Zencore Biologics Co.

What Zencore Biologics Co. does

Zencore Biologics Co., Ltd. is a privately held, Shanghai-headquartered Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) founded in November 2017, providing one-stop services across the full biologics lifecycle — from cell line development through commercial manufacturing — for global biopharmaceutical clients. The company operates five Shanghai-based facilities totaling more than 82,200 square meters in the Lin-gang Special Area, with a US Innovation Center in Germantown, Maryland supporting North American business development. Zencore employs nearly 800 staff and is organized around six interconnected service modules: Biologics CDMO (monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins), ADC CDMO, Cell Culture Media (200 metric tons/year GMP capacity), Analytical Services, Regulatory Support, and Quality.

The platform's technical core combines stainless-steel and single-use bioreactor infrastructure (up to 5,000L commercial scale) with proprietary process know-how spanning ADC design, conjugation chemistry, CHO cell-based recombinant human hyaluronidase production, and cGMP-compliant analytical testing (SEC-HPLC, CE-SDS, charge variants). In January 2025 Zencore obtained the first ADC Drug Production License (Type-C Certificate) issued to a CDMO in Shanghai, and in December 2024 it registered a self-developed Hyaluronidase pharmaceutical excipient with NMPA (F20240000634), extending the company beyond pure fee-for-service into proprietary excipient supply.

Zencore makes money through project-based CMC contracts spanning sequence-to-IND through commercial-scale biologics manufacturing, plus cell culture media supply. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales via dedicated BD teams in China and the US, supplemented by conference participation (CMAC, Bio China, World ADC, CIIE). The company has raised approximately $225 million across three venture rounds between March 2020 and January 2022, with Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Sofina leading the Series C; no revenue has been publicly disclosed. Customer wins referenced include Novotel Biotech, Latticon Antibody Therapeutics, and D2M Biotherapeutics, all of which received IND approvals in 2023–2024 with Zencore as CMC provider.

Name

Zencore Biologics Co.

Legal name

Zencore Biologics Co., Ltd.

Website

https://zencorebio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zencore Biologics is a Shanghai-headquartered biologics and ADC CDMO serving global biopharmaceutical clients, offering one-stop services from cell line development through commercial manufacturing across ~82,200 sqm of facilities and ~800 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical CDMO Services

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Biologics (mAbs/Recombinant Proteins) CDMO (HLAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG), Sterile Fill-Finish & Aseptic Manufacturing CDMO (HLAGABAH), Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK)

Keywords

• Biologics CDMO services
• Antibody-drug conjugate manufacturing
• Cell culture media production
• Biopharmaceutical contract development
• GMP manufacturing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Germantown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. CDMO Services Revenue: Zencore generates revenue through contracted development and manufacturing services for biopharmaceutical clients. Services include cell line development, process development, GMP manufacturing, analytical services, and regulatory support. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts covering various stages of drug development from preclinical through commercial manufacturing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Zencore Biologics operates a one-stop Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) platform for biopharmaceuticals, providing end-to-end services from cell line development through commercial manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The offering spans six integrated modules: Biologics CDMO, ADC CDMO, Cell Culture Media, Analytical Services, Regulatory Support, and Quality, executed across Shanghai-based pilot and commercial cGMP facilities totaling more than 82,200 square meters and supported by a US Innovation Center in Germantown, Maryland.

Product overview

Zencore Biologics operates as a One-Stop CDMO Services Platform offering integrated biologics development and manufacturing services. The company provides six interconnected service modules: Biologics CDMO (development and manufacturing for monoclonal antibodies and proteins), ADC CDMO (comprehensive antibody-drug conjugate services from design through commercial manufacturing), Cell Culture Media (GMP-compliant media development and manufacturing), Analytical Services (physicochemical, biochemical, and microbiological testing), Regulatory Support (global CMC submissions and compliance), and Quality (quality system and control). The platform enables clients to access complete drug development lifecycle services from sequence to commercial manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZhenHao Biotech: Subsidiary focused on biopharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D services
• ZhenGe Biotech

Products and services

• Biologics CDMO Full-service Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization offering end-to-end biologics development and manufacturing for monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and fusion proteins, spanning cell line development, process development, pilot-scale production (2×200L and 1×500L SUBRs), and commercial manufacturing (3×2,000L SUBR and 3×5,000L SSBR) for global biopharmaceutical clients.
• ADC CDMO Comprehensive Antibody-Drug Conjugate development and manufacturing services covering ADC design, materials production and lead screening, ADC process development, drug substance (DS) manufacturing, drug product (DP) manufacturing, lyophilization fill-finish, and ADC-specific quality control for clients developing antibody-drug conjugate therapeutics.
• Cell Culture Media Development and GMP manufacturing of cell culture media for mammalian cell culture-based biopharmaceutical production, with custom media development, platform media supply, and a 200 metric tons per year cGMP production capacity tailored to biologics manufacturers.
• Analytical Services Comprehensive analytical testing services including physicochemical, biochemical, raw material, and microbiological testing for biological products, executed with state-of-the-art instruments and GMP-compliant capabilities across capabilities such as SEC-HPLC, CE-SDS, charge variants, residual DNA, HCP, and endotoxin testing.
• Regulatory Support Global CMC regulatory affairs services for biologics and ADC products, including regulatory CMC strategy development, global CMC submission support, FDA on-site inspection preparation, and cGMP compliance consulting for sponsors targeting the United States, European Union, and China.
• Quality Quality management services established in accordance with FDA, EMA, and NMPA requirements for biological products, including the Quality Management System, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Quality Validation aligned with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully supported multiple clients in obtaining IND approvals from FDA and NMPA for novel biologic candidates.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Apeloa Pharmaceutical Co., LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2024Zencore Biologics and Apeloa Pharmaceutical signed a strategic cooperation agreement covering collaborative research and development and production in the field of Antibody-drug Conjugates (ADCs). The agreement aims to leverage the respective domestic and international business advantages and resources of both parties to jointly build a next-generation ADC research and production service platform.
• Med-Immune Science (Hangzhou Meisai Biomedical Technology Co Ltd)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2023Zencore Biologics officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Med-Immune Science. The collaboration combines Zencore's CDMO sector expertise with Med-Immune Science's capabilities in innovative drug development for long-term, comprehensive strategic collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GenScript Biotech: Hong Kong/US-based life sciences services company offering biologics development, cell culture media, and CDMO services through its Legend Biotech and GenScript ProBio subsidiaries; competes with Zencore on biologics CDMO and cell culture media supply.
• WuXi Biologics: China-based global biologics CDMO and the largest in Asia; directly competes with Zencore across monoclonal antibody, fusion protein, and biologics contract manufacturing, with materially greater installed capacity and customer base.
• Samsung Biologics: South Korea-headquartered global biologics CDMO offering cell line development through commercial-scale manufacturing; comparable in offering (mAb and biologics CDMO) and increasingly in ADC services, with significantly larger single-site bioreactor capacity.
• Pharmaron: China-headquartered CRO/CDMO offering biologics and small-molecule services with UK/US sites; comparable on biologics CDMO and growing ADC capabilities, with broader early-discovery offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Lonza Group: Switzerland-based global CDMO leader across biologics, small molecules, and cell/gene therapy; competes with Zencore on biologics and ADC services but with much broader modality and geographic coverage.
• WuXi STA (WuXi AppTec): China-based parent of WuXi Biologics; provides small-molecule CDMO plus growing biologics/ADC services; comparable CDMO platform with greater scale and broader modality coverage than Zencore.
• Catalent: US-headquartered CDMO offering biologics fill-finish, ADC, and cell therapy services; directly comparable on biologics and ADC manufacturing, with broader service portfolio and established FDA inspection history.

Regional players

• Asymchem Laboratories: China-headquartered CDMO historically focused on small-molecule API but expanding into biologics/peptide CDMO; comparable as a Chinese CDMO serving global pharma, though Zencore's biologics focus differentiates.
• Porton Pharma Solutions: China-based CDMO offering small-molecule API and biologics services with growing gene/cell therapy capability; competes regionally on biologics and is comparable as a China-domiciled multi-modality CDMO.

Emerging players

• Curia Global: US-headquartered CDMO offering biologics and small-molecule services with growing ADC and complex formulation capabilities; comparable as an emerging global CDMO pursuing the ADC outsourcing opportunity alongside Zencore.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zencorebio

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zencore Biologics Co.