At the 2026 Annual Meeting of the China Entrepreneurs Forum held from March 17 to 19 in Yabuli, Heilongjiang, Li Zhi, founder of Lasso Biotech, delivered a speech discussing the company's founding vision.
Reflecting on the initial motivation, Li Zhi posed a question: when faced with a litter of newborn piglets, how does one distinguish breeding stock from commercial pigs? Traditionally, this relied on breeders' observations, a form of artificial intelligence in a sense. "In this process, we would measure the pigs' weight, observe their coat color, physical form, and other indicators. However, this model is difficult to scale and pass on; it can only be transmitted through master-apprentice relationships, often taking ten to twenty years," he explained. Consequently, there is a global trend towards gradually introducing genomic selection technology.
He provided an example: shortly after a litter is born, rapid genetic testing can be conducted, with results available within three days. This allows for ranking the piglets as potential breeding stock or commercial pigs, selecting the best for breeding purposes. Li Zhi emphasized that a necessary step in genomic selection is obtaining genomic information, which requires genetic testing technology. In modern breeding, solid-phase chips are the most critical detection technology and infrastructure, a sector monopolized by two foreign companies for over two decades.
Li Zhi noted that Lasso Biotech was established in 2018 and, until 2023, focused exclusively on developing a shared chip technology platform. This meant the company generated almost no revenue during those five years, relying instead on venture capital investments totaling approximately 300 million yuan. After 2024, the company achieved a product breakthrough and completed a new round of financing last year. It has now become the first and only domestic company, and the third globally, to achieve solid-phase chip technology encompassing independent R&D, production, and commercialization.
At the forum, he showcased the company's chip product. Utilizing semiconductor technology, the chip is cut into a slide shape measuring about 2.5cm by 7.5cm. The chip surface contains 96 sample sites, capable of testing 96 biological samples. Each sample can detect up to 100,000 or more DNA molecular markers. Furthermore, the cost per sample test can be controlled at 50 yuan or even lower, making it affordable for the vast majority of breeding enterprises.
Li Zhi stated, "From the very first day of our commercialization, we have not only focused on the Chinese market but have already gone global. We project that by 2027, the company's international operating revenue will exceed half of our total revenue."
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