital's ecosystem resources within the biopharmaceutical industry. Focusing on serving early-stage biomedical innovation projects, the incubator has built a modern international innovation space of 2,500 square meters and set up a number of professional platforms such as molecular biology laboratories, chemistry laboratories, cell culture laboratories, microscopy imaging laboratories and biosafety level 2 laboratories, providing comprehensive service support of space + investment + incubation + R&D for the enterprises in the park.

In addition to providing space, Tee Labs also provides over 200 general purpose instruments for incubated enterprises, including minus 80 degree fridge, multi-channel pipette, PCR and electrophoresis electroporator and a large number of other small devices, making the lab truly turnkey. Tee Labs is also equipped with more than ten kinds of professional and high-throughput equipment, such as Biacore, frozen high-speed centrifuge, LC-MS LTQ system, QPix high-throughput microbial cloning screening system, FLIPR high-throughput CCD fluorescence imaging analyzer, flow cytometer, fluorescence microscope, high-throughput nucleic acid workstation, MSD ultra-electrosensitive chemiluminescence assay, large liquid nitrogen tank and other shared instruments and equipment. Thanks to a quality service system, Tee Labs has attracted several excellent companies since its trial operation and is becoming a brand new ground for nurturing biopharmaceutical companies in Zhangjiang.

The first batch of companies include Shanghai Basecamp Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shanghai Shuodi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Usynova Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

In the future, Tee Labs aspires to grow with entrepreneurs and build a top incubator in China to accelerate innovation in the biotechnology sector.

At the opening ceremony, the attendees’ representatives cut the ribbon for the incubator and announced the official operation of Tee Labs.

The attendees’ representatives cut the ribbon for the incubator

The attendees’ representatives cut the ribbon for the incubator

Dr. Raymond Stevens, founder of Shanghai Basecamp Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and founder of the iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, gave a presentation.

About TF Pharmaceutical Technology and its Tee Labs

Tee Labs is an industry incubator wholly owned and independently operated by TF Capital, focusing on the frontiers of medicine in new drug discovery, diagnostics, and individual medicine including artificial intelligence and digital solutions. Tee Labs provides a full range of support including R&D premises support, corporate functions support, supply service channel integration and financial support to help startup teams and accelerate their R&D. Laboratories are equipped with basic general experimental equipment as well as a shared equipment platform, which greatly shortens the preparation phase of space and equipment for start-up companies in the early stages, allowing them to focus on their core R&D work.

About TF Capital

Founded in 2014, TF Capital focuses on investment in the life sciences industry, primarily investing in early stage companies with high potential. Through strategic investments in various key areas and right partnerships, TF Capital hopes to capture opportunities in the rapidly expanding Chinese life sciences market. Our investment team has vast experience and resources in industry to assist our portfolio companies.

About Shanghai Basecamp Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Basecamp Bio is a technology platform company with unique expertise and resolution capabilities in next-generation structure-based drug discovery to address the most challenging protein targets, including membrane proteins, protein-protein interactions, and other target challenges in drug discovery. Scientists in Basecamp Bio have a powerful technology platform that combines experimental biophysics with state-of-the-art computational methods, with an aim to discover new lead compounds and efficiently and rapidly translate them into superior clinical candidates.

About Shanghai Shuodi Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

As a clinical-stage, global drug R&D company, Shuodi is focused on driving change of accessible and effective medicines in the world. Shuodi strives to develop innovative best-in-class small molecule drugs for GPCR targets in chronic diseases, and to transform expensive, unstable biotherapeutics that are difficult to transport and take into medicines that are accessible to patients worldwide.

About Usynova Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Usynova Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is founded in January 2020. Its founder and core team members come from multinational pharmaceutical companies and leading domestic CROs and have extensive project experience in the development of small molecule drugs and antibody drugs. It currently has a R&D team of over 30 people, more than 80% of whom have PhD and Master degrees. It focuses on autoimmune diseases and cancer to address unmet clinical needs and develop First-in-class or Best-in-class new drugs with independent intellectual property rights and global rights and interests. The company has more than 10 pipeline products at different R&D stages, covering major diseases such as tumor, autoimmune diseases and osteoarthritis. Among these products, one clinical phase II and one clinical phase I study has been carried out on UA007 for its several indications.