The Jackson Laboratory and Beijing Anitech Biotechnology Announce China Joint Venture

Partnership to Increase Access and Speed of Premium Quality Research Models and Services in China

Bar Harbor, ME and Beijing, China - The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) , a U.S.-based nonprofit biomedical research institution, and Beijing Anitech Biotechnology (“Anitech”) announced today that they have established a joint venture (JV) company headquartered in Beijing, China. The legal entity for the JV is The Jackson Laboratory Anitech Biotechnology (Beijing) Limited. The new company, a majority-owned subsidiary of The Jackson Laboratory, will produce and sell premium quality JAX® Mice, and contract research services using advanced and genetically diverse research models to empower biomedical and drug discovery research in China. The Beijing-based facility will increase accessibility and provide researchers in China with a more economical, convenient and immediate supply of JAX® Mice.

“China is the fastest-growing biomedical research market in the world and is strongly positioned to make crucial contributions to human health. To support these discoveries, it is critical that Chinese researchers have access to innovative mouse models that meet a global quality standard and better represent the genetic diversity and biological complexity of the human condition,” said Auro Nair, Executive Vice President of The Jackson Laboratory and President, JAX® Mice, Clinical and Research Services. “We are tremendously excited to continue expanding our operation in China, which includes our existing offices in Shanghai. We look forward to producing and providing the highest quality mouse models in China, enabling researchers to make significant scientific advances and improvements in drug discovery and basic research.”

JAX has the world’s largest and best characterized repository of high-quality models including aged mice, the JAX® NSG® portfolio, humanized mice, and 12,000 precision research and therapeutic models. These models have the highest health and genetic quality and have the potential to better provide translatable research insights when precisely applied, benefitting scientists and ultimately, patients globally. In addition to providing improved access to strains of JAX® Mice, the entire JAX ® NSG® portfolio is available to Chinese researchers, including humanized NSG mice, in addition to the entire Aged portfolio of B6J models. This last resource is a significant platform to study the biology of aging.

“The partnership builds on the strengths of our two organizations, namely The Jackson Laboratory’s innovative research models and nine decades of operational expertise providing the global standard of production and the care of research mice and study execution, combined with the newly constructed state-of-the-art animal production facility on the Anitech Innovation Campus,” said Anthony P Chan, President and CEO of Beijing Scitech Holdings.

Nair will serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the company and Charlie Miller has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer. Animal production and services will be based out of the company’s headquarters in Beijing. The company will have a commercial and customer support office in Shanghai coupled with field staff throughout China providing local customer support.

While The Jackson Laboratory and Anitech complete facility renovations and construction during 2021, customers will continue to have access to JAX® Mice produced in the United States through iBio Logistics, The Jackson Laboratory’s authorized partner for order fulfillment and transportation of its mice in China.

The Jackson Laboratory China Contact Information:

Technical Support
Email: micetech@jax.org

Order and Inquiry (Managed by JAX authorized partner iBio Logistics)
Phone: 400-693-5700
Email: orderquest@jax.org
Web: jax.ibiocart.com

Other Inquiries
Email: infochina@jax.org

About The Jackson Laboratory

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with more than 2,300 employees. Headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine, it has a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, a genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Conn., and facilities in Ellsworth, Maine, Sacramento, Calif., and Shanghai, China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.

Founded in 1929, JAX applies its nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and empowers the global biomedical community by providing critical data, tools and services. JAX is the world's source for more than 12,000 strains of genetically defined mice, is home of the Mouse Genome Informatics and Mouse Phenome databases, and is a hub for scientific courses, conferences, training and education.

With ever-increasing precision, JAX identifies the genetic and molecular bases of disease and marshals its strengths in genomics and modeling to discover individualized treatments and cures. Their work will make medicine more precise, predictable and personal, improving care, lowering costs and increasing life span and health span.

To learn more about The Jackson Laboratory’s presence in China, please visit www.jax.org/cn.

About Beijing Anitech Biotechnology

Beijing Anitech Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“Anitech”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beijing Scitech Holdings Limited. Anitech is focused on providing high quality animal models and services to the healthcare and academic research communities from its state-of-the-art facility located at its headquarters at the Scitech Innovation Park in Shunyi, Beijing.

Beijing Scitech Holdings Limited (“Scitech”) and its affiliates was established with the mission of improving the quality of healthcare products and solutions in China. The company specializes in investing in the healthcare sector, with a focus on bio-medical research, drug development, high tech and medical big data.

Scitech has two principal wholly-owned operating companies – Beijing Anitech Biotechnology Co., Ltd, and Scitech MingQiang Pharmaceuticals Limited (“SMQ”), which specializes in the discovery and development of drugs in the following therapeutic areas- oncology, autoimmune disorders, and neurological diseases. SMQ’s most advanced drug candidate is currently undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial program for the treatment of solid tumors. SMQ has a robust pipeline of novel compounds that are currently in the preclinical development stage.

In addition to its operating businesses, Scitech is an active investor in the healthcare and technology sectors. In 2017, Scitech acted as the cornerstone investor in CEC Big Data Fund, a private equity fund focused on the healthcare big data ecosystem in China.