HitGen
HitGen Inc. (SSE: 688222.SH) is a Chengdu-based, publicly listed biotech that provides early-stage drug discovery services and DEL technology to 600+ global pharma, biotech, chemical, foundation, and academic clients, with subsidiaries in Cambridge UK (Vernalis) and Houston USA.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersChengdu, China
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HitGen does
HitGen Inc. (SSE: 688222.SH) is a Chengdu-headquartered, publicly listed biopharmaceutical company founded in 2012 that provides early-stage drug discovery services and technologies to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, foundation, and academic clients globally. Its core platform is a proprietary DNA-encoded Library (DEL) containing over 1.2 trillion compounds, built using split-and-pool synthesis, validated on-DNA chemistry (100+ reaction protocols, 30,000+ building blocks), and NGS-driven selection workflows; HitGen has expressed 110+ target proteins and solved over 6,000 drug/target crystal structures through its X-ray crystallography and synchrotron access (SSRF, Spring-8). The company has extended this DEL center of gravity into Fragment-Based Drug Discovery and Structure-Based Drug Design via its wholly-owned Vernalis (R&D) Limited subsidiary in Cambridge UK (acquired October 2020 for $25M), and into Protein Degradation (PROTAC and molecular glues), Oligonucleotide Therapeutics (siRNA, CDMO), and Cyclic Peptomimetics, supported by biophysics platforms (Biacore, Octet, ITC, TSA, TRIC) and in-house computational capabilities.
The proprietary HAILO platform combines DEL screening with AI-based scaffold hopping, ADMET prediction, and automated synthesis, co-developed with a major Internet company. HitGen monetizes through a multi-model commercial approach: technical services billed under Fee For Service (FFS), Full-time Equivalent (FTE), or Integrated Drug Discovery Service (IDDS) multi-year contracts; technology licensing of its DEL IP (OpenDEL™, DEL EZ™); risk-sharing and collaborative ventures with milestone and royalty components; and tool/product sales. Operational reach spans Chengdu (HQ and 10,000+ sqm of lab space plus a new Global Drug R&D and Production Base Phase I completed December 2025), Cambridge UK (Vernalis), and Houston, USA. The company reports having served over 600 clients globally by end of 2025, advancing multiple internal preclinical and clinical programs in parallel with client work, and has formalized ESG positioning through an SBTi commitment (December 2025) and a published 2025 Sustainability Report.
HitGen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HitGen
- Legal name
- HitGen Inc.
- Website
- https://hitgen.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- HitGen Inc. (SSE: 688222.SH) is a Chengdu-based, publicly listed biotech that provides early-stage drug discovery services and DEL technology to 600+ global pharma, biotech, chemical, foundation, and academic clients, with subsidiaries in Cambridge UK (Vernalis) and Houston USA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HitGen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Drug Discovery Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery) (HLAIALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries) (HLAAAIAL), Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK)
Keywords
Where HitGen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chengdu
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
HitGen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Technical Services (Fee For Service): HitGen provides comprehensive drug discovery services including target validation, hit identification, hit-to-lead, lead optimization, preclinical studies, IND filing and clinical development centered around DEL technologies and FBDD. Services are offered through flexible business models including single capability-based Fee For Service (FFS) and Full-time Equivalent (FTE) arrangements.
- Project Out-licensing: Risk-sharing projects and collaborative ventures where HitGen develops drug candidates and out-licenses them to pharmaceutical partners. The company also advances multiple internal programs at various clinical and preclinical stages.
- DEL Platform Licensing: Licensing of DEL technology, OpenDEL product, and DEL EZ toolkit to pharmaceutical and biotech companies for their own drug discovery programs.
- Product Sales: Sale of tool molecules, validated siRNAs, nucleotides, and other research reagents to pharmaceutical and biotech customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Fee For Service (FFS) - Single capability-based service model |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Full-time Equivalent (FTE) - Dedicated team-based model |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Integrated Drug Discovery Service (IDDS) |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Risk-sharing and Collaborative Ventures |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
HitGen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HitGen is a drug-discovery contract research organization that builds and applies proprietary DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology to discover small-molecule hits and leads for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Its core offerings include the OpenDEL™ screening platform, the HAILO AI-driven molecular optimization platform, off-the-shelf DEL EZ™ screening kits, and supporting services such as DEL library synthesis, fragment-based drug design (FBDD), structure-based drug design (SBDD), and CDMO capabilities. The company sells these capabilities as fee-for-service and collaborative drug-discovery engagements to biopharma customers worldwide.
Product overview
HitGen is a biopharmaceutical company operating a diversified drug discovery platform centered on its internationally leading DNA-encoded Library (DEL) technology, which has synthesized over 1.2 trillion compounds. The company has expanded into complementary platforms including Fragment-Based Drug Discovery (FBDD) and Structure-Based Drug Design (SBDD) through its Vernalis subsidiary, Oligonucleotide-based Therapeutics, Targeted Proximity Drugs (PROTAC/Molecular Glue), and Cyclic Peptidomimetics. The proprietary HAILO platform integrates DEL+AI+Automation for molecular optimization. HitGen offers flexible business models including technical services, project out-licensing, and product sales through its integrated one-stop drug discovery platform spanning target validation to clinical development, with operations in Chengdu (headquarters), Cambridge UK, and Houston USA.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OpenDEL: DNA-encoded library product offering for hit identification
- DELEZ
- HAILO
- Vernalis
- OpenDEL
Products and services
- OpenDEL™ DEL Screening Service HitGen's proprietary DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening service that screens very large chemical space in a single experiment against customer-supplied targets to identify small-molecule hit compounds. Offered to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and chemical industry R&D teams as a fee-for-service or collaborative drug-discovery engagement.
- HAILO Molecular Optimization Platform HitGen's proprietary AI-enabled platform used for molecular optimization, hit-to-lead progression, and data interpretation around DEL screening results. Sold primarily as part of collaborative drug-discovery engagements with biopharma customers.
- DEL EZ™ Off-the-Shelf Screening Kit Off-the-shelf, ready-to-use DNA-encoded library screening kit product that allows academic, biotech, and industrial chemistry customers to perform DEL screening without building in-house DEL capability. Sold as a discrete product to researchers and smaller organizations.
- DEL Synthesis Services Custom synthesis of DNA-encoded libraries for clients who want to build or augment their own DEL collections. Offered to biopharma and research customers as a service engagement.
- Fragment-Based Drug Design (FBDD) Services Fragment-based drug design services providing fragment library screening and fragment-to-lead optimization for small-molecule drug discovery programs. Sold to pharmaceutical and biotech discovery teams.
- Structure-Based Drug Design (SBDD) Services Structure-based drug design services using structural biology and computational chemistry to support hit and lead optimization programs. Sold to pharmaceutical and biotech discovery teams.
- CDMO Services Contract development and manufacturing organization services for small-molecule chemical intermediates and drug substances, extending HitGen's offering beyond discovery into development for biopharma clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 600 clients globally empowered as of end of 2025
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use HitGen
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
HitGen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature14 records
HitGen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Vernalis (R&D) LimitedcoreVernalis (R&D) Limited, headquartered in Cambridge, UK, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HitGen. It integrates fragment-based approaches, protein science, structural biology, biophysics, assay technology and molecular modelling with extensive organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry expertise for drug discovery on both established and novel targets. This acquisition enhanced HitGen's FBDD capabilities with 20+ years of fragment-based lead discovery experience.
- PfizercoreMultiple collaborative projects with Pfizer including DEL selection for NAA50 inhibitors (published in ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2020, 11, 1175-1184) and photoredox catalyzed [2+2] cyclization publication (Organic Letters 2020, 22, 2908-2913). The collaborations have yielded validated hits, including a potent Naa50 inhibitor with confirmed co-crystal structure.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HitGen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nuevolution (Amgen): Pioneering DEL platform now owned by Amgen, representing a vertically-integrated competitor where DEL tech is captive rather than sold externally. Comparable at the technology layer and validates pharma demand for DEL.
- Evotec: German-listed drug discovery CRO/Contract Research Alliance offering FBDD/SBDD, medicinal chemistry, PROTAC discovery, and AI-driven platforms. Comparable in service breadth and target customer base; both operate internal pipelines alongside fee-for-service work.
- Vipergen: Danish DEL technology specialist offering YoctoReactor DNA-encoded library screening and Binder Selection Enrichment (BSE) platforms. Directly comparable as a DEL-tech niche peer to a specific slice of HitGen's service offering.
- X-Chem Pharmaceuticals: US-based leader in DNA-Encoded Library technology with hundreds of billions of compounds. Closest like-for-like competitor in DEL screening services and DEL platform licensing, directly comparable on technology stack and customer overlap.
- Pharmaron: China-based CRO with labs in US/UK offering drug discovery and development services including medicinal chemistry, DMPK, biology, and structural biology. Comparable in scale, business model (FFS/FTE), and global pharma customer base.
- WuXi AppTec: China-headquartered, full-service pharma CRO/CDMO offering discovery, development, and manufacturing services to global pharma and biotech. Direct competitor to HitGen in drug discovery services with overlapping customer base, multi-modality service portfolio, and global footprint.
- ChemPartner: Shanghai-headquartered CRO providing integrated drug discovery including medicinal chemistry, biology, DMPK, and structural biology for global pharma/biotech. Direct competitor in Asia-anchored discovery services with similar B2B sales motion.
- Sygnature Discovery: UK-based integrated drug discovery CRO with strength in medicinal chemistry, FBDD/SBDD, and biology. Highly comparable to HitGen's Vernalis subsidiary offering; competes for European pharma discovery mandates.
Regional players
- WuXi STA (WuXi AppTec subsidiary): China-based small-molecule CDMO and oligonucleotide CDMO. Overlaps with HitGen's emerging oligonucleotide CDMO offering in target capabilities and customer base within the Asia-Pacific region.
Broad incumbents
- Charles River Laboratories: Large US-headquartered CRO with broad discovery, safety, and manufacturing services spanning small and large molecules. Overlaps with HitGen in discovery services though broader and not specialized in DEL.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
HitGen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HitGen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
HitGen subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
HitGen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HitGen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HitGen
What does HitGen do?
HitGen is a drug-discovery contract research organization that builds and applies proprietary DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology to discover small-molecule hits and leads for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Its core offerings include the OpenDEL™ screening platform, the HAILO AI-driven molecular optimization platform, off-the-shelf DEL EZ™ screening kits, and supporting services such as DEL library synthesis, fragment-based drug design (FBDD), structure-based drug design (SBDD), and CDMO capabilities. The company sells these capabilities as fee-for-service and collaborative drug-discovery engagements to biopharma customers worldwide.
Is HitGen a public or private company?
HitGen is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was HitGen founded?
HitGen was founded in 2012. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is HitGen based?
HitGen is headquartered in Chengdu, China, in the Asia region.
How does HitGen make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Technical Services (Fee For Service) is the primary driver. The others are project Out-licensing, DEL Platform Licensing and product Sales.
Who are HitGen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nuevolution (Amgen), Evotec, Vipergen, X-Chem Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaron, WuXi AppTec, ChemPartner and Sygnature Discovery. WuXi STA (WuXi AppTec subsidiary) is listed as a regional player. Charles River Laboratories is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does HitGen have an API?
No public API is recorded for HitGen.
What industry is HitGen in?
HitGen's product category is Drug Discovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIALAA, Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery), with a secondary code of HLAAAIAL, Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.