HONG KONG, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- METiS TechBio (7666.HK), a tech-bio company focused on AI-powered nanodelivery innovation, today successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX), becoming the world's first publicly listed AI-powered drug delivery company and the first AI-powered large-molecule biopharmaceutical company listed on the Hong Kong market. With the goal of becoming the "SpaceX of pharmaceuticals," METiS TechBio has, within six years of its founding, become the fastest unicorn in China's AI pharmaceutical sector to reach the IPO milestone.
METiS TechBio's IPO was jointly sponsored by Jefferies, Deutsche Bank Securities Asia and CITIC Securities (Hong Kong). A total of 201,229,000 H shares were offered globally, raising over HKD 2.1 billion in proceeds and marking the largest healthcare IPO fundraising in Hong Kong so far in 2026. The Hong Kong public offering was oversubscribed by more than 6,900 times, locking up over HKD 730 billion in subscription funds, representing the highest subscription amount for the Hong Kong public offering among healthcare IPOs in Hong Kong so far in 2026. For the international placing, the Company received orders from more than 280 institutional investors and recorded 82 times oversubscription for the allocable tranche, also marking the highest international placing oversubscription multiple among healthcare IPOs in Hong Kong so far in 2026.
METiS TechBio's Hong Kong IPO once again set a record for AI pharmaceutical IPOs in Hong Kong with a top-tier lineup of 18 cornerstone investors subscribing for a total of USD 148 million, securing comprehensive support from "global asset managers + specialized healthcare funds + AI technology funds + state-level funds + Chinese public fund managers." Among them, BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, led the subscription with USD 50 million. Global asset management giants and ultra-long-term funds including UBS Asset Management Singapore, Mirae Asset of South Korea, and ORIX Corporation of Japan collectively made allocations. Guofengtou Innovation Investment Fund, a state-level fund, made its first investment in the AI pharmaceutical sector. Internationally renowned specialist healthcare funds, including Deerfield, RTW and Lake Bleu Capital, participated in the investment, while leading technology investment institutions, including Walden International, Hillhouse Capital and IDG Capital, also expanded their presence into the sector. Top Chinese public fund managers including GF Fund, ICBC UBS Asset Management, China Asset Management, and Fullgoal Fund also made a rare joint appearance as subscribers with lock-up commitments. This fully demonstrates that AI nanodelivery technology has risen to the level of a national strategic priority and key area of support, and has become a critical technology driving future growth and breakthroughs in global biopharmaceuticals.
Dr. Chris Lai, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of METiS TechBio, stated:
"The future of biomedicine will no longer be simply about 'taking medicine when one falls ill.' METiS TechBio's ambition is to harness AI to build nano-rockets that can navigate with precision through the inner space of the human body's 30 trillion cells, write the code of nucleic acids and proteins into cells, and reprogram diseased and aging cells into healthy cells. This was our founding aspiration, and it is the mission to which we will dedicate our lives. The IPO marks a new starting point for us to accelerate forward, and we will strive to live up to the support and trust we have received from all sectors."
- Proprietary World-First AI Nanodelivery Platform, Creating the First-Ever Data, Algorithms, and Models for AI for Nano
METiS TechBio's core competitiveness stems from NanoForge, its proprietary world-first AI nanodelivery platform. The Company has built the world's largest ionizable lipid library at the scale of tens of millions, independently developed the world's only algorithm for de novo lipid generation and lipid language model, established the world's first end-to-end lipid and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) screening platform, and created the world's first AI-powered multiscale simulation platform for small-molecule formulation development.
NanoForge encompasses AI foundation models, METiS AI agents, quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics simulations, and an AI-driven high-throughput screening platform, serving as the foundation of the Company's proprietary AI-driven nanotechnology innovation system. Building upon NanoForge, the Company has developed three technology solutions – AiTEM, AiLNP, and AiRNA – which can not only significantly shorten drug development timelines but also enhance drug safety and efficacy.
- Differentiated Innovative Pipeline Covering Major Disease Areas Including Immunology, Oncology and Metabolic Diseases, Supported by a World-First In Vivo Targeted Delivery System
Based on the NanoForge platform, METiS TechBio has taken the lead in the industry in achieving precision targeted delivery to eight key organs and tissues: the liver, lungs, heart, muscles, tumor tissues, immune system, central nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract. Its pipeline products cover oncology, immunology, central nervous system disorders, metabolic diseases, and other areas.
The Company has more than 10 pipeline products, including several candidates at the discovery stage, four preclinical candidates, three clinical-stage products, one pre-NDA product, and two animal health products. As of the Latest Practicable Date, the Company had filed a total of 224 patent applications and had been granted 52 patents.
METiS TechBio has developed MTS-004, China's first AI-enabled formulation drug to complete a Phase III clinical trial. MTS-004 is the first and only PBA (pseudobulbar affect) drug in China to have completed clinical trials, and is expected to fill the gap in PBA drug treatment in China. The MTS-004 program took 38 months from project initiation to completion of the Phase III clinical trial. Through AiTEM's predictive analytics and advanced modeling technologies, the Company successfully reduced preclinical formulation development time from one to two years to less than three months.
The "rocket + satellite" next-generation in vivo immunotherapy paradigm is a core capability through which METiS TechBio advances the development of its differentiated innovation pipeline. MTS-105 is a benchmark pipeline product designed to efficiently activate anti-tumor immunity within specific organs in vivo, with the potential to become the world's first in vivo mRNA-encoded TCE therapy for solid tumors, for the treatment of liver cancer and other advanced solid tumors with liver metastases. Leveraging its AiLNP and AiRNA platforms, METiS TechBio enables highly efficient expression of TCE in hepatocytes and liver cancer cells through specific liver-targeted LNP delivery, activating potent intratumoral immunity and thereby achieving powerful tumor cell killing. MTS-105 is currently in the IIT stage and has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. FDA.
- Dual Engines of Platform Collaborations and Product Partnerships, Reinforcing Barriers Through a Closed Loop of Technology Iteration, Commercial Application, and Real-World Data Feedback
In terms of commercialization strategy, METiS TechBio adopts a "platform collaboration + product partnership" dual-engine business model, forming a synergistic and recycling ecosystem of "technology iteration – commercial application – real-world data feedback." To date, METiS TechBio has more than 30 pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners worldwide, with customers primarily including global top-tier pharmaceutical companies, innovative biotechnology companies, and medical research institutions.
METiS TechBio recorded revenue of RMB 105 million in 2025, primarily from the upfront payment for the MTS-004 product partnership. The total milestones for MTS-004 in the PBA indication amount to RMB 1.845 billion, with additional potential milestone payments of up to RMB 100 million for potential indication expansion. Meanwhile, a single-target contract in existing platform collaborations is valued at up to USD 109 million. The dual-engine business model has been preliminarily validated by the market.
- Core Senior Executives at the Founding-Team Level Joining Forces Across Disciplines, with Sustained Heavy Investment in R&D and Talent Development
METiS TechBio's R&D team is led by its three co-founders. Building upon the Company's R&D centers in Beijing and Hangzhou, the team brings together multidisciplinary expertise spanning nanomaterials, chemistry, biology, physics, computational science, medicine, and other fields, providing strong support for innovation in AI nanodelivery and cross-disciplinary breakthrough research. The R&D team comprises more than 100 scientists and technical personnel, including approximately 40 Ph.D. holders. The majority of the Company's operating expenses are R&D-related, primarily including employee benefits for scientists and engineers, share-based compensation expenses, procurement of laboratory materials and equipment, and professional service fees (including fees paid to CROs). From 2023 to 2025, the Company maintained sustained high R&D expenditure of approximately RMB 270 million.
METiS TechBio will always prioritize R&D as a key direction for strategic investment. Approximately 50.0% of the net proceeds from the IPO will be used to support core technology research, development, and advancement of its AI infrastructure and AI-driven nanomaterials platform; approximately 20.0% will be used for ongoing and planned clinical trials in its AI-developed product pipeline, advancing candidate drugs across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities; and approximately 10.0% will be used to develop animal health and anti-aging solutions and to expand AI-enabled solutions into these high-growth areas.
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