UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

OR

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

OR

For the transition period from                  to                 .

OR

Date of event requiring this shell company report                         

Commission file number: 001-39328

Genetron Holdings Limited

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

1-2/F, Building 11, Zone 1

No.8 Life Science Parkway

Changping District, Beijing, 102206

People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

Sizhen Wang

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +86 10 5090-7500

E-mail: sizhen.wang@genetronhealth.com

At the address of the Company set forth above

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

441,810,100 ordinary shares, par value US$0.00002 per share, as of December 31, 2020.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes  ☐                No  ☒

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes  ☐                No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes  ☒                No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes  ☒                No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Check one:

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards † provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

Yes  ☐                No  ☒

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

☐  Item 17                ☐  Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes  ☐                No  ☒

APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

Yes  ☐                No  ☐

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

Except where the context otherwise indicates and for the purpose of this annual report only:

We present our financial results in RMB. We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. This annual report contains translations of certain foreign currency amounts into U.S. dollars for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations of Renminbi into U.S. dollars were made at the rate at RMB6.5250 to US$1.00, the exchange rate as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in effect as of December 31, 2020.

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FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provision under Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” of this annual report and other risks outlined in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. Those risks are not exhaustive. We operate in an evolving environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law. You should read this annual report and the documents that we reference in this annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

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PART I

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

3.A. Selected Financial Data

The following selected consolidated statements of comprehensive loss data and selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020 and selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report beginning on page F-1. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”). Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods. We have adopted IFRS 16 retrospectively from January 1, 2019, but have not restated comparatives for the 2018 reporting period, as permitted under the specific transitional provisions in the standard. The reclassifications and the adjustments arising from the new leasing rules are therefore recognized in the opening balance sheet on January 1, 2019.

The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, our consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” included elsewhere in this annual report. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our results for any future periods.

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Note:

The following table presents our selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020.

The following table presents our selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

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Non-IFRS Financial Measures

We use non-IFRS net loss and non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share for the year, which are non-IFRS financial measures, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. We believe that non-IFRS net loss and non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that we include in our loss for the year. We believe that non-IFRS net loss and non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share for the year provide useful information about our results of operations, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in our financial and operational decision-making.

Non-IFRS net loss and non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share for the year should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to operating profit, net loss for the year or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of its operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review non-IFRS net loss and non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share for the year and the reconciliation to its most directly comparable IFRS measures. Non-IFRS net loss and non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share for the year presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Non-IFRS net loss and non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share for the year represent net loss for the year excluding share-based compensation expenses, fair value changes of financial instruments with preferred rights and other loss of financial instruments with preferred rights (if applicable).

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of non-IFRS net loss for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, to net loss for the year, its most directly comparable IFRS measure:

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The following table sets forth a reconciliation of non-IFRS net loss per ordinary share for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020 to net loss per ordinary share for the year, its most directly comparable IFRS measure:

3.B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

3.C. Reason for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

3.D. Risk Factors

RISKS RELATING TO OUR FINANCIAL PROSPECTS AND NEED FOR ADDITIONAL CAPITAL

We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance.

We commenced our operation in 2015 through Genetron Health (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Since then, we have achieved rapid growth and continue to expand our services and products. For example, we recently launched our early screening services in the second half of 2018. Our limited operating history may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance. Any predictions you make about our future success or viability may be subject to uncertainty and may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history. We may encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by early-stage companies in rapidly evolving fields as we seek to transit to a company capable of supporting commercial activities. In addition, as a new business, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors. If we do not address these risks and difficulties successfully, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We have incurred net losses historically and we may continue to incur net losses in the near future.

We have incurred losses since our inception. For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, we incurred net losses of RMB465.0 million, RMB676.0 million and RMB3,069.0 million (US$470.4 million), respectively. To date, we have financed our operations principally from capital contributions from our shareholders and proceeds from our initial public offering. We have devoted substantial resources to the development and commercialization of our diagnosis services and products, and plan to substantially invest in the research and development related to our cancer early screening business and regulatory approvals with respect to our IVD products, including preclinical studies, clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval and sales and marketing activities. We are in varying stages of research and development for other services and products that we may offer. We will need to generate significant additional revenue to achieve profitability, and even if we achieve profitability, we cannot be sure that we will remain profitable for any period of time. Our failure to achieve profitability would negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. If we are unable to execute our sales and marketing strategy for our services and are unable to gain sufficient acceptance in the market, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenues to sustain our business.

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We have recorded negative cash flows from operating activities historically and may have a current liabilities position in the future.

We have experienced significant cash outflow from operating activities since our inception. We had net cash used in operating activities of RMB201.0 million, RMB197.0 million and RMB300.9 million (US$46.1 million) for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. The cost of continuing operations could further reduce our cash position, and an increase in our net cash outflow from operating activities could adversely affect our operations by reducing the amount of cash available to meet the cash needs for operating our business and to fund our investments in our business expansion.

Although we had net current assets of RMB1,557.2 million (US$238.7 million) as of December 31, 2020, we cannot guarantee that we will not have a net current liabilities position in the future, which would expose us to liquidity risk. Our future liquidity and ability to make additional capital investments necessary for our operations and business expansion will depend primarily on our ability to maintain sufficient cash generated from operating activities and to obtain adequate external financing. There can be no assurance that we will be able to renew existing bank facilities or obtain other sources of financing.

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought uncertainties and interruptions to the global economy and caused significant volatility across the financial markets, which had a cooling effect on financing and investing activities in general.

Based on our current business plan, we believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, together with our cash generated from operating activities, financing activities, our initial public offering and pre-IPO private placements, will be sufficient to meet our present anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months. However, if the impact of COVID-19 and volatility in the financial markets continue, our financing activities in future to raise additional capital may be materially and adversely affected, which may in turn have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our working capital requirement and our liquidity. For other risks related to COVID-19, see “—COVID-19 may impact our operations.”

We may need to obtain substantial additional financing to fund our growth and operations.

We will need to expend substantial resources for research and development and commercialization of our services and products candidates, including costs associated with:

To date, we have funded our operations primarily through capital contributions from our shareholders and proceeds from our initial public offering. We have also received government grants of RMB10.7 million, RMB11.7 million and RMB3.9 million (US$0.6 million) in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. The net cash used in our operating activities was RMB201.0 million, RMB197.0 million and RMB300.9 million (US$46.1 million) for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Our cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020 was RMB62.1 million, RMB140.0 million and RMB1,375.8 million (US$210.8 million), respectively. We expect our expenses to increase significantly in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance the development of our proprietary technologies and invest in commercialization of our full-cycle cancer management products. In addition, we require significant capital to build, maintain, operate and expend our laboratory facilities and engage in research and development activities. Accordingly, we will likely need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations through public or private equity offerings, debt financing, collaborations or licensing arrangements or other sources. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on commercially acceptable terms, we could incur losses and be forced to delay, reduce or terminate our research and development programs or any future commercialization efforts.

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Raising additional capital may lead to dilution of shareholdings by our existing shareholders, restrict our operations, and may further result in fair value loss adversely affecting our financial results.

We may seek additional funding through a combination of equity and debt financings and collaborations. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of existing holders of our shares and/or ADSs will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our existing shareholders and/or ADS holders.

The incurrence of additional indebtedness or the issuance of certain equity securities could result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in certain additional restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to acquire or license IP rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business.

As of the date of this annual report, our revenue is primarily generated from diagnosis and monitoring services and products and we are highly dependent on it for our success.

As of the date of this annual report, our revenue is primarily generated from diagnosis and monitoring services and products. We expect that revenues of our diagnosis and monitoring services and products business will continue to account for the substantial part of our revenues going forward. Our ability to generate profits will therefore largely depend upon the acceptance and adoption of our tests by our customers. The increase in acceptance and adoption of our tests will depend on numerous factors, including the prices we charge for our tests, the broader coverage of our LDT services and IVD products, the availability of clinical data that supports the value of our tests and the recognition of our services and products by hospitals, doctors, KOLs and others in the medical community. We cannot assure you that our diagnosis and monitoring services and products will continue to maintain or gain market acceptance, and any failure to do so would harm our business and results of operations.

We may face certain risks in collecting our receivables, and the failure to collect could adversely effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

As of December 31, 2019 and 2020, our trade and other receivables and contract assets was RMB104.3 million and RMB208.1 million (US$31.9 million), respectively, and the provision for impairment of trade and other receivables and contract assets were RMB4.1 million and RMB18.9 million (US$2.9 million), respectively. As our business continues to scale, our trade and other receivables and contract assets balance may continue to grow, which may increase our risks for uncollectible receivables. Actual losses on receivables balance could differ from those that we anticipate and reserve in our allowance for doubtful accounts, as a result we might need to adjust our allowance. Macroeconomic conditions could also result in financial difficulties for our clients, including limited access to the credit markets, insolvency or bankruptcy, and as a result could cause clients to delay payments to us, request modifications to their payment arrangements or default on their payment obligations to us. If we are unable to collect our trade and other receivables and contract assets from our customers, our business, financial condition and results of operation may be materially and adversely affected.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

Our financial prospects depend substantially upon the successful commercialization of our services and products in the future, which may fail or experience significant delays.

Although we have developed and marketed several diagnosis services and products to date, we believe our future success is dependent upon our ability to continuously develop technologies and successfully market our existing cancer genetic offerings to customers within the PRC and expand into overseas markets. Our ability to generate significant revenue in the next several years will depend primarily on the successes of each key stage of our business, including pre-clinical research and development, clinical trial, regulatory approval, manufacture, marketing and commercialization of our services and products, each of which is subject to significant uncertainty. Our pipeline of new IVD products are in various stages of development and may take several more years to develop and may be required to undergo extensive clinical validation. Our ability to generate sales revenue from our products and services and our future profitability depends on a number of factors, including our ability to continue:

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If we do not achieve one or more of these milestones in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays in our ability to obtain approvals for our services and products or to successfully commercialize our services and products, any of which would materially harm our business and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenues and cash flows to continue our operations.

Our ability to become profitable in the future will depend on various factors, including the market acceptance of our services and products.

We are a growing precision oncology company and have engaged in targeted sales and marketing activities for our services and products. Our services and products are relatively innovative and may never gain significant acceptance in the marketplace or generate substantial revenues or permit us to become profitable. We will need to further expand our products and services offerings through the efforts of research and development and the expansion of our current relationships and development of new relationships with hospitals, KOLs and biopharmaceutical companies. Our ability to achieve and maintain commercial market acceptance of our existing and future products will depend on a number of factors, including:

We cannot assure you that we will be successful in addressing each of these criteria or other criteria that might affect the market acceptance of our products and services. Failure to achieve broad market acceptance of our services would materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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We may be adversely affected by the uncertainties and changes in the regulation of cancer genomic testing service industry in the PRC, and any lack of requisite approvals, permits, registrations or filings in relation to our business may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and prospects.

Due to the relatively short history of the cancer genomic testing service industry in the PRC, a comprehensive regulatory framework governing our industry has not been established. We cannot rule out the possibility that some common practices in our industry which we also adopt might be viewed as not being in full compliance with the existing PRC laws and regulations.

According to the Administration of Clinical Gene Amplification Test Laboratories, a clinical gene amplification testing laboratory shall not conduct the clinical testing items that have not been registered or filed with the relevant health administrative authority in accordance with the Catalogue of Clinical Laboratory Items for Medical Institutions (2013) (“Testing Items Catalogue”). The scope of Testing Items Catalogue is limited and has not been updated since 2013. Many of testing items of our cancer genomic testing services are beyond the scope of Testing Items Catalogue, so that we are not able to register or file such testing items with the applicable health administrative authority. Meanwhile, pursuant to the Notice on Issues Related to the Management of Clinical Laboratory Items, or Circular 167, promulgated by the NHFPC on February 25, 2016, the clinical testing items which are not included in the Testing Items Catalogue, but with clear clinical significance, relatively high specificity and sensitivity, and reasonable price, shall be validated in time to meet clinical needs. Based on our consultation with a competent government authority, medical institutions could conduct testing items beyond the scope of Testing Items Catalogue after validation. However, it remains unclear as to how to validate such testing items based on Circular 167, nor does Circular 167 specify what testing items are “with clear clinical significance, relatively high specificity and sensitivity and reasonable price.” Our PRC Legal Counsel, Shihui Partners, taking into consideration of the consultation with competent government authority, among others, is of the view that the possibility of suspension of our testing items that are beyond Testing Items Catalogue is relatively low. If the government promulgates clear guidelines for validation under Circular 167, we intend to take necessary actions to meet such requirements. Any failure to meet existing and future requirements may prevent us from conducting our testing items, and result in adverse effect on our business operation.

On February 9, 2014, the General Office of NHFPC and the General Office of China Food and Drug Administration, predecessor of the National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”), have jointly issued the Notice of Strengthening the Administration of Products and Technologies Relating to Clinical Genomic Testing, or Notice No.25, to specifically govern the products and technologies used in genomic testing service. In accordance with Notice No.25, the NHFPC is in charge of the management of clinical use of genomic testing technology, and the pilot enterprises designated by the NHFPC may use genomic testing products on trial and no medical institutions may apply genomic testing technologies or products for clinical use before the issuance of relevant access standards and management regulations. Subsequently, in March 2014, Medical Affairs and Hospital Administration Bureau of the NHFPC issued a notice to start the pilot scheme on clinical use of NGS. The first group of pilot enterprises in cancer genomic testing industry are mainly hospitals, and we have been told that no other enterprises have been approved to become new pilot enterprises after the launch of the first group of pilot enterprises, based on our consultation with a competent government authority. The companies that are not pilot enterprises, including us, may be prohibited from using NGS technology pursuant to Notice No.25. Based on our communication with an industry related authority, we have been informed that (i) the relevant government authority plans to promulgate cancer genomic testing services regulations for clinical laboratories including setting clear requirements for NGS technology approval, (ii) a few provincial centers for clinical laboratories supervised by provincial health commission have started or plan to start organizing technical inspection and quality assessment of the application of NGS technologies that suitable for clinical use, (iii) clinical laboratories conducting cancer genomic testing with a good operation record, including us, may be less likely to be subject to enforcement actions before the above cancer genomic testing services regulations be promulgated. Our PRC Legal Counsel, Shihui Partners, has advised that, taking into consideration of the foregoing consultation, among others, the likelihood of us being prohibited from using NGS technology is relatively low. If the government promulgates the clear requirement for NGS technology approval, we intend to take necessary actions to meet such requirements. Any failure to meet existing and future requirements may result in adverse effect on our continuous business operation of NGS technology utilization.

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Based on Notice No.25, genomic testing diagnostic products (including gene sequencing platforms and relevant diagnostic assays or software) shall be deemed as medical devices and governed under the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Medical Devices, or Order No.276 of State Council. See “Item 4. Information of the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation— Regulations Relating to Medical Devices.” Pursuant to Notice 25 and Order No.276 of State Council, the genomic testing diagnostic products used in our cancer genomic testing services shall be registered with NMPA or its local authorities. Any entity that uses unregistered genomic testing diagnostic products in cancer genomic testing services may be subject to fines, confiscation of such products it used and/or suspension of its business. However, there are only few cancer genomic sequencing platforms and assays registered with NMPA in cancer genomic testing industry. According to Frost & Sullivan, no NGS-based cancer genomic testing assay has been registered with NMPA in association with genomic sequencing platforms until a 4-gene assay was registered with NMPA in July 2018. Furthermore, such registered cancer genomic sequencing platforms and assays may not satisfy the demand for comprehensive and high-throughput testing in cancer genomic testing service industry. It is common in our industry that cancer genomic testing laboratories, including us, use unregistered cancer genomic testing diagnostic products while providing cancer genomic testing services considering that the adoption of cancer genomic testing service is time-sensitive while the pathway of registration with NMPA for cancer genomic testing diagnostic product is evolving, which usually leads to uncertain and lengthy registration process. Based on our consultation with an industry-related authority, we have been informed that (i) the relevant government authority plans to promulgate cancer genomic testing service regulations which may allow medical institutions to use unregistered but performance-qualified products in their cancer genomic testing services in future, (ii) it is the wide industry practice that genomic testing laboratories use unregistered diagnostic products in cancer genomic testing services, and (iii) the genomic testing laboratories with a good operation record, including us, may be less likely to be subject to enforcement actions before the promulgation of above cancer genomic testing regulations. In addition, in February 2021, the State Council published the newly revised Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Medical Device, or Revised Regulations, which will become effective from June 1, 2021. Pursuant to the Revised Regulations, for in-vitro reagents, if no product of the same kind has been allowed to be marketed in PRC, qualified medical institutions may, according to their clinical needs, self-develop these in-vitro reagents and put into use of these reagents under the guidance of practicing physicians. The NMPA and the NHC are authorized to jointly promulgate more detailed regulations relating to such provision. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been subject to any material fines or other penalties related to the above mentioned non-compliance. However, regulatory agencies in China may periodically, and sometimes abruptly, change their enforcement practices. Therefore, prior enforcement activity, or lack of enforcement activity, is not necessarily predictive of future actions. The regulatory framework for this industry is also evolving and may remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. If the government promulgates new requirement for products, including sequencing platforms and assays, used in cancer genomic testing services, we intend to take necessary actions to meet such requirements. Any failure to meet existing and future requirements may adversely affect our business and results of operations as a result of those existing non-compliances or any non-compliance with any new laws or regulations.

If we fail to obtain applicable licenses or registrations for our IVD medical products, we will unable to commercially manufacture, distribute and market our products, and our commercialization of IVD medical products might be substantially harmed.

Our IVD medical products are subject to extensive regulations in China. To produce and sell our IVD medical products, we need to obtain licenses and registrations with the NMPA or their respective provincial counterparts. The sale of unregistered IVD medical products would result in administrative punishments including but not limited to monetary penalties. We currently have obtained approvals for four IVD assays, including a COVID-19 detection kit approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), and four IVD platforms, and most of our IVD products are still in development or in the process of obtaining registrations. The NMPA registration process is costly, lengthy and uncertain. In particular, we are required to conduct, at our own expenses, adequate and well-controlled clinical trials, and provide the NMPA with clinical data that demonstrates the efficacy and safety of our IVD medical products. The time required to obtain registrations from the NMPA is unpredictable but typically takes years following the commencement of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, registration policies, regulations or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain registration may change during the course of clinical-development and may vary among regions. If we cannot obtain the registration for our IVD medical products, we cannot commercialize such IVD medical products and there will be a material adverse effect on our business of IVD medical products commercialization, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot control whether planned clinical trials will begin on time or whether any of our clinical trials will be completed on schedule, or at all. Our product development costs would likely increase if we encounter delays in testing or obtaining approvals or if we need to perform more or a larger scale of clinical trials than planned. If the delays are significant, the commercial prospects for some of our IVD medical products will be harmed, which will adversely affect the results of operations in our business.

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We face risks associated with uncertainties relating to Regulation for the Administration of Human Genetic Resources.

The collection, preservation, usage and outbound provision of human genetic resources in the PRC are governed by Regulation for the Administration of Human Genetic Resources, or HGR Regulation, except for activities relating to human genetic resources conducted for some specific purposes including clinical diagnosis and treatment. Based on our consultation with the competent government authority, we believe that our diagnosis business and early screening business are both for the purpose of clinical diagnosis and treatment, so that such activities relating to human genetic resources in our diagnosis business or early screening business may not be governed by HGR Regulation. However, we cannot assure you that our diagnosis business and early screening business will be continuously deemed as conducted for the purpose of clinical diagnosis and treatment by the relevant government authority. Meanwhile, our collection, preservation and usage of human genetic resources in our development services are governed by HGR Regulation.

Pursuant to HGR Regulation, there are some limitations for foreign entities, individuals and such entities established or actually controlled thereby (“Restricted Entities”, and each, a “Restricted Entity”) to engage in activities relating to human genetic resources. For example, the Restricted Entity is not allowed to collect or preserve human genetic resources of China, while it is prohibited from using human genetic resources of China unless that such Restricted Entity have obtained an approval from relevant government authority or have filed with relevant government authority for international cooperation with a domestic entity. As advised by our PRC Legal Counsel, Shihui Partners, taking into consideration of our consultation with a competent government authority, among others, although an entity controlled, directly or indirectly, by foreign persons through shareholding ownership would be deemed as a Restricted Entity, HGR Regulation remains unclear as to whether a VIE entity controlled by a wholly foreign owned enterprise through contractual arrangements would be deemed as a Restricted Entity. We cannot assure you that our VIE entities will not be deemed as Restricted Entities in the future, given the lack of clear statutory interpretation regarding HGR Regulation. If our VIE entities engaging in development services are deemed as the Restricted Entities by relevant government authority, our development services, among others, would be adversely affected and we may no longer be able to collect or preserve human genetic resources in our development services, and with respect to usage of human genetic resources, we may have to cooperate with domestic entities and be required to obtain approvals or file with relevant government authority for such cooperation which could result in additional cost and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been subject to any material fines or other penalties related to our collection, preservation and usage of human genetic resources in our development services. However, regulatory agencies in China may periodically, and sometimes abruptly, change their enforcement practices. Therefore, prior enforcement activity, or lack of enforcement activity, is not necessarily predictive of future actions. The regulatory framework for the administration of human genetic resources is also evolving and may remain uncertain for the foreseeable future.

We rely on third parties to monitor, support and/or conduct our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. Therefore, we may not be able to directly control the timing, conduct, expense and quality of our clinical trials and we cannot assure these third parties can duly perform their obligations as agreed and expected.

We primarily rely on hospitals that are beyond our control to monitor, support, conduct pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of our cancer genomic testing pipeline products. As a result, we have less control over the quality, timing and cost of these studies and the ability to recruit trial subjects than conducting these trials entirely by ourselves. We cannot assure these third parties can meet expected timetable or can always be in compliance with regulatory requirements. Any failures of these third parties to duly perform their obligations may result in our clinical trials being extended, delayed or terminated, or our data being rejected by NMPA or regulatory agencies. In addition, if we are unable to maintain or enter into agreements with these third parties on acceptable terms, or if any such engagement is terminated, we may be unable to enroll patients on a timely basis or otherwise conduct our trials in the manner we anticipate.

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The regulatory pathways for our detection kit for the novel coronavirus (Genetron SARS-CoV-2 RNA Test), the virus that causes COVID-19, are continually evolving, and may result in unexpected or unforeseen challenges.

Our detection kit for the novel coronavirus (Genetron SARS-CoV-2 RNA Test), the virus that causes COVID-19, received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) in June 2020. The FDA has the authority to grant an EUA to allow unapproved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions when, based on the totality of scientific evidence, there is evidence of effectiveness of the medical product, and there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives. However, commercialization under an EUA is permitted only during the underlying public health emergency (as declared by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services), meaning that once the emergency declaration is terminated, we would be required to obtain NDA approval to continue marketing the product. Furthermore, the FDA may revoke an EUA based on a determination that the product no longer satisfies the criteria for issuance of an EUA-for example, if there is no longer evidence of effectiveness of the product or there are other adequate, approved alternatives. Accordingly, we cannot predict how long, if at all, an EUA for Genetron SARS-CoV-2 RNA Test may remain in place. Any termination or revocation of the EUA for Genetron SARS-CoV-2 RNA Test could adversely impact our business.

Even though we have received breakthrough device designation for our HCCscreen^TM for hepatocellular carcinoma, this designation may not expedite the development or review of HCCscreen^TM and does not provide assurance ultimately of premarket approval submission or approval by the FDA.

The Breakthrough Devices Program is a voluntary program intended to expedite the review, development, assessment and review of certain medical devices that provide for more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating human diseases or conditions for which no approved or cleared treatment exists or that offer significant advantages over existing approved or cleared alternatives. All submissions for devices designated as Breakthrough Devices will receive priority review, meaning that the review of the submission is placed at the top of the appropriate review queue and receives additional review resources, as needed.

Although breakthrough designation or access to any other expedited program may expedite the development or approval process, it does not change the standards for approval. Although we obtained breakthrough device designation for HCCscreen^TM, a blood-based next-generation sequencing test, for hepatocellular carcinoma, we may not experience faster development timelines or achieve faster review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. For example, the time required to identify and resolve issues relating to manufacturing and controls, the acquisition of a sufficient supply of our product for clinical trial purposes or the need to conduct additional nonclinical or clinical studies may delay approval by the FDA, even if the product qualifies for breakthrough designation or access to any other expedited program. Access to an expedited program may also be withdrawn by the FDA if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Additionally, qualification for any expedited review procedure does not ensure that we will ultimately obtain regulatory approval for the product.

If we fail to comply with healthcare laws and regulations, we could face substantial penalties and our business, operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

In the U.S., we are also subject to healthcare fraud and abuse regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. These laws include, without limitation:

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Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available and lack of clear guidance, it is possible that some of our business activities could, despite our efforts to comply, be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements will comply with applicable healthcare and other applicable laws may involve substantial costs. In the future, it is possible that governmental and enforcement authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or then-existing statutes, regulations, or case law interpreting applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare or applicable laws and regulations. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. If we or our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to significant penalties, including administrative, civil and/or criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in U.S. federal or state health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid in the U.S. and similar programs outside the U.S., a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could materially adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results.

Complying with numerous regulations pertaining to our business is an expensive and time-consuming process, and any failure to comply could result in substantial penalties.

We are subject to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment of 1988, or CLIA, which is a federal law regulating clinical laboratories that perform testing on specimens derived from humans for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of disease. Our clinical laboratory in the United States. is located in Maryland and must be certified under CLIA in order for us to perform testing on human specimens. CLIA is intended to ensure the quality and reliability of clinical laboratories in the United States by mandating specific standards in the areas of personnel qualifications, administration, and participation in proficiency testing, patient test management, quality control, quality assurance and inspections. We currently hold CLIA certificates to perform high-complexity testing for our laboratories in Maryland and Beijing. Laboratories performing high complexity testing are required to meet more stringent requirements than laboratories performing less complex tests. CLIA regulations require clinical laboratories like ours to comply with various operational, personnel, facilities administration, quality, and proficiency testing requirements intended to ensure that testing services are accurate, reliable and timely. CLIA certification is a prerequisite for reimbursement eligibility for services provided to state and federal health care program beneficiaries. CLIA is user-fee funded. Therefore, all costs of administering the program must be covered by the regulated facilities, including certification and survey costs. To renew this certificate, we are subject to survey and inspection every two years. Moreover, CLIA inspectors may make periodic inspections of our clinical laboratory outside of the renewal process. The failure to comply with CLIA requirements can result in enforcement actions, including the revocation, suspension, or limitation of our CLIA certificate of compliance, as well as a directed plan of correction, state on-site monitoring, civil money penalties, civil injunctive suit and/or criminal penalties. We must maintain CLIA compliance and certification to be eligible to bill for assays provided to Medicare beneficiaries if applicable. If we were to be found out of compliance with CLIA program requirements and subjected to sanctions, our business and reputation could be harmed. Even if it were possible for us to bring our laboratory back into compliance, we could incur significant expenses in doing so.

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Additionally, certain states require laboratory licenses in order to test specimens from patients in those states or received from ordering physicians in those states. We may also be subject to regulation in foreign jurisdictions if we seek to expand international distribution of our assays outside the United States.

If we were to lose our CLIA certification or state laboratory licenses, whether as a result of a revocation, suspension or limitation, we would no longer be able to offer our assays, which would limit our revenues and harm our business. If we were to lose, or fail to obtain, a license in any other state where we are required to hold a license, we would not be able to test specimens from those states.

Clinical development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results.

Many of the factors that may cause or lead to a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may ultimately lead to delay or denial of regulatory clearance or approval. Success in pre-clinical studies and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot be sure that the later trials will replicate the results of prior trials and pre-clinical studies. Even if our clinical trials are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that their results will support our product candidate claims or that the regulatory authorities will agree with our conclusions regarding them. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our tests are safe and effective for the proposed indicated uses, which could cause us to abandon development of our tests and may delay development of others. Any delay or termination of our clinical trials will delay the filing of our product submissions and, ultimately, may impact our ability to commercialize our tests and generate revenues.

We may face intense competition and our competitors may develop similar, but more advanced services and products than ours, which may adversely affect our business and financial conditions.

We compete with life sciences companies that design, manufacture, and market products for analysis of genetic variations and biological functions and other applications using a wide range of competing technologies in the PRC and overseas. We anticipate that we will continue to face increased competitions as existing companies develop new or improved products and as new companies enter the market with new technologies. One or more of our competitors may render one or more of our technologies obsolete or uneconomical. Some of our competitors have greater financial, technical and personnel resources, broader product lines, more focused product lines, a more established customer base, and more experience in research and development than we do. In addition, as a result of mergers and acquisitions in life science industry, even more resources are being concentrated in our competitors and our up and down streams business partners. Competition may increase further due to the progress/improvements made in the commercial applicability of technologies and the increased capital investment in the industries. Our competitors may develop products which are more effective, less costly and safer than we are able to, or obtain patent protection, regulatory approval, product commercialization, and market penetration more rapidly than we do.

Furthermore, life sciences, clinical genomics, and pharmaceutical companies, which are our potential customers and strategic partners, could also develop competing products, which may result in the decrease of demand of our services and products. Furthermore, we believe that customers in our markets display a significant amount of loyalty to their initial supplier of a particular product; therefore, it may be difficult to generate sales to potential customers who have purchased products from competitors. To the extent we are unable to be the first to develop or supply new services and products, our competitive position may suffer.

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The market for cancer genomics is currently limited and highly competitive, with several large companies already having intellectual property portfolios, and regulatory expertise. As a result, these companies may obtain regulatory approval more rapidly than we are able to. Established diagnostic companies also have an installed base of instruments in several markets, including clinical and reference laboratories, which could deter acceptance of our services and products. In addition, some of these companies have formed alliances with genomics companies that provide them access to genetic information that may be incorporated into their diagnostic tests, potentially creating a competitive advantage for them.

We and our competitors also compete on the basis of price. As the cost of analyzing genetic variation and biological function falls over time, as we expect, we cannot be sure that the demand for related services and products will increase proportionately. In the future, if the demand for our services and products proves to be more insensitive to lower sequencing costs than we expect, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected.

Security breaches, loss of data, and other disruptions could compromise sensitive information related to our business or prevent us from accessing critical information and expose us to liability, which could adversely affect our business and our reputation.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including protected health information, personally identifiable information, financial information, intellectual property, and proprietary business information owned or controlled by ourselves or our customers, payers, and other parties. We manage and maintain our applications and data utilizing a combination of on-site systems and cloud-based data centers. We utilize external security and infrastructure vendors to manage parts of our data centers. We also communicate sensitive data, including patient data, electronically, and through relationships with multiple third-party vendors and their subcontractors. These applications and data encompass a wide variety of business-critical information, including research and development information, patient data, commercial information, and business and financial information. We face a number of risks relative to protecting this critical information, including loss of access risk, inappropriate use or disclosure, inappropriate modification, and the risk of our being unable to adequately monitor, audit, and modify our controls over our critical information. This risk extends to the third-party vendors and subcontractors we use to manage this sensitive data.

The secure processing, storage, maintenance, and transmission of this critical information are vital to our operations and business strategy, and we devote significant resources to protecting such information. Although we take measures to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, use or disclosure, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or viruses or breached due to employee error, malfeasance, or other malicious or inadvertent disruptions. In addition, while we have implemented security measures and a formal, dedicated enterprise security program to prevent unauthorized access to patient data, such data is currently accessible through multiple channels, and there is no guarantee we can protect our data from breach. Unauthorized access, loss, or dissemination could also result in delays of our services and products development and commercialization as well as damage our reputation, including our ability to conduct our analysis, deliver test results, process claims and appeals, provide customer assistance, conduct research and development activities, collect, process, and prepare company financial information, provide information about our tests and other patient and physician education and outreach efforts through our website, and manage the administrative aspects of our business.

Any such unauthorized access, loss, or dissemination of information could also result in legal claims or proceedings, liabilities under PRC laws and regulations in relation to the protection of personal information and cybersecurity as well as those specifically governing patient and medical data. For example, pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Population Health Information, the medical institutions including our medical laboratories are responsible for collection, management, utilization, safety and privacy protection of personal healthcare data. We shall establish, maintain and execute such internal system to safeguard relevant personal healthcare data. Any failure to comply with above-mentioned regulation would result in administrative liabilities including but not limited to informed criticism.

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We face challenges from the evolving regulatory environment and increasing public awareness on privacy, personal data protection and cyber security. Actual or alleged failure to comply with privacy, cybersecurity and data protection-related laws and regulations could adversely affect our business and reputation.

We operate in an environment where privacy, cybersecurity and data protection laws and regulations are constantly evolving and requiring significant efforts of compliance. In our business, we collect and use our tested individuals’ personal data, including their age, gender, disease status and medical records, and we use these personal data internally to expand our database and improve our analytics approaches, and also share these personal data with third parties (e.g. service providers, hospitals, biopharmaceutical companies) both in China and globally for research, development and other business purposes. In the PRC, the Civil Code of the PRC, the Cybersecurity Law, Administrative Measures for Population Health Information promulgated by NHFPC and relevant regulations require medical service providers collecting or using population healthcare information, including us, to ensure the information security and protect individual privacy. The increasing regulatory requirements in the PRC may lead to certain limitation to our use of the tested individuals’ personal data for improving our analytics or research and development of other new business.

We are faced with constantly evolving privacy and data protection and cybersecurity requirements in many countries where we operate. Any change in the regulatory regime in this regard could potentially subject us to more stringent data privacy regulations and affect our ability with regard to the collection and use of these personal data in these countries, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any failure or perceived failure of ours to comply with applicable privacy, data protection and cyber security laws and regulations could result in reputational damage or proceedings or actions against us by governmental authorities, individuals or others. These proceedings or actions could subject us to significant civil or criminal penalties and negative publicity, and materially harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, a data breach affecting personal data could result in significant legal and financial exposure and reputational damage that could potentially have an adverse effect on our business.

COVID-19 may adversely impact our operations.

On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (the “WHO”) declared the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern and on March 10, 2020, declared it to be a pandemic. Actions taken around the world to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus include restrictions on travel, and quarantines in certain areas, and forced closures for certain types of public places and businesses. The COVID-19 coronavirus and actions taken to mitigate it have had and are expected to continue to have an adverse impact on the economies and financial markets of many countries, including the geographical area in which we operate. As a result, the demand for our precision oncology services and products decreased, which adversely affected our business operations in the year of 2020. In the year ended December 31, 2020, we performed approximately 21,900 diagnostic tests compared to approximately 22,900 diagnostic tests for the same period in 2019. In addition to the impact on our financial performance, COVID-19 also had temporary negative impact on our business activities, including our HCCscreen^TM prospective cohort studies and advancement of our IVD pipeline registration process.

Although COVID-19 has begun to show signs of stabilization in China and our business has started to recover since the second quarter of 2020, the potential impact brought by and the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak is difficult to assess or predict and the full impact of the virus on our operations will depend on many factors beyond our control. For instance, our business operations may be adversely affected if hospitals, our direct sales team, distributors or other business partners continue to be affected by COVID-19. While it is unknown how long these conditions will last and what the complete financial effect will be to our company, we are closely monitoring its impact on us. Our business, results of operations, financial conditions and prospects could be materially adversely affected to the extent that COVID-19 harms the Chinese and global economy in general, and the trading price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

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We rely on a limited number of suppliers for some of our laboratory devices and may not be able to find replacements or immediately transition to alternative suppliers. A significant interruption in the operations of our suppliers could potentially affect our operations and any material misconduct or disputes against our suppliers could potentially harm our business and reputation.

We rely on several suppliers for certain equipment and laboratory materials used in the chemical reactions incorporated into our processes, reagents, sequencing platforms and other materials which we use in our operations. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, we purchased the majority of our laboratory equipment and supplies from our top three suppliers. An interruption in our operations could occur if we encounter delays or difficulties in securing these reagents, sequencers, or other laboratory materials, and if we cannot then obtain an acceptable substitute. Any such interruption could negatively impact research and development and launches of new services, and significantly affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and reputation. In addition, any material misconduct or disputes against our suppliers could potentially affect our business and reputation.

We believe that there are only a few other qualified equipment manufacturers that are currently capable of supplying and servicing the equipment necessary for our laboratory operations. The use of equipment or materials furnished by these replacement suppliers would require us to significantly alter our laboratory operations. Transitioning to a new supplier would be time-consuming and expensive, may result in interruptions in our laboratory operations and would likely affect the performance specifications of our laboratory operations. There can be no assurance that we would be able to secure alternative equipment, reagents, sequencing platforms and other materials without experiencing interruptions in our workflow. In the case of an alternative supplier, there can be no assurance that the equipment or materials supplied would be available or meet our quality control and performance requirements for our laboratory operations. If we should encounter delay or difficulties in securing, reconfiguring, or revalidating the equipment, our business financial condition, results of operation, and reputation could be adversely affected.

We rely on third-party suppliers for certain of our raw materials, medical devices and components, and if shipments from these suppliers are delayed or interrupted, or if the quality of the materials, medical devices, or components supplied do not meet our requirements, we may not be able to launch, manufacture, or ship our products in a timely manner, or at all. In addition, we may not always source raw materials and equipment on commercial reasonable terms.

We require customized, precision-manufactured sub-assemblies, components, and materials that currently are available from a limited number of sources, and, in the case of some sub-assemblies, components, and materials, from only a single source. If deliveries from these vendors are delayed or interrupted for any reason, or if we are otherwise unable to secure a sufficient supply, we may not be able to obtain these sub-assemblies, components, or materials on a timely basis or in sufficient quantities or at satisfactory qualities, or at all, in order to meet demand for our precision oncology services and products. We may need to enter into contractual relationships with manufacturers for commercial-scale production of some of our products and supplies, in whole or in part, or develop these capabilities internally, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do this on a timely basis, in sufficient quantities, or on commercially reasonable terms, especially the increase in price of equipment and raw materials would directly affect our financial results. In addition, the lead time needed to establish a relationship with a new supplier can be lengthy, and we may experience delays in meeting demand in the event we must switch to a new supplier. The time and effort required to qualify a new supplier could result in additional costs, diversion of resources, or reduced manufacturing yields, any of which would negatively impact our operating results. Accordingly, we may not be able to establish or maintain reliable, high-volume manufacturing at commercially reasonable costs or at all. In addition, the manufacture or shipment of our products may be delayed or interrupted if the quality of the products, sub-assemblies, components, or materials supplied by our vendors does not meet our requirements. Current or future social and environmental regulations or critical issues, the need to eliminate environmentally sensitive materials from our products, could restrict the supply of components and materials used in production or increase our costs. Any delay or interruption to our manufacturing or shipping our products could result in lost revenue, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients or collecting samples in our clinical trials, our research and development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.

The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the trial until its conclusion or sufficient samples. We may experience difficulties in patient enrolment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons, including:

In addition, our clinical trials may compete with our competitors’ clinical trials for cancer genomic testing product candidates that are in the same areas as our cancer genomic testing product candidates. Such competition will reduce the number and types of patients or samples available to us. Even if we are able to enroll a sufficient number of patients or samples in our clinical trials, delays in patient enrolment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of the planned clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our cancer genomic testing product candidates.

Our success depends on our ability to provide reliable, high-quality genomic data and analysis and to rapidly evolve to meet our customers’ needs. If our products, or cancer genomic testing services and products available in the market in general, do not meet the expectations of customers, our operating results, reputation and business could suffer.

Errors, including if our tests fail to accurately detect gene variants, or mistakes, including if we fail to or incompletely or incorrectly identify the significance of gene variants, could have a significant adverse impact on our business. We classify variants in accordance with guidelines that are subject to change and subject to our interpretation. There can also be flaws in the databases, third-party tools, algorithms we use, and in the software that handle automated parts of our classification protocol. If we receive poor quality or degraded samples, our tests may be unable to accurately detect gene variants or we may fail to or incompletely or incorrectly identify the significance of gene variants, which could have a significant adverse impact on our business. In addition, patients usually rely on the interpretations of doctors or physicians to read our testing reports and we are not able to ensure the interpretation will be correct and completed. Inaccurate results or misunderstandings of, or inappropriate reliance on, the information we provide to our customers could lead to, or be associated with, side effects or adverse events in patients who use our tests, including treatment-related death, and could lead to termination of our services or claims against us. A product liability or professional liability claim could result in substantial damages and be costly and time-consuming for us to defend.

We do not maintain liability insurance, including for errors and omissions, and professional liability. Any liability claim, including an errors and omissions liability claim, brought against us, with or without merit, could increase our insurance premium rates or prevent us from securing insurance coverage in the future. Additionally, any liability lawsuit could cause injury to our reputation or cause us to suspend sales of our tests or cause a suspension of our license to operate. The occurrence of any of these events could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation and results of operations.

In addition, our success depends on the market’s confidence in cancer genomic testing services and products in general. If other genetic based precision oncology products do not perform to expectations, it may result in lower confidence in our industry in general and will then adversely affect our business.

If our current research collaborators terminate their relationships with us or develop relationships with a competitor, our ability to discover genes, proteins, and biomarkers, and to validate and commercialize molecular diagnostic and companion diagnostic tests could be adversely affected.

The responsibility of overseeing research and development of our services and products is concentrated among a number of key research collaborators. There can be no assurance that there will not be a detrimental impact on us if one or more of these key research collaborators were to cease relationship or employment with us, potentially as a result of lateral recruitment by existing or new competitors. As a result, this may adversely affect our ability to discover genes, proteins, and biomarkers, and to validate and commercialize molecular diagnostic and companion diagnostic tests.

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Furthermore, our ability to continue to conduct and expand operations depends on our ability to attract and retain a large and growing number of personnel. The ability to meet our expertise needs, including the ability to find qualified personnel to fill positions that become vacant at our research and development department or to collaborate with us in research and development efforts, while controlling our costs, is generally subject to numerous external factors, including the availability of a sufficient number of qualified persons in the cancer genomics markets in which our business operates, the unemployment levels within those markets, prevailing wage rates, changing demographics, health and other insurance costs and adoption of new or revised employment and labor laws and regulations. If we are unable to locate, to attract or to retain qualified personnel, the quality of services and products provided to customers may decrease and our financial performance may be adversely affected. In addition, if costs of labor or related costs to maintain relationships with research collaborators increase for other reasons or if new or revised labor laws, rules or regulations or healthcare laws are adopted or implemented that further increase labor costs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We may fail to maintain sufficient marketing and sales capabilities.

We mainly rely on our in-house specialized sales and marketing team to directly market and sell our services and products. Maintaining such in-house teams may require significant expenses, management resources and time. We will have to compete with other life sciences, clinical genomics, and pharmaceutical companies to recruit, hire, train and retain suitable personnel. We also continuously train our in-house sale force to ensure them to implement sales and marketing efficiently and in compliance with laws and regulations as well as our internal policies.

In addition to our direct sales, we also sell our products to hospitals through our distributors. We may have little control over the marketing and sales efforts of such third parties, and our revenue from distributor sales may be lower than commercializing ourselves.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop in-house sales and commercial distribution capabilities or establish or maintain relationships with third-party collaborators to successfully commercialize any services or products, and as a result, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely effected if we are unable to generate sales revenue.

Reimbursement may not be immediately available for our services and products, which could diminish our sales or affect our profitability.

China has a complex medical insurance system that is currently undergoing reform. Governmental insurance coverage or the reimbursement rates in China for treatments using new medical devices and healthcare services are subject to uncertainty and vary from region to region, as local government approvals for such coverage must be obtained in each geographic region. In addition, the PRC government may change, reduce or eliminate the governmental insurance coverage currently available for treatments based on a number of factors, including price and efficacy.

Currently, our services and products are not eligible for reimbursement. Therefore, our customers need to bear the test prices themselves. The limitation on reimbursement of our service and products will adversely affect our sales, profitability and growth.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR OPERATIONS

We may encounter difficulties in managing our growth and expanding our operations successfully.

As we seek to advance our services and products through continued research and development effort, we will need to expand our development, regulatory, manufacturing, marketing and sales capabilities or contract with third parties to provide these capabilities for us. As our operations expand, we expect that we will need to manage additional relationships with various strategic partners, suppliers and other third parties. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management. Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize our services and products and to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively. To that end, we must be able to manage our development and commercialization efforts effectively and hire, train and integrate additional management, administrative and sales and marketing personnel. We may not be able to accomplish these tasks, and our failure to accomplish any of them could prevent us from successfully growing our company.

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In addition, as our business enter into new geographic regions, we will invest substantial resources and face new operational risks and challenges associated with the business, economic and regulatory environment that we are not familiar with. We will be required, among other things, to understand and comply with the local regulations, to partner with local healthcare industry, and to meet the expectations of local customers.

If we are unable to support demand for our existing or future precision oncology services and products, including ensuring that we have adequate capacity to meet increased demand, our business could suffer.

As our volume grows, we will need to continue to increase our workflow capacity for sample intake, customer service, billing, and general process improvements; expand our internal quality assurance program; and extend our services and products to support comprehensive genomic analysis at a larger scale within expected turnaround times. We will need additional certified laboratory scientists and technicians and other scientific and technical personnel to process higher volumes of our services. Portions of our process are not automated and will require additional personnel to scale. We will also need to purchase additional equipment, some of which can take several months or more to procure, set up, and validate, and increase our software and computing capacity to meet increased demand. The expansion of our operations or hiring of additional personnel may lead to significant costs and divert our management attentions and development resources. There is no assurance that any of these increases in scale, expansion of personnel, equipment, software and computing capacities, or process enhancements will be successfully implemented, or that we will have adequate space in our laboratory facilities to accommodate such required expansion.

As we commercialize additional services, we will need to incorporate new equipment, implement new technology systems and laboratory processes, and hire new personnel with different qualifications. Failure to manage this growth or transition could result in turnaround time delays, higher service costs, declining service quality, deteriorating customer service, and slower responses to competitive challenges. A failure in any one of these areas could make it difficult for us to meet market expectations for our services, and could damage our reputation and the prospects for our business.

We may not be able to attract and retain key senior management members and research and development personnel.

Our future success depends upon the continuing services of members of our senior management team and key research and development personnel and consultants. In particular, Mr. Sizhen Wang, our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Hai Yan, our Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Yuchen Jiao, our Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Evan Ce Xu, our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Kevin Ying Hong, our Chief Operating Officer, and Dr. Yun-Fu Hu, our Chief Medical Officer are crucial to our research and development and operations. Although we typically require our key personals to enter into non-compete and confidentiality agreement with us, we cannot prevent them from joining our competitors after the non-compete period. The loss of their services could adversely impact our ability to achieve our business objectives. If one or more of our senior management or key clinical and scientific personnel are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions or joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may not be able to replace them in a timely manner or at all, which will have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or other employees.

In addition, the continued growth of our business depends on our ability to hire additional qualified personnel with expertise in molecular biology, chemistry, biological information processing, software, engineering, sales, marketing, and technical support. We compete for qualified management and scientific personnel with other life science and technology companies, universities, and research institutions in the PRC and overseas. Competition for these individuals is intense, and the turnover rate can be high. Failure to attract and retain management and scientific and engineering personnel could prevent us from pursuing collaborations or developing our services and products or technologies.

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We have adopted two share incentive plans. We have granted and will continue to grant share-based awards in the future, which may have an adverse effect on our future profit. Exercise of the awards granted will increase the number of our shares in circulation, which may adversely affect the market price of our shares.

We adopted 2019 Plan in July 2019 and 2019 Scheme in November 2019, to enhance our ability to attract and retain exceptionally qualified individuals and to encourage them to acquire a proprietary interest in the growth and performance of us. The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares we are authorized to issue pursuant to all awards under the 2019 Plan is 33,961,500 ordinary shares. As of March 31, 2021, we have granted 145 awards to purchase up to 20,820,270 ordinary shares under the 2019 Plan, excluding awards that were forfeited, cancelled or exercised after the relevant grant dates. The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares we are authorized to issue pursuant to all awards under the 2019 Scheme is 20,830,100. As of March 31, 2021, we have granted 5 awards to purchase up to 2,685,000 ordinary shares under the 2019 Scheme. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation—Share Incentive Plan.”

We believe the granting of share-based awards is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based compensation to employees in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

If our laboratory facilities become contaminated, damaged or inoperable, or we are required to vacate the facility, our ability to sell and provide our services and pursue our research and development efforts may be jeopardized.

We currently derive a portion of our revenues from our genomic analysis conducted in our laboratories located in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing. Although all of our laboratory facilities have back-up measures, the data and samples stored in our laboratory facilities are still subject to various risks beyond our control. While our multi-location laboratories help us weather operational breakdowns at any one location, our facilities and equipment could be harmed or rendered inoperable by natural or man-made disasters, including fires, earthquakes, flooding, and power outages, which may render it difficult or impossible for us to sell or perform our services for some period of time. The inability to sell or to perform our diagnostic and other services, or the backlog of samples that could develop if our facility is inoperable for even a short period of time, may result in the loss of customers or harm to our reputation or relationships with scientific or clinical collaborators, and we may be unable to regain those customers or repair our reputation or such relationships in the future. Furthermore, our facilities and the equipment used to perform our services and our research and development work could be costly and time-consuming to repair or replace.

Additionally, a key component of our research and development process involves using biological samples as the basis for the development of our services. In some cases, these samples are difficult to obtain. If the parts of our laboratory facility where we store these biological samples were damaged or compromised, our ability to pursue our research and development projects, as well as our reputation, could be jeopardized.

We may pursue collaborations, in-licensing or out-license arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, partnerships or other strategic investment or arrangements, which may fail to produce anticipated benefits and adversely affect our operations.

We may pursue opportunities for collaboration, in-licensing, out-license, joint ventures, acquisitions of products, assets or technology, strategic alliances, or partnerships that we believe would be complementary to or promote our existing business. In particular, we intend to continue to pursue growth through the acquisition of technology, assets or other businesses that may enable us to enhance our technologies and capabilities, expand our geographic market, add experienced management personnel and increase our test offerings. Proposing, negotiating and implementing these opportunities may be a lengthy and complex process. Other companies, including those with substantially greater financial, marketing, sales, technology, or other business resources, may compete with us for these opportunities or arrangements. We may not be able to identify, secure, or complete any such transactions or arrangements in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, on acceptable terms, or at all.

We have limited experience with respect to these business development activities. Management and integration of a licensing arrangement, collaboration, joint venture or other strategic arrangement may disrupt our current operations, decrease our profitability, result in significant expenses, or divert management resources that otherwise would be available for our existing business. We may not realize the anticipated benefits of any such transaction or arrangement.

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Furthermore, partners, collaborators, or other parties to such transactions or arrangements may fail to fully perform their obligations or meet our expectations or cooperate with us satisfactorily for various reasons and subject us to potential risks, including the followings:

Any such transactions or arrangements may also require actions, consents, approval, waiver, participation or involvement of various degrees from third parties, such as regulators, government authorities, creditors, licensors or licensees, related individuals, suppliers, distributors, shareholders or other stakeholders or interested parties. There is no assurance that such third parties will be cooperative as we desire, or at all, in which case we may be unable to carry out the relevant transactions or arrangements.

Any failure to maintain effective quality control over our products and services could materially adversely affect our business.

The quality of our services and products is critical to the success of our business, and such quality to a large extent depends on the effectiveness of our quality control system. We have developed a rigorous quality control system that enables us to monitor each stage of the production process. Our laboratory facilities have received the CAP accreditation and NCCL EQA Certification.

However, despite our quality control management system, we cannot eliminate the risk of errors, defects or failures. We may fail to detect or cure defects as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside our control, including:

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Failure to detect quality defects in our products could result in patient injury, customer dissatisfaction, or other problems that could seriously harm our reputation and business, expose us to liability, and adversely affect our revenue and profitability.

Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations, and those of our third-party research institution collaborators, suppliers and other contractors, could be subjected to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics and other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions, for which we are predominantly self-insured. In addition, we partially rely on our third-party research institution collaborators for conducting research and development, and they may be affected by government shutdowns or withdrawn funding. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our employees, third-party suppliers, consultants and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk of fraud or other misconduct by our employees, third-party suppliers, consultants and commercial partners. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional failures to comply with the regulations of the NMPA and overseas regulators that have jurisdictions over us, comply with healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations in China and abroad, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, sales, marketing, and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Such misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials or research studies, which could result in regulatory sanctions and cause serious harm to our reputation. We currently have a code of conduct applicable to all of our employees, but it is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and our code of conduct and the other precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses, or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, monetary fines, individual imprisonment, disgorgement of profits, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting or oversight obligations if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with the law and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, which could have a significant impact on our business. Whether or not we are successful in defending against such actions or investigations, we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees and divert the attention of management in defending ourselves against any of these claims or investigations.

Our business depends on a strong brand, and failing to maintain and enhance our brand would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand identity and increasing market awareness of our company and products, particularly among clinicians and biopharmaceutical companies, is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of our services and products, to strengthening our relationships with our existing clients and to our ability to attract new clients. The successful promotion of our brand will depend largely on our ability to continue to offer high-quality services and products and our research and development efforts. Our brand promotion activities may not be successful or yield increased revenue.

In addition, if clients deem our testing results not accurate, then our brand and reputation may suffer, clients may lose confidence in us and they may reduce or cease their use of our services and products. Our clients may post and discuss on social media about our services and products. Our reputation depends, in part, on our ability to generate positive feedback and minimize negative feedback on social media channels where existing and potential clients seek and share information. If actions we take or changes we make to our services or products upset these clients, then their online commentary could negatively affect our brand and reputation. Complaints or negative publicity about us, our services or products could materially and adversely impact our ability to attract and retain clients, our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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The promotion of our brand also requires us to make expenditures, and we anticipate that these expenditures will increase as our market becomes more competitive. To the extent that these activities increase revenue, this revenue still may not be enough to offset the increased expenses we incur. If we do not successfully maintain and enhance our brand, then our business may not grow, we may see our pricing power reduced relative to competitors and we may lose clients, all of which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We depend on our information technology and other technology systems for significant elements of our operations, and any failure of the technology could harm our business.

We depend on our information technology for significant elements of our operations, including automation for the analysis of our bioinformation and automatically unpack the analyzed DNA data parameters to an automatically generated data report. We have also installed, and expect to expand, a number of enterprise software systems that affect a broad range of business processes and functional areas, including, for example, systems handling financial reporting and controls, customer relationship management, laboratory information management system, and other infrastructure operations.

Our information and other technology systems are vulnerable to damage from a variety of sources, including telecommunications or network failures, malicious or inadvertent human acts and natural disasters. Our servers are potentially vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, employee errors, computer viruses and similar disruptive problems. Despite the precautionary measures we have taken to prevent unanticipated problems that could affect our information technology and telecommunications systems, failures or significant downtime of our information technology or telecommunications systems or those used by our third-party service providers could prevent us from conducting tests, preparing and providing reports to our customers, billing customers, collecting revenue, handling inquiries from our customers, conducting research and development activities, and managing the administrative aspects of our business. Any disruption or loss of information technology or telecommunications systems on which critical aspects of our operations depend could have an adverse effect on our business.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as our ability to obtain financing, may be adversely affected by a downturn in the global or China’s economy.

The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges, including the economic slowdown in the Eurozone since 2014 and uncertainties over the impact of Brexit. The growth of the China’s economy has slowed down since 2012 compared to the previous decade and the trend may continue. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. There have been concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. There have also been concerns on the relationship between China and the United States, including those resulting from the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries, which may potentially lead to foreign investors closing down their business or withdrawing their investment in China and thus exiting the China market, and other economic effects. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China.

Any prolonged slowdown in the global or China’s economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets to meet liquidity needs. Our clients may reduce or delay spending with us, while we may have difficulty expanding our client base fast enough, or at all, to offset the impact of decreased spending by our existing clients. In addition, to the extent we offer credit to any client and the client experiences financial difficulties due to the economic slowdown, we could have difficulty collecting payment from the clients. Moreover, a slowdown or disruption in the global or China’s economy may have a material and adverse impact on the financing available to us. The weakness in the economy could erode investor confidence, which constitutes the basis of the credit market.

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Since 2019, there have been heightened tensions in the economic relations between the U.S. and China. The U.S. government has imposed, and proposed to impose additional, new or higher tariffs on products imported from China to penalize China for what it characterizes as unfair trade practices. China has responded by imposing largely commensurate tariffs on products imported from the U.S. Amid these tensions, the U.S. government has imposed and may impose additional measures on entities in China, including sanctions. We currently source some of our reagents and laboratory equipment from vendors based in the U.S. The U.S. government may prohibit these companies from doing business with Chinese companies and the Chinese government may implement countermeasures. If this were to happen, we may be required to seek substitute suppliers, which could adversely affect our operations. Moreover, the potential increase in tariffs may also increase the costs we incur to purchase imported reagents and laboratory equipment.

We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.

We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and the various regulatory authorities in China and the Cayman Islands, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.

Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.

Allegations or lawsuits against us or our management may harm our reputation and business.

We have been, and may in the future be, subject to allegations or lawsuits brought by our competitors, clients, employees or other individuals or entities, including claims of breach of contract.

In addition, we may be subject to product liability claims alleging that our service and products identified inaccurate or incomplete information regarding the genomic alterations of the tumor or malignancy analyzed, reported inaccurate or incomplete information concerning the available therapies for a certain type of cancer or otherwise failed to perform as designed. We may also be subject to liability for errors in, a misunderstanding of or inappropriate reliance upon, the information we provide in the ordinary course of our business activities.

Any such allegation or lawsuits, with or without merit, or any perceived unfair, unethical, fraudulent or inappropriate business practice by us or perceived malfeasance by our management could incur substantial expenses, delay or suspend our ongoing clinical trial, cause the withdrawal of clinical participants, harm our reputation, distract our management from our daily operations and result in other negative results. Allegations or lawsuits against us may also generate negative publicity that significantly harms our reputation, which may materially and adversely affect our user base and our ability to attract customers. In addition to the related cost, managing and defending litigation and related indemnity obligations can significantly divert management’s attention. We may also need to pay damages or settle the litigation with a substantial amount of cash. All of these could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operation and cash flows.

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If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may be unable to accurately or timely report our results of operations or prevent fraud, and investor confidence and the market price of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

Prior to our initial public offering of our ADSs on Nasdaq in June 2020, we were a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal controls and procedures. Our management has not completed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. In the course of auditing our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified two material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and other control deficiencies as of December 31, 2019 and 2020. A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weaknesses identified relate to:

We have taken measures and plan to continue to take measures to remedy the material weaknesses. For details, please refer to “Item 15. Controls and Procedures—Internal Control over Financial Reporting.” The implementation of these measures may not fully address the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot conclude that they have been fully remedied. Our failure to correct theses material weaknesses or our failure to discover and address any other material weaknesses could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis.

We are a public company in the United States and are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, will require that we include a report from management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report in our second annual report on Form 20-F after becoming a public company. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, as we have become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. Generally speaking, if we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could, in turn, limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations and lead to a decline in the trading price of our ADSs. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.

We have limited insurance coverage, and any claims beyond our insurance coverage may result in us incurring substantial costs and a diversion of resources.

The insurance companies in China currently offer limited business-related insurance products. We do not maintain business interruption insurance or general third-party liability insurance, nor do we maintain product liability insurance or key-man insurance. We consider this practice to be reasonable in light of the nature of our business and the insurance products that are available in China and in line with the practices of other companies in the same industry of similar size in China. Any uninsured risks may result in substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

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We face risks related to health epidemics, severe weather conditions and other outbreaks.

Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the influenza A virus, Ebola virus, COVID-19, severe weather conditions or other epidemics or outbreaks. For example, the recent outbreak of novel coronavirus has endangered the health of many people residing in China and significantly disrupted travel and local economy. Health or other government regulations adopted in response to an epidemic, severe weather conditions such as snowstorms, floods or hazardous air pollution, or other outbreaks may require temporary closure of our offices. Such closures may disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

We may be unsuccessful in obtaining or maintaining adequate intellectual property protection for one or more of our services and products, and our patents could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court or before administrative bodies.

Our commercial success will depend, in large part, on our ability to obtain, maintain and defend patents and trademarks and the proprietary technologies covering our services and products and maintain some of our proprietary technology as trade secrets. We cannot be certain that patents will be issued or granted with respect to our patent applications that are currently pending, or that issued or granted patents will not later be found to be invalid and/or unenforceable, be interpreted in a manner that does not adequately protect our services and products, or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Additionally, the patent applications in respect of patents licensed under our in-license arrangements may not be issued or granted, and as a result, we may not be able to have adequate protection with respect to such patents. The patent position of life sciences, clinical genomics and pharmaceutical companies is generally uncertain because it involves complex legal and factual considerations. Patent applications we had applied may not be granted in the end. Moreover, some of our patents and patent applications are, and may in the future be, co-owned with third parties. If we are unable to obtain an exclusive license to any such third-party co-owned interest in such patents or patent applications, such co-owners may be able to license or transfer their rights to other third parties, including our competitors, and our competitors could market competing products and technology. In addition, we may need the cooperation of any such co-owners of our patents in order to enforce such patents against third parties, and such cooperation may not be provided to us. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial conditions, results of operations and prospects. As such, we do not know the degree of future protection that we will have on our services and products and technology, if any, and a failure to obtain adequate intellectual property protection with respect to our services and products could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Despite the fact that we can take measures to obtain patent and other intellectual property protections with respect to our services and products, there can be no assurance that the existence, validity, enforceability, or scope of our intellectual property rights will not be challenged by a third party, or that we can obtain sufficient scope of claim in those patents to prevent a third party from competing against our services and products. For example, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that patent rights owned by us are invalid or unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the ground that our patent rights do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation proceedings could put our patent, as well as any patents that may issue in the future from our pending patent applications, at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable or interpreted narrowly. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation.

In addition, if we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our services and products, the defendant could counterclaim that our patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, for example, lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the National Intellectual Property Administration, or the applicable foreign counterpart, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Although we believe that we have conducted our patent prosecution in accordance with the duty of candor and in good faith, the outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability during patent litigation is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our services and products. Even if a defendant does not prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, our patent claims may be construed in a manner that would limit our ability to enforce such claims against the defendant and others.

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Third parties may also raise similar claims before administrative bodies in the PRC or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include ex parte re-examination, inter partes review, post-grant review, derivation and equivalent proceedings, such as opposition proceedings. Such legal proceedings could result in revocation or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover and protect our services and products. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability can be unpredictable. With respect to the validity of our patents, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we may lose part or all of the patent protection on our services and products. Any loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on one or more of our services and products and our business.

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe our patent rights or misappropriate or otherwise violate our intellectual property rights. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time consuming and divert the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us, alleging that we infringed their patents. In addition, in a patent infringement proceeding, there is a risk that a court will decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue. There is also a risk that, even if the validity of such patents is upheld, the court will construe the patent’s claims narrowly or decide that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the invention. An adverse outcome in a litigation or proceeding involving our patents could limit our ability to assert our patents against those parties or other competitors, and may curtail or preclude our ability to exclude third parties from making and selling similar or competitive products. Any of these occurrences could adversely affect our competitive business position, business prospects, and financial condition. Similarly, if we assert trademark infringement claims, a court may determine that the marks we have asserted are invalid or unenforceable, or that the party against whom we have asserted trademark infringement has superior rights to the marks in question. In this case, we could ultimately be forced to cease use of such trademarks.

In any infringement litigation, any award of monetary damages we receive may not be commercially valuable. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation. Moreover, there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient financial or other resources to file and pursue such infringement claims, which typically last for years before they are concluded. Even if we ultimately prevail in such claims, the monetary cost of such litigation and the diversion of the attention of our management and scientific personnel could outweigh any benefit we receive as a result of the proceedings.

Our commercial success depends significantly on our ability to operate without infringing upon the intellectual property rights of third parties.

The life sciences industry is subject to rapid technological change and substantial litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. Our potential competitors in both the PRC and abroad, may have substantially greater resources and are likely to make substantial investments in patent portfolios and competing technologies, and may apply for or obtain patents that could prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use and sell our products. Numerous third-party patents exist in fields relating to our products and technologies, and it is difficult for industry participants, including us, to identify all third-party patent rights relevant to our products and technologies. Moreover, because some patent applications are maintained as confidential for a certain period of time, we cannot be certain that third parties have not filed patent applications that cover our products and technologies.

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Patents could be issued to third parties that we may ultimately be found to infringe. Third parties may have or obtain valid and enforceable patents or proprietary rights that could block us from using our technology. Our failure to obtain or maintain a license to any technology that we require may materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, we would be exposed to a threat of litigation.

Third-party intellectual property right holders may also actively bring infringement or other intellectual property-related claims against us, even if we have received patent protection for our technologies, products, and services. Regardless of the merit of third parties claims against us for infringement, misappropriation or violations of their intellectual property rights, such third parties may seek and obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to perform our tests. Further, if a patent infringement suit were brought against us, we could be forced to stop or delay our development or sales of any tests or other activities that are the subject of such suit. Defense of these claims, even if such claims are resolved in our favor, could cause us to incur substantial expenses and be a substantial diversion of our employee resources even if we are ultimately successful. Any adverse ruling or perception of an adverse ruling in defending ourselves could have a material adverse impact on our cash position and stock price. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing, or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation in the United States, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, which could have a material adverse effect on the price of our ADSs. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock. The occurrence of any of these events may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition or cash flows.

Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

The National Intellectual Property Administration of China, or the NIPA, and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other provisions during the patent application and prosecution process. Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees, and various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications will be due to be paid to the NIPA and various other governmental patent agencies outside of China in several stages over the lifetime of the patents and/or applications. We employ reputable professionals and rely on such third parties to help us comply with these requirements and effect payment of these fees with respect to the patents and patent applications that we own. Noncompliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official communications within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. However, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting in loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, competitors might be able to enter the market earlier than would otherwise have been the case, which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

Confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.

We seek to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technologies, in part, by entering into agreements, including confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure agreements, with parties that have access to them, such as our employees, consultants, academic institutions, corporate partners and, other third-party service providers. Nevertheless, there can be no guarantee that an employee or a third party will not make an unauthorized disclosure of our proprietary confidential information. This might happen intentionally or inadvertently. It is possible that a competitor will make use of such information, and that our competitive position will be compromised, in spite of any legal action we might take against persons making such unauthorized disclosures. In addition, to the extent that our employees, consultants or contractors use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions.

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Trade secrets are difficult to protect. Although we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, our employees, consultants, contractors or business partners might intentionally or inadvertently disclose our trade secret information to competitors or our trade secrets may otherwise be misappropriated. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained and is using any of our trade secrets is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable.

We sometimes engage individuals or research institutions to conduct research relevant to our business. The ability of these individuals or research institutions to publish or otherwise publicly disclose data and other information generated during the course of their research is subject to certain contractual limitations. These contractual provisions may be insufficient or inadequate to protect our confidential information. If we do not apply for patent protection prior to such publication, or if we cannot otherwise maintain the confidentiality of our proprietary technology and other confidential information, then our ability to obtain patent protection or to protect our trade secret information may be jeopardized, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Intellectual property rights do not necessarily protect us from all potential threats to our competitive advantage.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our business, or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:

Any of the aforementioned threats to our competitive advantage could have a material adverse effect on our business.

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Patent terms may not be sufficient to effectively protect our services and products and business.

In most countries in which we plan to file applications for patents, the term of an issued patent is generally 10 to 20 years from the earliest claimed filing date if a non-provisional patent application in the applicable country. Although various extensions may be available, the life of a patent and the protection it affords are limited. Even if patents covering our services and products are obtained, we may be open to competition from other companies once our patent rights expire. Furthermore, there is no currently effective law or regulation providing patent term extension in China.

As of December 31, 2020, we had been granted seven invention patents in China. Our invention patents have expiration dates ranging from November 2032 to April 2037. We also have 20 pending patent applications in China and ten international patents applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) as of December 31, 2020. If patents are issued on these pending patent applications, the resulting patents will be expected to expire ranging from November 2035 to January 2040, excluding any potential patent term extension or adjustment. Upon expiration of our issued patent or patents that may issue from our pending patent application, we will not be able to assert such patent rights against potential competitors and our business and results of operation may be adversely affected.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on our products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. We may also encounter difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the jurisdictions of the registration of our intellectual properties. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products. Our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of many other countries do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents in such countries.

Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing, and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.

We may not be able to protect and enforce our trademarks.

We currently hold issued trademark registrations and have trademark applications pending, any of which may be the subject of a governmental or third-party objection, which could prevent the registration or maintenance of the same. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining trademark protection for our primary brands, we may be required to change our brand names, which could materially adversely affect our business. Moreover, as our products mature, our reliance on our trademarks to differentiate us from our competitors will increase, and as a result, if we are unable to prevent third parties from adopting, registering or using trademarks and trade dress that infringe, dilute or otherwise violate our trademark rights, or engaging in conduct that constitutes unfair competition, defamation or other violation of our rights, our business could be materially adversely affected.

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RISKS RELATING TO OUR CORPORATE STRUCTURE

If the PRC government finds that the contractual arrangements that establish the structure for operating our business in China do not comply with PRC laws and regulations, or if these regulations or their interpretations change in the future, we could be subjected to severe consequences, including the nullification of such agreements and the relinquishment of our interest in our VIEs.

Current PRC laws and regulations impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership of companies that engage in the development and application of technologies for diagnosis and treatment of human stem cells and genes, which our precision oncology service relates to. Pursuant to the Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) issued by the NDRC and MOFCOM on June 23, 2020, which came into force on July 23, 2020, certain industries are specifically prohibited for foreign investment, including the development and application of technologies for diagnosis and treatment of human stem cells and genes. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our cancer genomics business in China through VIE. We, through Genetron (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. and Genetron (Wuxi) Business Management Co., Ltd. (collectively, “PRC Subsidiaries”), our subsidiaries in China, entered into a series of contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective ultimate shareholders, in order to (i) exercise effective control over our VIEs, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIEs, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have control over and are the primary beneficiary of each of our VIEs and hence consolidate their financial results under IFRS. Although the structure we have adopted is consistent with long-standing practice in certain industries, such as TMT industry, and is also adopted by some of our peers in China, the PRC government may not agree that these arrangements comply with PRC license, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies, or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. Our VIEs hold the licenses, approvals and key assets that are essential for the operations of our precision oncology service businesses.

In the opinion of our PRC Legal Counsel, Shihui Partners, (i) the ownership structures of our VIEs in China, currently do not, and will not result in any violation of the applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect, and (ii) subject to the risks as disclosed in the section headed “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure”, the contractual arrangements among PRC Subsidiaries, our VIEs and their respective equity holders governed by PRC laws are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their terms and applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect and do not violate any applicable PRC laws, rule or regulation currently in effect. There are, however, substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. The relevant PRC regulatory authorities have broad discretion in determining whether a particular contractual structure violates PRC laws and regulations. Thus, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not ultimately take a view contrary to the opinion of our PRC Legal Counsel. If we are found in violation of any PRC laws or regulations or if the contractual arrangements among PRC Subsidiaries, our VIEs and their respective equity holders are determined as illegal or invalid by any PRC court, arbitral tribunal or regulatory authorities, the relevant governmental authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including, without limitation:

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Furthermore, any of the assets under the name of any record holder of equity interest in VIEs, including such equity interest, may be put under court custody in connection with litigation, arbitration or other judicial or dispute resolution proceedings against that record holder. We cannot be certain that the equity interest will be disposed of in accordance with the contractual arrangements. In addition, new PRC laws, rules and regulations may be introduced to impose additional requirements that may impose additional challenges to our corporate structure and contractual arrangements. The occurrence of any of these events or the imposition of any of these penalties may result in a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our precision oncology service business. In addition, if the imposition of any of these penalties causes us to be unable to direct the activities of such VIEs and their subsidiaries or the right to receive their economic benefits, we would no longer be able to consolidate such VIE into our financial statements, thus adversely affecting our results of operation.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders for our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders to operate our business in China. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our VIEs. For example, our VIEs and their shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests.

If we had direct ownership of our VIEs in China, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIEs, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our VIEs and their shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our VIEs. The shareholders of our VIEs may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portions of our business through the contractual arrangements with our VIEs. If any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and, therefore, will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure—Any failure by our VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business”. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our VIEs may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

Any failure by our VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business.

If our VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of our VIEs were to refuse to transfer their equity interests in our VIEs to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a consolidated affiliated entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC laws. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC laws, rulings by arbitrators are final, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.

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The shareholders of our VIEs may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The shareholders of our VIEs may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us. These shareholders may refuse to sign or breach, or cause our VIEs to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIEs, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our VIEs and receive economic benefits from them. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIEs to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company, except that we could exercise our purchase option under the exclusive option agreement with these shareholders to request them to transfer all of their equity interests in our variable interest entities to a PRC entity or individual designated by us, to the extent permitted by PRC laws. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and these shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

Contractual Arrangement in relation to our VIEs may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our VIEs owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements were not entered into on an arm’s-length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust the income of our VIEs in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIEs for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase their tax liabilities without reducing our VIEs’ tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIEs for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our VIEs’ tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

Our exercise of the option to acquire equity ownership and assets of VIEs may subject us to certain limitation and substantial costs.

Pursuant to the contractual arrangements, PRC Subsidiaries have the exclusive right to purchase all or any part of the equity interests in VIEs from the respective equity holders at a nominal price, unless relevant government authorities or PRC laws require that another amount should be used as the purchase price, in which case the purchase price shall be the lowest amount under such requirement. The equity transfer may be subject to the approvals from and filings with the MOFCOM, the State Administration for Market Regulation (the “SAMR”) and/or their local competent branches. In addition, the equity transfer price may be subject to review and tax adjustment by the relevant tax authority. Subject to relevant laws and regulations, the shareholders of our VIEs will pay the equity transfer price they receive to PRC Subsidiaries under the contractual arrangements. The amount to be received by PRC Subsidiaries may also be subject to enterprise income tax, and such tax amounts could be substantial.

We may lose the ability to use and enjoy licenses, approvals and assets held by our VIEs that are material to the operation of certain portions of our business if our VIEs go bankrupt or become subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

We do not have priority pledges and liens against the assets of our VIEs. If either of our VIEs undergo an involuntary liquidation proceeding, third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of its assets and we may not have priority against such third-party creditors on the assets of our VIEs. If either of our VIEs liquidates, we may take part in the liquidation procedures as a general creditor under the PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law and recover any outstanding liabilities owed by our VIEs to PRC Subsidiaries under the applicable service agreement.

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If the shareholders of our VIEs were to attempt to voluntarily liquidate our VIEs without obtaining our prior consent, we could effectively prevent such unauthorized voluntary liquidation by exercising our right to request the shareholders of our VIEs to transfer all of their respective equity ownership interests to a PRC entity or individual designated by us in accordance with the option agreement with the shareholders of our VIEs. In addition, under the VIE agreements signed by our VIEs and their shareholders, the shareholders of our VIEs do not have the right to issue dividends to themselves or otherwise distribute the retained earnings or other assets of our VIEs without our consent. Similarly, the shareholders of our VIEs do not have the right to distribute the retained earnings or other assets of our VIEs without our consent. In the event that the shareholders of our VIEs initiate a voluntary liquidation proceeding without our authorization or attempts to distribute the retained earnings or assets of our VIEs without our prior consent, we may need to resort to legal proceedings to enforce the terms of the contractual arrangements. Any such legal proceeding may be costly and may divert our management’s time and attention away from the operation of our business, and the outcome of such legal proceeding will be uncertain.

There may be difficulties in protecting your interests under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

Our corporate affairs are governed by, among other things, our Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association, the Companies Act (as amended) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of Shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The laws of the Cayman Islands relating to the protection of the interests of minority shareholders differ in some respects from those in other jurisdictions. Such differences may mean that the remedies available to the minority shareholders may be different from those they would have under the laws of other jurisdictions.

RISKS RELATING TO DOING BUSINESS IN THE PRC

If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could be subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our operations involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals. Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We may contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from our use of hazardous materials or our third parties’ disposal of hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We could also incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties.

We maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials. This insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal of hazardous or radioactive materials.

We may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.

We may be exposed to liabilities under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and Chinese anti-corruption laws, and any determination that we have violated these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business or our reputation.

We are subject to the FCPA. The FCPA generally prohibits us from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to the anti-bribery laws of other jurisdictions, particularly China. Other U.S. listed companies in the life science industry have faced criminal penalties under the FCPA for allowing their agents to deviate from appropriate practices in doing business. As our business expands, the applicability of the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws to our operations will increase. We cannot assure you that we would not be required in the future to alter one or more of our practices to be in compliance with these laws or any changes in these laws or interpretation thereof. Our procedures and controls to monitor anti-bribery compliance may fail to protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. If we, due to either our own deliberate or inadvertent acts or those of others, fail to comply with applicable anti-bribery laws, our reputation could be harmed and we could incur criminal or civil penalties, other sanctions and/or significant expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

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We may be subject to additional contributions of social insurance premium and housing provident funds and late payments and fines imposed by relevant governmental authorities.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Labor Contract Law in 2008, and amended on December 28, 2012. The Labor Contract Law introduced specific provisions related to fixed-term employment contracts, part-time employment, probationary periods, consultation with labor unions and employee assemblies, employment without a written contract, dismissal of employees, severance, and collective bargaining to enhance previous PRC labor laws. Under the Labor Contract Law, an employer is obligated to sign an unlimited-term labor contract with any employee who has worked for the employer for ten consecutive years. Further, if an employee requests or agrees to renew a fixed-term labor contract that has already been entered into twice consecutively, the resulting contract, with certain exceptions, must have an unlimited term, subject to certain exceptions. With certain exceptions, an employer must pay severance to an employee where a labor contract is terminated or expires. In addition, the PRC governmental authorities have continued to introduce various new labor-related regulations since the effectiveness of the Labor Contract Law.

Under the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Administrative Measures on Housing Funds and other relevant laws and regulations, employees are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, and housing funds or collectively the Employee Benefits. An employer shall pay the Employee Benefits for its employees in accordance with the rates provided under relevant regulations and shall withhold the social insurance and other Employee Benefits that should be assumed by the employees. For example, PRC subsidiaries shall register with local social insurance agencies and register with applicable housing funds management centers and establish a special housing fund account in an entrusted bank. And an employer that has not made social insurance contributions at a rate and based on an amount prescribed by the law, or at all, may be ordered to rectify the non-compliance and pay the required contributions within a stipulated deadline and be subject to a late fee. If the employer still fails to rectify the failure to make social insurance contributions within the stipulated deadline, it may be subject to a fine ranging from one to three times of the amount overdue.

We have not made adequate contributions to social insurance and other Employee Benefits for our employees until September of 2018. We have recorded accruals for the estimated underpaid amounts of Employee Benefits in our financial statements.

To efficiently administer the contribution to housing funds and social insurance in certain cities in China, some of our subsidiaries engage third-party agents to make such contribution for some of our PRC employees. Any failure to make such contribution by these third-party agents may directly expose us to penalties imposed by the local authorities and/or legal claims raised by our employees.

As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any notice from the relevant government authorities or any claim or request from these employees in this regard. However, we cannot assure you that the relevant government authorities will not require us to pay the outstanding amount and impose late fees or fines on us. If we are otherwise subject to investigations related to non-compliance with labor laws and are imposed severe penalties or incur significant legal fees in connection with labor disputes or investigations, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

These laws designed to enhance labor protection tend to increase our labor costs. In addition, as the interpretation and implementation of these regulations are still evolving, our employment practices may not be at all times be deemed in compliance with the regulations. As a result, we could be subject to penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigations.

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Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system and changes in laws and regulations in China could adversely affect us.

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and prior court decisions have limited value as precedents. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the annual report based on foreign laws.

We are a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and most are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for our shareholders to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside China. In addition, China does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the Cayman Islands and many other countries and regions. Therefore, recognition and enforcement in China of judgments of a court in any of these non-PRC jurisdictions in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or impossible.

Shareholder claims that are common in the United States, including securities law class actions and fraud claims, generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the local authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States have not been efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism.

According to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators and relevant authorities, no organization or individual may provide the documents and materials relating to securities business activities to overseas parties. See also “—Risks Relating to the ADSs—You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.”

Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

On March 15, 2019, the PRC National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and replaces the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in the PRC, namely, the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-Invested Enterprise Law, and become the legal foundation for foreign investment in the PRC. Meanwhile, the Implementation Regulation of the Foreign Investment Law came into effect as of January 1, 2020, which clarified and elaborated the relevant provisions of the Foreign Investment Law.

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The Foreign Investment Law sets out the basic regulatory framework for foreign investments and proposes to implement a system of pre-entry national treatment with a negative list for foreign investments, pursuant to which (i) foreign entities and individuals are prohibited from investing in the areas that are not open to foreign investments, (ii) foreign investments in the restricted industries must satisfy certain requirements under the law, and (iii) foreign investments in business sectors outside of the negative list will be treated equally with domestic investments. The Foreign Investment Law also sets forth necessary mechanisms to facilitate, protect and manage foreign investments and proposes to establish a foreign investment information reporting system, through which foreign investors are required to submit information relating to their investments to the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, or its local branches.

However, since the Foreign Investment Law is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. For instance, under the Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investment” refers to the investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by foreign individuals, enterprises or other entities in China. Though it does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, there is no assurance that foreign investment via contractual arrangement would not be interpreted as a type of indirect foreign investment activities under the definition in the future. In addition, the definition contains a catch-all provision which includes investments made by foreign investors through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. In any of these cases, it will be uncertain whether our contractual arrangements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment under the PRC laws and regulations. Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

Any non-compliance with PRC advertising laws and regulations by us may subject us to penalties.

We are obligated to ensure our advertising content to comply with applicable laws. For example, no medical advertisements or medical device advertisements shall be published before relevant approval has been obtained from competent government authority. Please see “Item 4. Information of the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulations—Regulations relating to Advertisement”. Any violation of the relevant laws and regulations may subject us to governmental penalties, impair our brand and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

The lease agreements of our leased properties have not been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities as required by PRC law, which may expose us to potential fines.

Under PRC law, lease agreements of commodity housing tenancy are required to be registered with the local construction (real estate) departments. Although failure to do so does not in itself invalidate the leases, the parties of the lease agreements may be exposed to potential fines if they fail to rectify such non-compliance within the prescribed time frame after receiving notice from the relevant PRC government authorities. The penalty ranges from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000 for each unregistered lease, at the discretion of the relevant authority. As of the date of this annual report, the lease agreements for most of our leased properties in China, including leased properties for our spaces, have not been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any regulatory or governmental actions, claims or investigations being contemplated or any challenges by third parties to our use of our leased properties, or the lease agreements of which have not been registered with the government authorities. However, we cannot assure you that the government authorities will not impose fines on us due to our failure to register any of our lease agreements, which may negatively impact our financial condition.

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Our rights to use our leased properties could be challenged by property owners or other third parties, which may disrupt our operations and incur relocation costs.

As of the date of this annual report, we have a number of title defects with respect to some of our leased properties, for example, the lessors of certain of our leased properties in China failed to provide us with valid property ownership certificates or authorizations from the property owners for the lessors to sublease the properties. If such lessors do not have the relevant property ownership certificates or the right to lease or sublease such properties to us, the relevant rightful title holders or other third parties may challenge our use of such leased properties, and we may be forced to vacate these properties and be required to seek alternative properties for lease. In such an event, our business operations will be interrupted, and relocation costs will be incurred. Moreover, if our lease agreements are challenged by third parties, it could result in diversion of management attention and cause us to incur costs associated with defending such actions, even if such challenges are ultimately determined in our favor.

Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Equity Incentive Plans of Overseas Listed Companies, replacing earlier rules promulgated in 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas-listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas-entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted options will be subject to these regulations. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions, there may be additional restrictions on the ability of them to exercise their stock options or remit proceeds gained from the sale of their stock into the PRC. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. See “Item 4. Information of the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange—Share Option Rules.”

If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with a “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control over and overall management of the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued a circular, known as SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management and the places where they perform their duties are in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe that we are not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—PRC Taxation.” However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we will be subject to a 25% tax on our worldwide income. In addition, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including ADS holders) may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends payable to our non-PRC individual shareholders (including ADS holders) and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% (which, in the case of dividends, may be withheld at source by us). Any PRC tax liability may be reduced under applicable tax treaties. However, it is unclear whether in practice our non-PRC shareholders would be able to obtain the benefits of any tax treaties between their countries of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs or our ordinary shares.

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We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

Pursuant to the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or SAT Circular 698, issued by the SAT in 2009 with retroactive effect from January 1, 2008, where a non-resident enterprise transfers the equity interests of a PRC resident enterprise indirectly by disposition of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, or an Indirect Transfer, and such overseas holding company is located in a tax jurisdiction that: (i) has an effective tax rate less than 12.5% or (ii) does not tax foreign income of its residents, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, shall report to the competent tax authority of the PRC resident enterprise this Indirect Transfer.

On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Public Notice Regarding Certain Enterprise Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7. SAT Bulletin 7 supersedes the rules with respect to the Indirect Transfer under SAT Circular 698. SAT Bulletin 7 has introduced a new tax regime that is significantly different from the previous one under SAT Circular 698. SAT Bulletin 7 extends the PRC’s tax jurisdiction to not only Indirect Transfers set forth under SAT Circular 698 but also transactions involving a transfer of other taxable assets through an offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Bulletin 7 provides clearer criteria than SAT Circular 698 for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity securities through a public securities market. SAT Bulletin 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or another person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an Indirect Transfer, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, or the transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or another person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

On October 17, 2017, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprises Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which, among others, repealed the SAT Circular 698 on December 1, 2017. SAT Bulletin 37 further details and clarifies the tax withholding methods in respect of income of non-resident enterprises under SAT Circular 698. And certain rules stipulated in SAT Bulletin 7 are replaced by SAT Bulletin 37. Where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare the tax payable pursuant to Article 39 of the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, the tax authority may order it to pay the tax due within required time limits, and the non-resident enterprise shall declare and pay the tax payable within such time limits specified by the tax authority; however, if the non-resident enterprise voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within required time limits, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid the tax in time.

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is a transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is a transferee in such transactions, under SAT Bulletin 7 and SAT Bulletin 37. For transfer of shares in our company by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC Subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing under SAT Bulletin 7 and SAT Bulletin 37. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Bulletin 7 and SAT Bulletin 37 or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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If our preferential tax treatments are revoked, become unavailable or if the calculation of our tax liability is successfully challenged by the PRC tax authorities, we may be required to pay tax, interest and penalties in excess of our tax provisions, and our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The Chinese government has provided various tax incentives to our subsidiaries in China. These incentives include reduced enterprise income tax rates. For example, under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, the statutory enterprise income tax rate is 25%. However, the income tax of an enterprise that has been determined to be a high and new technology enterprise can be reduced to a preferential rate of 15%. Any increase in the enterprise income tax rate applicable to our PRC Subsidiaries in China, or any discontinuation or retroactive or future reduction of any of the preferential tax treatments currently enjoyed by our VIEs in China, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, in the ordinary course of our business, we are subject to complex income tax and other tax regulations and significant judgment is required in the determination of a provision for income taxes. Although we believe our tax provisions are reasonable, if the PRC tax authorities successfully challenge our position and we are required to pay tax, interest and penalties in excess of our tax provisions, our financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

Certain PRC regulations may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.

Among other things, the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. Such regulation requires, among other things, that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor acquires control of a PRC domestic enterprise or a foreign company with substantial PRC operations, if certain thresholds under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, issued by the State Council in 2008 and amended in 2018, were triggered. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the PRC National People’s Congress, which became effective in 2008 requires that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds must be cleared by the MOFCOM before they can be completed. In addition, PRC national security review rules which became effective in September 2011 require acquisitions by foreign investors of PRC companies engaged in military-related or certain other industries that are crucial to national security be subject to security review before consummation of any such acquisition. Furthermore, according to the Measures for the Security Review of Foreign Investment, or the New Security Review Measures, promulgated by NDRC and MOFCOM on December 19, 2020, a foreign investment security review working mechanism will be established to be responsible for organizing, coordinating and guiding the security review of foreign investment. If a proposed foreign investment meets the conditions as stipulated in the New Security Review Measures, the foreign investor or the relevant domestic party shall report such case to the review working mechanism authority, in order to obtain the security review clearance before proceeding with the proposed foreign investment. However, as the New Security Review Measures was newly issued, there are still substantial uncertainties as to its interpretation and implementations in practice. We may pursue potential strategic acquisitions that are complementary to our business and operations. Complying with the requirements of these regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval or clearance from the MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC Subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC Subsidiaries, limit our PRC Subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration on Domestic Residents’ Overseas Investment, Financing and Roundtrip Investment via Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities as well as foreign individuals that are deemed as PRC residents for foreign exchange administration purpose) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future.

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Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, will be required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its filed registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE. If any PRC shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the previously filed registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiary in China. On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Direct Investment-related Foreign Exchange Administration Policy, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound overseas direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.

We have requested PRC residents who we know hold direct or indirect interest in our company to make the necessary applications, filings and registrations as required under SAFE Circular 37 and those PRC resident shareholders that hold direct interest in our company have completed all necessary registrations with the local SAFE branch or qualified banks as required by SAFE Circular 37. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our company, and we cannot provide any assurance that these PRC residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registrations or comply with other requirements under SAFE Circular 37 or other related rules. The failure or inability of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with the registration procedures set forth in these regulations may subject us to fines and legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, limit the ability of our PRC Subsidiaries to distribute dividends and the proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may also be prohibited from injecting additional capital into the subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the various foreign exchange registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for circumventing applicable foreign exchange restrictions. As a result, our business operations and our ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange regulations are still relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of our initial public offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC Subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our PRC Subsidiaries and VIEs. We may make loans to our PRC Subsidiaries and VIEs subject to the approval or registration from governmental authorities and limitation of amount, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC Subsidiaries. Any loans to our PRC Subsidiaries, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, are subject to foreign exchange loan registrations. In addition, a foreign-invested enterprise, or FIE, shall use its capital pursuant to the principle of authenticity and self-use within its business scope. The capital of an FIE shall not be used for the following purposes: (i) directly or indirectly used for payment beyond the business scope of the enterprises or the payment prohibited by relevant laws and regulations; (ii) directly or indirectly used for investment in securities or investments other than banks’ principal-secured products unless otherwise provided by relevant laws and regulations; (iii) the granting of loans to non-affiliated enterprises, except where it is expressly permitted in the business license; and (iv) paying the expenses related to the purchase of real estate that is not for self-use (except for the foreign-invested real estate enterprises).

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In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC Subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds from our initial public offering and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC Subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC Subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

We are a Cayman Islands holding company and we rely principally on dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC Subsidiaries for our cash requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders for services of any debt we may incur. If our PRC Subsidiaries incurs debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC Subsidiaries, which are foreign invested enterprises enterprise, may pay dividends only out of its respective accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a foreign invested enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a certain statutory reserve fund, until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. Such reserve funds cannot be distributed to us as dividends. At its discretion, a foreign invested enterprise may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to an enterprise expansion fund, or a staff welfare and bonus fund.

Our PRC Subsidiaries generate primarily all of their revenue in Renminbi, which is not freely convertible into other currencies. As a result, any restriction on currency exchange may limit the ability of our PRC Subsidiaries to use their Renminbi revenues to pay dividends to us.

The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls, and more restrictions and substantial vetting process may be put forward by SAFE for cross-border transactions falling under both the current account and the capital account. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC Subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other kinds of payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC-resident enterprises are incorporated.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions in China and by China’s foreign exchange policies. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. Since October 1, 2016, Renminbi has joined the International Monetary Fund’s basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right (SDR) along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Renminbi has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

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Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from our initial public offering into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or the ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our cash balance effectively and affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands holding company primarily relies on dividend payments from our PRC Subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of our PRC Subsidiaries in China may be used to pay dividends to our company. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use the cash generated from the operations of our PRC Subsidiaries and VIEs to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi. The PRC government may at its discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs.

The audit report included in this annual report was prepared by an auditor that is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection. In addition, various legislative and regulatory developments related to U.S.-listed China based companies due to lack of PCAOB inspection and other developments due to political tensions between the United States and China may have a material adverse impact on our listing and trading in the U.S. and the trading prices of our ADSs.

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit reports included in our annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with applicable professional standards. Our auditor is located in, and organized under the laws of, the PRC, which is a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities. Accordingly, our auditor is not currently inspected by the PCAOB.

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This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of our independent registered public accounting firm. As a result, we and investors in our ADSs are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our ADSs to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

In addition, as part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, former U.S. President Trump signed into law on December 18, 2020 the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCA Act), which requires the SEC to propose rules within 90 days after its enactment to prohibit securities of any registrant from being listed on any of the U.S. securities exchanges or traded “over the counter” if the auditor of the registrant’s financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspection for three consecutive years after the law becomes effective. On March 24, 2021, the SEC has adopted interim final amendments to implement congressionally mandated submission and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. The interim final amendments will apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report on Forms 10-K, 20-F, 40-F or N-CSR with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction. Before any registrant will have to comply with the interim final amendments, however, the SEC must implement a process for identifying such a registrant. Thus, the SEC is currently seeking public comment on this identification process.

Consistent with the HFCA Act, the amendments will require any such identified registrant to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that the registrant is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in that foreign jurisdiction, and will also require disclosure in a foreign issuer’s annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and governmental influence on, such a registrant. As of the date of this annual report, the SEC is currently seeking public comment on these submission and disclosure requirements. The SEC staff is also currently assessing how best to implement other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the identification process and the trading prohibition requirements.

Enactment of this legislation or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of the ADSs could be adversely affected, and we could be delisted if we are unable to cure the situation to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time. It is unclear if and when any of such proposed legislations will be enacted. See “—We could be delisted if our auditor unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirements in time. The delisting of our ADSs and inability to trade, or the threat thereof, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.”

We could be delisted if our auditor is unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirements in time. The delisting of our ADSs and inability to trade, or the threat thereof, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.

On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was enacted. In essence, the act requires the SEC to prohibit securities of any foreign companies from being listed on U.S. securities exchanges or traded “over-the-counter” if a company retains a foreign accounting firm that cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years, beginning in 2021. Our independent registered public accounting firm is located in and organized under the laws of the PRC, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, and therefore our auditors are not currently inspected by the PCAOB.

The enactment of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and any additional rulemaking efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information in China could cause investor uncertainty for affected SEC registrants, including us, and the market price of our ADSs could be materially adversely affected. Additionally, whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditors in the next three years, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our control. If our auditor is unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time, we could be delisted from the Nasdaq Global Market and our ADSs will not be permitted for trading “over-the-counter” either. Such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs. Also, such a delisting would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

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Proceedings instituted by the SEC against four PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

Starting in 2011 the China-based “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, were affected by a conflict between U.S. and PRC law. Specifically, for certain U.S.-listed companies operating and audited in mainland China, the SEC and the PCAOB sought to obtain from the Chinese firms access to their audit work papers and related documents. The firms were, however, advised and directed that under PRC law, they could not respond directly to the U.S. regulators on those requests, and that requests by foreign regulators for access to such papers in China had to be channeled through the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC.

In late 2012, this impasse led the SEC to commence administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the Chinese accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm. A first instance trial of the proceedings in July 2013 in the SEC’s internal administrative court resulted in an adverse judgment against the firms. The administrative law judge proposed penalties on the firms including a temporary suspension of their right to practice before the SEC, although that proposed penalty did not take effect pending review by the Commissioners of the SEC. On February 6, 2015, before a review by the Commissioners had taken place, the firms reached a settlement with the SEC. Under the settlement, the SEC accepted that future requests by the SEC for the production of documents will normally be made to the CSRC. The firms were to receive matching Section 106 requests, and were required to abide by a detailed set of procedures with respect to such requests, which in substance require them to facilitate production via the CSRC. If they failed to meet specified criteria, the SEC retained authority to impose a variety of additional remedial measures on the firms depending on the nature of the failure. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four PRC-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice at the end of four years starting from the settlement date, which was February 6, 2019. We cannot predict if the SEC will further challenge the four PRC-based accounting firms’ compliance with U.S. law in connection with U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such a challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions. If additional remedial measures are imposed on the China-based “big four” accounting firms, we could be unable to timely file future financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about any such future proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, U.S.-listed companies and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

If our independent registered public accounting firm was denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ADSs from the Nasdaq Global Market or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

RISKS RELATING TO THE ADSS

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deems it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement.

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The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

The trading price of our ADSs ranged from US$9.03 to US$31.54 per ADS since the listing of ADSs on Nasdaq. The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, including the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for the ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the trading volume and price of the ADSs.

In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for so long as we remain an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important.

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If securities or industry analysts cease to publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for the ADSs to decline.

The sale or availability for sale, or perceived sale or availability for sale, of substantial amounts of the ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

Sales of substantial amounts of the ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in our initial public offering are freely tradable by persons other than our “affiliates” without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. Certain major holders of our ordinary shares have the right to cause us to register under the Securities Act the sale of their shares, subject to the applicable Lock-up Period in connection with our initial public offering. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in ADSs representing these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration. Sales of these registered shares in the form of ADSs in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline significantly.

The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to vote the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs.

Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights as our registered shareholders. As a holder of ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights which are carried by the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. If we instruct the depositary to solicit voting instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as is practicable, to vote the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with the instructions you give, but it is not required to do so. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying ordinary shares unless you cancel your ADSs and withdraw the shares, and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. If we will instruct the depositary to solicit voting instructions, we will give the depositary at least 30 days’ prior notice of shareholder meetings. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are not voted as you requested. In addition, in your capacity as an ADS holder, you will not be able to call a shareholders’ meeting.

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We are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, or to terminate the deposit agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders.

We are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of the ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders. We and the depositary may agree to amend the deposit agreement in any way we decide is necessary or advantageous to us. Amendments may reflect, among other things, operational changes in the ADS program, legal developments affecting ADSs or changes in the terms of our business relationship with the depositary. In the event that the terms of an amendment are disadvantageous to ADS holders, ADS holders will only receive 30 days’ advance notice of the amendment, and no prior consent of the ADS holders is required under the deposit agreement. Furthermore, we may decide to terminate the ADS facility at any time for any reason. For example, terminations may occur when we decide to list our shares on a non-U.S. securities exchange and determine not to continue to sponsor an ADS facility or when we become the subject of a takeover or a going-private transaction. If the ADS facility will terminate, ADS holders will receive at least 90 days’ prior notice, but no prior consent is required from them. Under the circumstances that we decide to make an amendment to the deposit agreement that is disadvantageous to ADS holders or terminate the deposit agreement, the ADS holders may choose to sell their ADSs or surrender their ADSs and become direct holders of the underlying ordinary shares, but will have no right to any compensation whatsoever.

ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our ordinary shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws.

If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before entering into the deposit agreement.

If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial.

No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

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Your rights to pursue claims against us and the depositary as a holder of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our ordinary shares provides that ADS holders and the depositary have the right to elect to have any claim they may have against us arising out of or relating to our ordinary shares or ADSs or the deposit agreement settled by arbitration in New York, New York rather than in a court of law, and to have any judgment rendered by the arbitrators entered in any court having jurisdiction. An arbitral tribunal in any such arbitration would not have the authority to award any consequential, special, or punitive damages and its award would have to conform to the provisions of the deposit agreement. The deposit agreement does not give us the right to require that any claim, whether brought by us or against us, be arbitrated.

The deposit agreement also provides that, subject to the claimant’s right to require a claim to be submitted to arbitration, the federal or state courts in the State of New York have jurisdiction to hear and determine claims arising under the deposit agreement, our ordinary shares and the ADSs and the transactions contemplated thereby, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. No condition or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any owner or holder of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Therefore, to the extent there are specific federal securities law violation aspects to any claims against us or the depositary brought by any holder or owner of ADSs, the federal securities law violation aspects of such claims may, at the option of such holders or owners, remain in state or federal court in the State of New York. We believe that an optional contractual arbitration provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement.

By agreeing to such optional arbitration provision, you will not be deemed to have waived our or the depositary’s compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on price appreciation of the ADSs for return on your investment.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may, subject to the provisions of our articles of association, by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiary, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. There is no guarantee that the ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.

You may not receive dividends or other distributions on our ordinary shares and you may not receive any value for them, if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.

The depositary has agreed to distribute to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying the ADSs, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, it would be unlawful to make a distribution to a holder of ADSs if it consists of securities that require registration under the Securities Act of 1933 but that are not properly registered or distributed under an applicable exemption from registration. The depositary may also determine that it is not feasible to distribute certain property. Additionally, the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of distributing them. In these cases, the depositary may determine not to distribute such property. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs. This means that you may not receive distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may cause a material decline in the value of the ADSs.

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You may experience dilution of your holdings due to the inability to participate in rights offerings.

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

We expect to incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.”

We are a public company and expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and Nasdaq Global Market, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting and permission to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.

We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the number of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with limited liability. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have the standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

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Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of our board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States.

Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are an exempted Cayman Islands company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, some of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

As a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the Nasdaq Stock Market corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the Nasdaq Stock Market corporate governance listing standards.

As an exempted Cayman Islands company listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, we are subject to the Nasdaq Stock Market corporate governance listing standards. However, the Nasdaq Stock Market rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the Nasdaq Stock Market corporate governance listing standards. We may elect to rely on home country practice to be exempted from the corporate governance requirements. As a result, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they would otherwise enjoy under the Nasdaq Stock Market corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

We are currently a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.

Because we currently qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act for the year of 2021, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

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As long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Global Market. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

There can be no assurance that we will not be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in the ADSs or our ordinary shares.

In general, a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC for any taxable year in which (i) 75% or more of its gross income consists of passive income or (ii) 50% or more of the average value of its assets consists of assets (generally determined on a quarterly basis) that produce, or are held for the production of, passive income. For purposes of the above calculations, a non-U.S. corporation that owns at least 25% by value of the shares of another corporation is treated as if it held its proportionate share of the assets of the other corporation and received directly its proportionate share of the income of the other corporation. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents, royalties and certain gains. Cash is generally a passive asset for these purposes. Goodwill is an active asset under the PFIC rules to the extent attributable to activities that produce active income.

Based on the composition of our income and assets and the value of our assets, including goodwill, we believe that we were not a PFIC for our 2020 taxable year. However, our PFIC status for any taxable year depends on the composition of our income and assets and the value of our assets from time to time (including the value of our goodwill, which may be determined, in large part, by reference to the market price of the ADSs, which could be volatile). Because we will hold a substantial amount of cash, our risk of being a PFIC for any taxable year will increase if our market capitalization declines. Moreover, it is not entirely clear how the contractual arrangements between us and our VIEs will be treated for purposes of the PFIC rules, and we may be or become a PFIC if our VIEs are not treated as owned by us for these purposes. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for our current or any future taxable year.

If we were a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. investor owned the ADSs or our ordinary shares, the U.S. investor generally would be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, including increased tax liability on disposition gains and “excess distributions” and additional reporting requirements. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

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4.A. History and Development of the Company

We launched our clinical diagnosis and monitoring services in 2015 with the establishment of Genetron Health (Beijing) Co., Ltd., or Genetron Health.

We underwent a series of restructuring transactions, which primarily included:

We are a holding company and do not directly own any substantive business operations in the PRC. We currently focus our business operations within the PRC through Genetron Health and its subsidiaries. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.” Genetron Health and its subsidiaries hold our Medical Institution Practicing Licenses, production permits of medical devices and operation permits of medical devices that are necessary for our business operations in the PRC. 

In June 2020, we completed an initial public offering in which we offered and sold an aggregate of 80,000,000 ordinary shares in the form of ADSs. Upon the initial public offering, all of our then issued and outstanding preferred shares were automatically converted into ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis. On June 19, 2020, the ADSs began trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol “GTH.”

Our corporate headquarters is located at 1-2/F, Building 11, Zone 1, No.8 Life Science Parkway Changping District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Our registered office is located at the offices of Walkers Corporate Limited, Cayman Corporate Centre, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9008, Cayman Islands. Our telephone number is +86 10 5090-7500. Our corporate website is www.genetronhealth.com. The information contained on or that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report, and you should not consider information on our website to be part of this annual report.

The SEC maintains an internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

4.B. Business Overview

OVERVIEW

We are a leading precision oncology platform company in China that specializes in cancer molecular profiling and harnesses advanced technologies in molecular biology and data science to transform cancer treatment. We have developed a comprehensive product and service portfolio that cover the full-cycle of cancer care from early screening, to diagnosis and treatment recommendations, to continuous monitoring and continuous care.

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Precision oncology is an evolving approach to cancer care that leverages new knowledge regarding the pathogenesis of cancer. It focuses on a patient’s molecular profile to guide personalized clinical decisions, aiming for the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. Advancement in molecular biology globally has propelled significant advances in precision oncology. There is a critical need to offer a comprehensive profiling solution and expand the scope of precision oncology to enable early screening, diagnosis, continuous monitoring and continuous care. According to Frost & Sullivan, China had approximately 4.4 million cancer incidents in 2019, the largest in the world. The unmet medical needs of the large cancer population in China present significant market opportunities for precision oncology, especially cancer molecular profiling.

We are China’s market leader in all three of our business units: diagnosis and monitoring, early screening and development services. We believe advancing our services and products can expand the scope of precision oncology medicine to diagnosis, early screening, monitoring and continuous care, improve clinical outcomes and reduce overall cancer treatment costs.

Diagnosis and Monitoring

Market leader in LDT services in multiple major cancer types—We are a leading next generation sequencing (“NGS”)-based cancer molecular diagnosis player. While precision oncology is still in the development stage in China, precision oncology applications in central nervous system (“CNS”), lung, and digestive system cancers are the most advanced. Our unique mix of industry-leading cancer research capabilities, comprehensive products and services, and focused commercialization strategies have led to our success in building competitive advantages. Among the NGS-based cancer diagnosis and monitoring companies in China, we retain our leadership position in the field of CNS cancer, digestive system cancer and lung cancer in terms of market share by NGS-based laboratory developed test (“LDT”) revenue. In the field of lung cancer, the largest cancer molecular and diagnosis market in China by cancer type, we have been quickly closing the gap with our peers in terms of NGS-based LDT revenue. We are also a pioneer in the diagnosis and monitoring of thyroid, upper tract urothelial and bladder cancers.

Market leader in China by NMPA approved IVD products—We are the market leader among NGS-based cancer diagnosis and monitoring companies in China, in terms of the number of National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”) approved in vitro diagnostic (“IVD”), products. We have developed seven National Medical Products Association (“NMPA”) approved IVD products, including four clinical molecular testing instruments and three diagnostics assays, which illustrates our clear leadership in the precision oncology market in China. These include Genetron 3D biochip reading instrument, a digital polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) system, IDH1 and TERT gene assays for glioma, Genetron S5, a medium-throughput NGS system, Genetron S5 Chef, a template preparation system, Genetron S2000, a high-throughput NGS platform, and 8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue), an IVD assay product based on semiconductor sequencing. In June 2020, our independently developed detection kit for the novel coronavirus (Genetron SARS-CoV-2 RNA Test) received an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”). The kit also received approval for export from the relevant authorities in China. Our deep and robust IVD product pipeline of seven assays, covering diagnostics, monitoring and early screening, and our NMPA approved IVD portfolio delivers a full spectrum of solutions to address our customers’ needs.

Early Screening

First mover of liver cancer early screening—According to Frost & Sullivan, market potential for liver cancer early screening in China in 2023 is estimated to be US$7.2 billion. We are at the forefront of the development of liver cancer early screening products, of which our initial prospective study in China was published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences in 2019. HCCscreen^TM, our proprietary assay for the early screening of hepatocellular carcinoma (“HCC”), the most common type of primary liver cancer, detects a combination of tumor-specific mutations and methylation alterations in circulating tumor DNA (“ctDNA”) and protein markers. We started a multi-center prospective study, HCCscreen^TM Investigational Study, (“HIT Study”) and had performed our assay on 2,000 HBsAg+ individuals since 2019. We successfully completed the follow-up phase of the HIT Study in February 2021 with a total of 1,615 HBsAg+ subjects. The primary outcome of the follow-up phase showed that HCCscreen^TM achieved 88% sensitivity and 93% specificity, compared with 71% sensitivity and 95% specificity, respectively, by ultrasound plus alpha-fetoprotein (“AFP”) combined. HCCscreen^TM also achieved 40.9% positive predictive value (“PPV”) and 99.3% negative predictive value (“NPV”). We plan to initiate an NMPA registrational study in the second quarter of 2021. In addition, we have joined the “AIDS, Hepatitis and Other Major Infectious Disease Control and Prevention” project, one of the 2020 Major National Science and Technology Projects led by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC (the “MOST”). Specifically, we are responsible for the identification and development of biomarkers for early liver cancer detection and the validation of liver cancer early screening assay products. One of the key benefits of joining such project is that our liver cancer early screening assay products validated in this project will be eligible for fast-track review process of the NMPA.

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In September 2020, we received the FDA’s Breakthrough Device designation for HCCscreen^TM, and we started commercializing the product as an LDT in China in 2020. Since November 2020, we have been working with Wuxi municipal government (“Wuxi”) on the “Liver Cancer Early Screening Comprehensive Prevention and Control Project” (the “Wuxi Project”), a public health initiative administered by the National Cancer Center (“NCC”) in China. The goal of the Wuxi Project is to increase the awareness of liver cancer early screening, and to become a pilot city model in China. For the Wuxi Project, Wuxi has selected HCCscreen^TM for use by local residents who are high-risk individuals for HCC, and is committed to administering 150,000 tests over a period of three years. Separately, we have formed a new operating center through a joint venture agreement with Wuxi, in which the parties are closely collaborating on advancing the liver cancer early screening market in China, through the adoption of HCCscreen^TM. Under this joint venture agreement, both parties will contribute capital, and we will own 90% of the joint venture. In addition to the commitment of using HCCscreen^TM for its residents, Wuxi will also provide us with other supportive measures including rental, R&D subsidies and tax benefits.

In January 2021, together with Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (“CTTQ”), a subsidiary of Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (“Sino Biopharm”), we announced an exclusive strategic partnership agreement for HCCscreen^™ in China. Under the agreement, we will work together exclusively to co-market and co-promote HCCscreen^™ in the hospital market, covering designated territories in China. The parties intend to target high-risk individuals for HCC, which include hepatitis B virus (“HBV”)-positive carriers, as well as other liver disease patients. CTTQ brings an experienced sales force and valuable hospital relationships to the partnership, while we provide manufacturing and laboratory operations, along with our direct-to-consumer marketing expertise. We will pay CTTQ a promotional fee based on a percentage of revenues generated from the collaboration. Contingent on certain sales and other requirements, the exclusivity period is expected to last three years.

Expansion into early screening of additional major cancer types—We leverage our leading technologies such as Mutation Capsule^TM to detect tumor-specific mutations and methylation in circulating free DNA (“cfDNA”), and establish models for cancer early screening. In August 2020, we started participating in the launch of a major national research project for early screening of lung and digestive system cancers led by the MOST. The project is designed to include a multi-center, prospective cohort study in lung cancer of 120,000 high-risk individuals in 20 provinces, as well as a cohort study in digestive system cancer of more than 100,000 patients in urban areas in China. We are the only company in China involved in national key research and development projects for liver, lung and digestive cancer early screening.

Development Services

Market leader by the number of collaborating biopharmaceutical companies—The market potential for development services with biopharmaceutical companies in China is expected to be approximately US$0.5 billion in 2023, according to Frost & Sullivan. As of December 31, 2020, we had collaborated with 35 biopharmaceutical companies. Our products and services are appealing to biopharmaceutical companies since we are able to provide customized services and products to suit their different needs, including biomarker evaluation for molecularly targeted therapy and immuno-therapy, clinical trial enrollment, companion diagnostics development and joint marketing post-drug approval. For example, we developed FusionScan, a customized technology based on a biopharmaceutical company’s request for comprehensive and efficient detection of actionable translocation mutations. With a reverse transcription and two PCR reactions, the FusionScan technology can efficiently detect translocations with high sensitivity and low cost. It can detect de novo translocation mutations without having to know the other segment fused to the target gene like NTRK or FGFR. Our well-developed regulatory approval capability is readily available to serve our biopharmaceutical company clients to facilitate NMPA registration process for their new drugs and companion diagnostics tests assays. Further, our robust commercial adoption capability is able to contribute significantly on joint marketing and promotion efforts post-drug approval. Our biopharmaceutical company partners include global pharmaceutical companies as well as innovative biopharma companies in China, such as AstraZeneca China, Bayer, Roche China, CStone, InnoCare, Alphamab Oncology, Fosun Pharma, Henlius and EdiGene. We believe our collaboration with biopharmaceutical companies will also build evidence of clinical utility for our platform as an effective diagnostic for advanced cancer therapies.

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Our Platform

We have built a one-stop precision oncology platform with a suite of services and products that focus on every stage of a patient’s cancer care, from early screening and risk assessment, to diagnosis and treatment recommendations, to continuous monitoring. Our platform integrates a patient’s cancer care needs both when he or she is at high risk of cancer development and when he or she undergoes cancer treatment. At the same time, it collects the patient’s behavioral, genomics and medical data and leverages our AI and big data analytics to depict the patient’s health profile, to enable superior cancer management. Our platform cultivates a network nationwide that connects a patient with third-party healthcare service providers, including hospitals, medical examination centers, and insurance companies. We have also stayed at the forefront of targeted drug development by partnering with global biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions to evaluate biomarkers and facilitate clinical trials.

We strongly believe that a fully-integrated and best-in-class precision oncology platform is key to our business and will be the engine that drives our future success and solidifies our market leading position in the highly competitive precision oncology industry in China. Over the years, our platform has developed strengths across technology, regulatory approval and commercial adoption, which collectively differentiate us from our peers.

Industry Leading Technology

Led by top-notch scientists, our research and development team combines capabilities from multiple disciplines including biochemistry/molecular biology, next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to enable our strong transformability from research to application. We have developed industry leading and differentiated technologies, including Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method and Mutation Capsule^TM technology:

We enhanced Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method to be suitable for liquid biopsy, which is able to detect rare molecule in liquid biopsy with high sensitivity (up to 0.05% mutation frequency) and specificity. Our One-Step Seq^TM Method minimizes loss of original ctDNA molecule in the steps before the ctDNA sample is amplified. This is a critical benefit for ctDNA-based liquid biopsy because the limited ctDNA yield of the testing sample is one of the primary impediments of ctDNA-based liquid biopsy, and any loss of original ctDNA would decrease the sensitivity.

Regulatory Approval

As it is practiced today in China, cancer diagnosis and treatments are primarily performed in public hospitals. Therefore, accessibility to public hospitals is critical for companies specializing in precision oncology. Adoption by public hospitals and insurance coverage often requires registration with the NMPA or approval from other competent regulatory authorities. Our regulatory capabilities are highlighted by our strong regulatory team, robust pipeline of IVD products and high-quality clinical laboratory services.

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Commercial Adoption

Advancement in each of the elements above lays the foundation for commercial adoption of each of our business units with patients, hospitals and biopharmaceutical companies. Additionally, we have developed the following strengths to further facilitate commercial adoption of our services and products.

Diagnosis and monitoring services

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Early Screening

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DIAGNOSIS AND MONITORING SERVICES

We offer diagnosis and monitoring services and products through both LDT services and IVD products. To adapt to the complex and evolving understanding of cancer, we have strategically developed our LDT services to provide whole exome sequencing (“WES”), comprehensive gene panel sequencing (over 300 genes) and focused gene panel sequencing (less than 300 genes) to address different needs. Our comprehensive diagnostic products and services cover eight out of the top ten major cancer types in China, including CNS, lung, liver, colon, breast, urinary system and thyroid and other types of cancers. We completed over 67,000 LDT diagnostic tests from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020. We have a team of top notch scientists who are at the forefront of cancer genomics research and are active in the research and discovery of new biomarkers associated with various cancers.

In addition, we are the number one NGS-based cancer diagnosis and monitoring companies in China in terms of the number of NMPA approved IVD assays and platforms as of June 2020, according to Frost & Sullivan. With our NMPA registered IVD products and a deep and robust IVD registration pipeline, we aim to provide hospitals and research institutions in China with one-stop diagnostic and monitoring solutions, which we believe is the key to commercialization success in China. In comparison to our LDT services, our IVD products offer a more standardized, targeted and cost-effective way of detecting genomic mutations relating to cancer.

Comprehensive LDT Service Portfolio

We are pioneering full-cycle cancer management with a focus on diagnosis, monitoring and early screening. Targeting patients with basic to comprehensive testing needs, we have developed a suite of LDT services that provide swift and reliable assistance to physicians in matching the genomic alterations identified in their patients’ tumors with appropriate clinical drug therapies.

The increasing diversity of targeted therapies and associated molecular biomarkers has given rise to comprehensive genomic profiling, particularly in tumor types where multiple genomic targets can be found and treated effectively. We offer comprehensive genomic testing across all common cancer types using both comprehensive and focused assays. Our comprehensive LDT service portfolio is designed to test and analyze patients of various cancer types for clinically-relevant genomic mutations to support treatment selection. We believe that our suite of multi-tiered LDT services with proven reliability, sensitivity and specificity for clinical practice are able to provide doctors with actionable insights into each patient’s cancers. With in-depth knowledge of advantages and limitations of both tissue and liquid biopsies, we have developed our LDT services to be flexible in sample requirements. Depending on the nature of the cancers, most of our LDT services could be performed by testing either tumor samples or different kinds of liquid samples, such as blood, saliva, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid (“CSF”).

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The following table presents our comprehensive LDT services portfolio for diagnosis and monitoring services:

Comprehensive Gene Panel Testing Services—Onco PanScan^TM

Our comprehensive gene panel testing service, Onco PanScan^TM, is applicable for all solid tumor patients, including newly diagnosed patients, patients with drug resistance and patients with disease relapse. Onco PanScan^TM is evolving in nature, as increasing numbers of driver mutations are identified and increasing numbers of novel cancer drugs are approved by the FDA or NMPA. We started offering comprehensive gene panel testing with a 509-gene panel in September 2016, which was updated to an 831-gene panel in December 2018.

Onco PanScan^TM features the following strengths:

Given the practical challenges in obtaining high-quality tumor samples via biopsy, such as acquiring sufficient cancer cells for diagnosis and genomic analysis, we have developed Onco PanScan^TM (TS) to work with a limited sample volume.

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Onco PanScan^TM (LB), may also be used to analyze ctDNA obtained from a liquid biopsy. Through non-invasive liquid biopsy, ctDNA fragments in a cancer patient’s blood could be enriched to conduct molecular testing, which helps interpret the tumor molecular state of patients at any time. For example, we recommend using liquid biopsy for post-operative monitoring of surgical patients or for cancer patients for whom tumor tissue sample extraction is not feasible due to physical conditions.

The comprehensive and evolving coverage of genes, high level of precision and lower sample volume requirements make Onco PanScan^TM suitable for targeted therapy guidance, immunotherapy guidance, cancer genetic risk assessment, evaluation of chemotherapy efficacy, molecular classification and disease monitoring across a wide variety of cancer types, as well as key information for new scientific discoveries.

Focused Gene Panel Testing Services

Other than comprehensive genomic testing across all cancer types, we also offer focused gene panel testing services. Focused gene panel testing services are useful tools for analyzing specific mutations in a given sample. Focused gene testing services contain a selected set of genes or gene regions that has known or suspected associations with the cancer under study. Focused gene panel testing services also produce a smaller, more manageable data set compared to broader approaches such as WES. Our focused gene panel testing services currently cover a variety of cancer types, including CNS, lung, colorectal, thyroid, breast and bladder cancers.

Glioma

Glioma is the most common type of primary brain tumor. It has high recurrence and mortality rates. Accurate molecular classification plays a guiding role in subsequent treatments and prognosis. In 2016, the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System, of which Dr. Hai Yan is a co-author, for the first time, introduced classification of CNS tumors integrated with both histological phenotypes and genotyping, setting up new guidelines for molecular classification in clinical diagnosis and treatment. In particular, IDH1 and IDH2 mutations were included as the most critical biomarkers for adult malignant glioma. Of note, Dr. Yan is one of the pioneers who discovered IDH1 and IDH2 mutations. As it is practiced today, clinical treatment of glioma involves surgery in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Because sensitivity to temozolomide, a chemotherapy drug for gliomas, is correlated with the methylation level of the MGMT gene, accurate measurement of the methylation level of the MGMT gene therefore better guides the chemotherapy with temozolomide.

Developed based on our proprietary One-Step Seq^TM platform, our Glioma 8 biomarker panel testing services provide cost effective solutions to patients, which test eight genomic alterations commonly recommended by the NCCN, WHO and ESMO treatment guidelines, including TERT, IDH1, IDH2, 1p19q, BRAF, MGMT, H3F3A and HIST1H3B. We have optimized our One-Step Seq^TM Method to detect other types of alterations such as chromosome loss/gain or methylation changes, so that we can detect 1p19q and MGMT in addition to point mutations with this platform. Applicable to patients with glioma, our Glioma 8 biomarker testing assay is suitable for molecular classification, targeted therapy guidance, evaluation of chemotherapy efficacy and disease monitoring, as well as key information for scientific discoveries and research.

The superiority of Glioma 8 biomarker panel is that all the eight biomarkers for glioma can be processed with the same sequencing platform and analysis pipeline.

Thyroid cancer

China had 356,500 new cases of thyroid cancer in 2020. Fine-needle aspiration (“FNA”) is the standard preoperative tool for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. However, some thyroid nodules are classified as indeterminate cytology, leading to unnecessary surgery. To help diagnose the indeterminate nodules precisely, we developed NGS-based test Onco Thyroid. We collaborated with leading hospitals and enrolled 360 patients with thyroid nodules who underwent FNA. The FNA samples with indeterminate cytology were evaluated using both Onco Thyroid and BRAF V600E. Our Onco Thyroid test showed 73.2% sensitivity and 96.8% specificity for cancer diagnosis from thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology, and the performance was significantly better than the BRAF V600E test. The results were accepted as a poster for 2020 Annual Meeting of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

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Hematologic cancers

In late 2020, we entered an exclusive licensing agreement with Hangzhou ImmuQuad Biotechnologies Co., Ltd (“ImmuQuad”) to develop and commercialize Seq-MRD, a diagnostic assay for the detection and monitoring of minimal residual disease (“MRD”) in select hematologic cancers.

Under the agreement, we have exclusive rights to research, develop, commercialize, and manufacture MRD detection products or testing methods in select hematologic cancers using ImmuQuad’s Seq-MRD globally. ImmuQuad is eligible to receive high single-digit royalties on product sales for ten years following commercialization. Separately, we made a minority equity investment in ImmuQuad.

ImmuQuad is a leading biotechnology company in China focused on developing an immune profiling platform for clinical diagnostics and life sciences research. ImmuQuad’s proprietary immunomics platform employs NGS technology to read and decode the diverse genetic code of a patient’s adaptive immune system and applies it in key areas, encompassing MRD monitoring for hematologic cancers (i.e. Seq-MRD), early disease detection and cellular therapies discovery and development.

MRD refers to the small number of cancer cells that can remain in a patient’s body after treatment and may eventually cause recurrence of the disease. Over the past few years, ImmuQuad has developed Seq-MRD as a clinical diagnostic tool to assess treatment effectiveness, provide ultra-sensitive monitoring and guide therapy maintenance intensity in hematologic cancer patients. ImmuQuad has validated Seq-MRD data with thousands of clinical samples covering primarily acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma (MM). We intend to conduct further validation of Seq-MRD in MM, chronic lymphoid leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to expand the clinical utility to cover more patients.

Urine-based liquid biopsy for urinary cancers

There are limitations in the traditional diagnostic methods of urinary cancers, such as the invasiveness of cystoscopy and ureteroscopy. With our One-Step Seq^TM technology, we developed a NGS-based urine-based assay, Onco Urine, to perform liquid biopsy diagnosis of urinary cancers. We collaborated with several leading hospitals in urology to perform a multi-center validation study, which enrolled 75 upper tract urinary carcinoma (UTUC) cases, 75 with benign urinary diseases and 100 healthy individuals. Onco Urine test showed 94% sensitivity and 96% specificity. Onco Urine’s excellent performance and the non-invasive feature make it a potential clinical alternative to ureteroscopy in the diagnosis and monitoring of UTUC. The results were accepted as a poster for 2020 Annual Meeting of American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

CSF-based liquid biopsy for brain tumor

Many brain tumors are difficult to surgically resect or biopsy due to their location in the brain. Blood-based liquid biopsy does not work well as the blood-brain barrier largely limits the release of ctDNA into circulation. We developed an NGS-based test, Onco CSF, by sequencing ctDNA from CSF for the molecular profiling of brain tumors. In 2018, we performed a liquid biopsy study of brain tumors with Onco CSF and published the results in a high impact journal—Acta Neuropathologica. Onco CSF achieved positive detection from the CSF ctDNA in 97.3% of cases whose primary tumors harbored at least one mutation, compared with the 38% sensitivity based on blood ctDNA detection.

LDT Service Process

We perform our LDT services primarily in our laboratory located in Beijing. Our clinical laboratories in Beijing and the United States have obtained comprehensive panel certification under CLIA from the CMS and accreditation from the CAP. In addition, each of our clinical laboratories has obtained NCCL EQA Certifications in various aspects, including our high-throughput sequencing and our bioinformatics platforms. In particular, our clinical laboratories have passed over 190 national and provincial clinical laboratory EQA tests since our inception, covering germline, comprehensive panel and liquid biopsy testing and bioinformatics, demonstrating our dedication to the highest service quality.

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Enjoying the benefits of our industry leading and differentiated technologies, including Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method, liquid biopsy low-frequency mutation detection technology, Mutation Capsule^TM technology and bioinformatics, we are able to shorten total time for library construction and reduce the time required to analyze DNA samples, with an average turnaround time of eight days from the collection of testing samples.

Our LDT services starts with a patient’s selection of relevant clinical services tests. Once the selection is made, we will collect a sample (either tumor tissue or body fluids) from the patient. We will then perform genomic sequencing of DNA extracted from the sample. Once the genomic sequencing is completed, we will conduct data analysis and prepare a final test report.

The test report, structurally designed in collaboration with leading oncologists and KOLs, delivers actionable information in a manner designed to seamlessly integrate into their practices. It is divided into multiple sections, presenting crucial genomic information relating to the cancer patient in a concise and practice-friendly manner that facilitates physicians to make treatment decisions. The test results and their clinical significance are summarized at the beginning of the report to give a concise overview. In addition to the most reliable clinical guidelines from WHO and NCCN, we also provide physicians with comprehensive information of the detected biomarkers at sub-guideline levels. Our database includes the information of new drugs and biomarkers at clinical trial stage (including enrollment information) and at pre-clinical stage. The report provides a note to each piece of information to clarify its reliability (i.e. whether the information is from any guideline that the physicians are recommended to follow, or such information is from a pre-clinical experiment for reference only). The comprehensive information in the reports helps the physician provide precise treatment to those who have a therapeutic target and approved drug available, and provides off-label and other treatment choices for those who have not.

Rapidly Evolving IVD Product Portfolio

Gene sequencing IVD products generally focus on specific sets of genomic alterations relating to a certain cancer type, and are more standardized than LDT services. As such, IVD products are more suitable for hospitals to operate independently.

As hospitals rapidly develop their pathology departments and establish their own IVD genomic testing capabilities with increasing number of testing items, demand for IVD products has continued to grow.

Leveraging our strong research and development capabilities, we are constantly developing innovative IVD products that enable faster, more accessible and affordable detection of cancer specific genetic alterations. We are one of the few precision oncology players in China with approved IVD registration for both instrument and assays.

The IDH1/TERT gene assays approved by NMPA for glioma diagnosis are not only important results of the clinical transformation of our research, but also embodiments of our in-depth promotion of the “LDT services and IVD products” model.

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We believe with an in-depth registration pipeline of both platforms and assays, we are able to provide one-stop diagnostic and monitoring solutions for hospitals and research institutions. Our deep IVD product registration pipeline is illustrated as follows:

Platforms and Assays Approved for Clinical Use

Genetron 3D Biochip Reading Instrument

In late 2017, our digital PCR system, Genetron 3D biochip reading instrument, and first-in-class IDH1/TERT gene assays were approved by the NMPA for clinical use.

Based on digital PCR technology, our Genetron 3D biochip reading instrument presents a simple solution for testing multiple types of DNA alterations. Paired with different assays, Genetron 3D biochip reading instrument can test low frequency mutations in lung, colorectal and breast cancers and melanoma. Our Genetron 3D biochip reading instrument can also be used for other medical purposes such as viral load analysis, pathogen tests, prenatal screening tests and gene expression tests. Our Genetron 3D biochip reading instrument uses a sealed chip technology, providing a streamlined, reliable, and robust method for performing digital PCR. In addition, the risk of contamination is significantly reduced because of the fully enclosed system. With our proprietary analysis software, the testing results can be automatically generated with simple clicks.

IDH1 and TERT Gene Assays

Approved by both NMPA and having received a CE mark in the European Union, our IDH1 and TERT gene assays are detection assays for IDH1 R132H, TERT C228T and C250T gene mutations in brain tumors and could be a crucial tool for purposes of molecular classification and prognosis of a patient’s glioma. IDH1/TERT gene assays are capable of detecting low-frequency (1%) gene mutations in 10ng of DNA sample. In a clinical trial of IDH1 assay with 1,192 valid samples, in which Sanger sequencing was used as a control group, our IDH1 gene assay received 100% sensitivity and specificity, respectively, with Kappa value at 1.000 (p < 0.001). According to Frost & Sullivan, our IDH1/TERT gene assays are the first specific IVD products approved by NMPA for brain cancer, illustrating our clear leadership in cancer genomics in China.

Genetron S5 Platform

Genetron S5, approved by the NMPA on November 1, 2019, is a semiconductor-based NGS system manufactured under an original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) model, which detects the nucleotide through detecting the change in pH. Compared with other sequencing systems, Genetron S5 does not require fluorescence or camera scanning, resulting in higher speed, better simplicity, lower cost and smaller instrument size.

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Genetron S5 leverages the speed of semiconductor sequencing to enable the production of high quality sequencing data in a few hours and enables a laboratory technician to go from DNA library to data in as little as 24 hours with only 45 minutes of total hands-on time when paired with the Genetron Chef System. Our NMPA approved Genetron Chef System is a workflow simplification product that incorporates all steps of library preparation and all steps of template preparation and chip loading. In addition, we developed a simple One-Step library preparation method that offers a fast and efficient procedure for the preparation of high-quality libraries in as little as 1.5 hours from as little as 10ng input samples. Genetron S5 provides a faster and easier way to promote genomic research.

Genetron S2000 Platform

Genetron S2000, approved by the NMPA on February 5, 2020, is a comprehensive and flexible production-scale sequencer manufactured under OEM model. Genetron S2000 adopts an innovative “flow cell” system that can support various sequencing modes, and an optimized optical and biochemical system which enables the whole sequencing process to be completed within a short period of time, offering the user a simplified and streamlined sequencing experience. It provides two types of Flow Cell and several read length options (including but not limited to SE50, SE100, SE400, PE100, PE150, PE200). The data output could range from 55G to 1440G. Genetron S2000 could support different sequencing application such as whole genome sequencing, WES and focused gene sequencing.

Leveraging Genetron S5 Platform, Genetron Chef System and Genetron S2000 Platform, which target different sequencing capabilities, we are expecting to further develop a wide range of IVD assays.

8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue)

8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue) is an assay developed based on our One-Step Seq^TM technology platform for the qualitative detection of biomarkers of non-small cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”) biomarkers, the most common type of lung cancer. It was approved by the NMPA on February 6, 2020. NSCLC biomarkers include mutations of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), KRAS, BRAF, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) and PIK3CA genes in the DNA, combination of the ALK and ROS1 translocation mutations and MET exon 14 skipping (METex14) mutation in the RNA. Several targeted therapy drugs have been approved and recognized by the NCCN as an effective clinical treatment of NSCLC. Through the identification of the presence or absence of any such NSCLC biomarkers, the 8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue) provides insights to physicians to select targeted clinical drug therapy and monitor its potential efficacy.

8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue) is compatible with both DA8600 (Ion Proton) and Genetron S5 sequencing platforms. The sequencing library is prepared using the multiplex PCR technique, specifically targeting the corresponding mutation hotspots related to these NSCLC biomarkers. The DNA or RNA library preparation process only requires one single PCR amplification and a purification. We have also developed a proprietary software for 8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue) to be used together with our Genetron S5 platform. The software analyzes data generated from the assay and generates test reports with simple clicks.

We believe that our 8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue) has the following advantages:

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IVD Assays Under Development

ctDNA Lung Cancer Assay

We have also developed our ctDNA Lung Cancer assay based on our One-Step Seq^TM ctDNA technology platform, testing patients’ peripheral blood samples for mutations in the EGFR gene. This IVD product is currently at the clinical trial stage. The EGFR gene is located at the short arm of chromosome 7. Mutations in the EGFR gene are widely regarded as one of the most common cancer biomarkers in NSCLC patients, with most of EGFR mutations located in exons 18, 19, 20 and 21. Our ctDNA Lung Cancer Assay is for the qualitative detection of ten EGFR mutations that occur in exons 18, 19, 20 and 21.

We have also developed a proprietary software for ctDNA lung cancer assays to be used together with our Genetron S5 platform. The software analyzes data from the assay, detects SNVs and InDels and other variants and generates test reports with simple clicks.

EARLY SCREENING SERVICES

We believe that there is a significant market demand for early screening services and products that allow the development of precision oncology to cover early stage cancers, which would allow physicians to precisely detect and select appropriate interventions at the appropriate stages in the disease’s evolution.

HCCscreen^TM: Milestone of Our Liver Cancer Early Screening Products and Services Development

Our Proprietary Assay

Through Mutation Capsule^TM, our proprietary early screening technology platform, we have developed HCCscreen^TM to enable early detection of liver cancer. HCCscreen^TM is a liquid biopsy assay developed to identify HCCs from the surface antigen of the HBV (HBsAg) positive asymptomatic individuals. Our HCCscreen^TM assay detects ctDNA mutations and methylations, as well as protein biomarkers. The combination of these markers enabled outstanding performance of the assay in a cohort of asymptomatic HBV carriers in a large clinical study. We have been collaborating with the National Cancer Center in China on a multi-center prospective study, named the “HCCscreen^TM Investigational Study” (“HIT Study”), since 2019. Among a total of 1,615 HBsAg+ individuals that completed the follow-up phase by February 2021, the primary outcome showed that HCCscreen^TM achieved 88% sensitivity and 93% specificity, compared with 71% sensitivity and 95% specificity, respectively, by ultrasound plus alpha-fetoprotein (“AFP”) combined. HCCscreen^TM also achieved 40.9% positive predictive value (“PPV”) and 99.3% negative predictive value (“NPV”). The study results are summarized in the following tables:

Table 1. HIT Results: Genetron HCCscreen^TM Final Analysis (N=1,615)

Table 2. HIT Results: Ultrasound + AFP Final Analysis (N=1615)

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Furthermore, stratified by tumor size, 49% (28/57) of the cases identified by HCCscreen^TM were in early stage, i.e. <3cm. These patients are expected to have much better prognosis than patients with advanced cancer. Additionally, HCCscreen^TM achieved sensitivities of 85% for tumor sizes of <3cm, 96% for 3-5cm, and 88% for >5cm. The results are summarized in the following table:

Table 3. HIT Results: Genetron HCCscreen^TM Sensitivities by Tumor Size

Previously, we reported preliminary analysis results from the first 297 patients enrolled in the study. Compared with the preliminary results, the confidence interval of sensitivity had improved from 62%-100% to 80%-94%, and the confidence interval of specificity had improved from 89%-96% to 91%-94%. The preliminary study results are summarized in the following table:

Table 4. HIT Results: Genetron HCCscreen^TM Preliminary Data (N=297)

We believe that HCCscreen^TM has the following advantages:

Our Development Efforts

We have joined the “AIDS, Hepatitis and Other Major Infectious Disease Control and Prevention” project, one of the 2020 Major National Science and Technology Projects led by the MOST. Specifically, we are responsible for identification and development of biomarkers for early liver cancer detection and the validation of liver cancer early screening assay products. Any products developed through this project will earn green channel fast-track review status with NMPA.

In August 2020, we started participating in the launch of a major national research project for early screening of lung and digestive system cancers led by the MOST. The project is designed to include a multi-center, prospective cohort study in lung cancer of 120,000 high-risk individuals in 20 provinces, as well as a cohort study in digestive system cancer of more than 100,000 patients in urban areas in China. We are the only company in China involved in national key research and development projects for liver, lung and digestive cancer early screening.

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In September 2020, we received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”)’s Breakthrough Device designation for HCCscreen^TM, and we have started commercializing the product as an LDT in China in 2020. Since November 2020, we have been working with Wuxi municipal government (“Wuxi”) on the “Liver Cancer Early Screening Comprehensive Prevention and Control Project” (the “Wuxi Project”), a public health initiative administered by the National Cancer Center (“NCC”) in China. The goal of the Wuxi Project is to increase the awareness of liver cancer early screening, and to become a pilot city model in China. For the Wuxi Project, Wuxi has selected HCCscreen^TM for use by local residents who are high-risk individuals for HCC, and is committed to administering 150,000 tests over a period of three years. Separately, we have formed a new operating center through a joint venture agreement with Wuxi, in which the parties are closely collaborating on advancing the liver cancer early screening market in China, through the adoption of HCCscreen^TM. Under this joint venture agreement, both parties will contribute capital, and we will own 90% of the joint venture. In addition to the commitment of using HCCscreen^TM for its residents, Wuxi will also provide us with other supportive measures including rental, R&D subsidies and tax benefits.

As we continue to accumulate high quality data with clinical relevance through our comprehensive diagnostic and early screening products and services, we believe we will be better positioned to develop early screening assays covering additional cancer types such as lung and digestive cancers. We believe early screening will not only benefit clinical outcomes but also benefit biopharmaceutical companies by identifying a much larger at-risk patient population who may benefit from early therapeutic intervention or from preventative medicines.

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Our leading position in precision oncology has attracted biopharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and research institutions to establish collaborations with us. We partner with hospitals, research institutions and biopharmaceutical companies in China and globally to serve their needs in genomics research and clinical development. As of December 31, 2020, we had collaborated with 35 biopharmaceutical companies. We are able to provide support to pharmaceutical companies across many applications, including discovery of new targets and mechanisms of acquired resistance, retrospective sample analysis to rapidly identify biomarkers associated with response and lack of response, prospective screening and patient referral to accelerate clinical trial enrollment, and companion diagnostic development to support the approval and commercialization of therapeutics. By doing so, we have stayed at the forefront of the development of targeted drugs, providing us with insights in the latest developments in the industry, which will assist us in exploring future commercialization opportunities. Our products and services may be used by biopharmaceutical companies for a range of applications, including biomarker evaluation for molecularly targeted therapy and immuno-therapy, clinical trial enrollment, companion diagnostics development and joint marketing post-drug approval. Our strong technology infrastructure is particularly suitable for collaboration with biopharmaceutical companies. For instance, we developed FusionScan, a customized technology based on a biopharmaceutical company’s request for comprehensive and efficient detection of actionable translocation mutations. With a reverse transcription and two PCR reactions, the FusionScan technology can efficiently detect translocations with high sensitivity and low cost. It can detect de novo translocation mutations without having to know the other segment fused to the target gene like NTRK or FGFR. Our experienced IVD registration capacity and robust commercial capabilities are appealing to biopharmaceutical companies as well. We believe our collaboration with biopharmaceutical companies will also build evidence of clinical utility for our platform as an effective diagnostic tool for advanced cancer therapies. Our biopharmaceutical company partners include global pharmaceutical companies as well as innovative biopharmaceutical companies in China, such as AstraZeneca China, Bayer, Roche China, CStone, InnoCare, Alphamab Oncology, Fosun Pharma, Henlius and EdiGene. We also provide sequencing services to other similar genomic testing institutions as part of our development services.

OUR PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGIES

We believe our technologies, supported by our owned and licensed patents, together with our trade secrets and industrial know-hows, have set us apart from our competitors and made us a leader in cancer genomics, and more broadly, precision oncology medicine. Our core technologies, especially our proprietary Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method, liquid biopsy low-frequency mutation detection technology and Mutation Capsule^TM have enabled us to continuously deliver high-quality results while minimizing cost, operational complexity and operational turnaround time.

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Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method

Applicable to small to medium gene panels, our One-Step Seq^TM library construction is based on one-step multiplex PCR technology, which simplifies traditional technologies to a fast and convenient process. The traditional library construction technology involves a multiple-step process: construction of genomic library followed by hybridization-based enrichment of the target region, or multiplex PCR to amplify the target region and then adding adaptors to the PCR product. These strategies need complicated experiments with more than ten steps. Contamination could happen in the steps before the DNA is amplified. The One-Step Seq^TM Method allows a DNA library to be prepared directly through a one-step multiplex PCR reaction, minimizing the labor and the risk of contamination. The One-Step Seq^TM Method uses the Qubit method for library quantitation instead of qPCR, which requires much less cost and time than the qPCR quantitation required for the library constructed by amplicon based sequencing and other traditional methods. A brief comparison of Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method against hybridization based capture and amplicon based sequencing is shown below:

Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method achieves automatic chemical reaction. The primers and adaptors are mixed with DNA sample in one tube for the multiplex PCR reaction. The primers are specially modified with a special molecule linked to the DNA. Taking into consideration the balance among primer pairs, we have built a program to design up to 10,000 pairs of primers in parallel, which is key to its superior performance. We have optimized the program through numerous rounds of experiments and are able to design the primers with a higher success rate. In addition, the reaction buffer, enzyme, and the PCR program have all been optimized with our extensive know-how.

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A brief explanation of our One-Step Seq^TM Method is shown below:

We believe that our One-Step Seq^TM Method has the following advantages compared to traditional DNA sequencing process when applied to small to medium gene panels and can therefore contribute significant value at the clinical application stage:

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The following comparison chart illustrates the advantages and limitations using different methods:

We have successfully applied Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method into certain of our pipeline IVD products, such as 8-gene Lung Cancer Assay and ctDNA Lung Cancer Assay. In March 2020, we entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with MGI, under which MGI will integrate our One-Step Seq^TM technology-enabled assays with its DNBSEQ-G400 and DNBSEQ-G50 platforms. Such strategic collaboration will enable both parties to jointly explore the overseas market. As of December 31, 2020, our One-Step Seq^TM technology has enabled commercial assays on two out of three mainstream sequencing platforms, including Thermo Fisher Scientific and MGI. Leveraging the advantages of Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method, our IVD products are particularly suitable for hospitals to carry out their own tests.

Liquid Biopsy Low-Frequency Mutation Detection Technology

Biomarkers like EGFR mutation are critical for the diagnosis and treatment selection of cancer patients. In the absence of tumor tissue samples, detection of the mutations from the ctDNA in the blood, urine and CSF of the cancer patient is still possible. However, the mutation frequency could be much lower in these sources of samples. As such, a more sensitive technology is required for the detection of mutations in ctDNA. We are well experienced in ctDNA detection technology, and have developed multiple products to detect low frequency mutations.

We have integrated the DNA-barcode based technology into the One-Step Seq^TM platform. By adding a special DNA barcode between the amplified DNA molecule and the adaptor, the false positive errors from PCR amplification and next generation sequencing would be efficiently filtered so that we can detect low-frequency mutations with high fidelity. Meanwhile, the Genetron One-Step Seq^TM process minimizes loss of original ctDNA molecule during library construction. The limited ctDNA yield of the testing sample is one of the primary impediments of ctDNA based liquid biopsy, and higher transfer rate from ctDNA sample to detectable library means higher sensitivity to detect mutations. In this case, the combination of DNA-barcode technology and One-Step Seq^TM process provide high sensitivity and specificity to detect low fraction mutations in ctDNA. The integration of the two technologies is particularly challenging to organize a series of molecular biology reactions, including amplification of target region, addition of barcode, and addition of adaptor, to take place in order, with all the reagents and primers mixed in the same tube.

We currently apply liquid biopsy low-frequency mutation detection technology in the following areas, all of which have achieved a high sensitivity and specificity yield and our assays are able to detect 0.05% mutation:

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Mutation Capsule^TM Technology

We have developed Mutation Capsule^TM, an early screening technology, that combines the detection of genomic mutations and methylation alterations in one reaction of one sample. Compared to technologies that only detect a subset of alterations, Mutation Capsule^TM technology can detect a broad spectrum of ctDNA alterations, including simple mutations, such as SNVs and InDels, complicated mutations, such as translocations, HBV integrations and CNVs and methylation changes. The parallel profiling of genomic and epigenetic alterations in a single reaction enables comprehensive profiling of ctDNA biomarkers with minimal sample requirement. In addition, Mutation Capsule^TM technology supports multiple tests of one ctDNA sample without having to split samples and sacrificing sensitivity. To achieve this, we add DNA barcode and amplify ctDNA to generate a “mutation capsule library” (“MC Library”), which supports up to ten tests on different panels of biomarkers. After a test, the remaining MC Library could be used to detect new biomarkers in future test plans. The sensitivity of each test on the MC Library is generally equivalent to the initial test directly on the original ctDNA sample, which could directly reflect mutation of the original DNA. In this case, a ctDNA sample collected in one study could be used to test new biomarkers in multiple different studies. One major hurdle of performing liquid biopsy study is not only to acquire blood samples, but also to track the individual to know the clinical outcome. With Mutation Capsule^TM technology, clinical outcome of one study could benefit multiple studies. Moreover, certain new studies could be completed even without collecting and tracking new samples or cohorts. We believe our proprietary Mutation Capsule^TM technology significantly saves our time and costs associated with future clinical trials and research studies and will increase the efficiency of our R&D efforts.

Furthermore, the MC Library supports both amplification and hybridization-based capture to enrich target region, which allows us to study a wide range of panel sizes. Even at panel size as small as 10Kb, this technology keeps high (>80%) on-target rate, significantly increasing the efficiency of sequencing and lowering the cost. The DNA barcode added to the ctDNA molecule, in combination with our bioinformatic program, will filter false positive mutations from amplification and sequencing.

The following table reflects comparisons of different sequencing technologies:

The combination of these characteristics makes Mutation Capsule^TM well suited for cancer early detection studies—low cost yet high sensitivity. In addition, multiple types of ctDNA alterations can be detected in one reaction, and one sample can be used in multiple studies with different panels of biomarkers tested.

Bioinformatics

Integration of AI and big data analytics approaches such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing to tackle the challenges of scalability and high dimensionality of data and to transform big data into clinically actionable knowledge is expanding and becoming the foundation of precision oncology. Our AI technology is able to automatically analyze DNA sequencing data to generate a ready-to-read data report.

As part of our AI technology capabilities and building on years of experience working with our patients, we have generated high quality genomic data, which contains approximately 157,000 accumulated tissue and blood genomic test results. We believe we also have one of the world’s largest brain tumor genomic databases containing data of approximately 23,000 cases, which comprises quality samples that have been compared and cross-referenced with the patient’s personal medical history to ensure their clinical significance and accuracy. Our database will continue to grow along with the increasing number of tests we conducted, enabling us to continuously refine our database and enhance its predictive capability.

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As an important part of our bioinformatics platform, we have developed our own algorithms to optimize the process for variant calling in most of our NGS products. Compared to other popular and published variant callers, our algorithm increased sensitivity from 95.6% to 97.9% and precision from 97.4% to 98.6% on the benchmark data. It can also reduce about half the false negative calls and false positive calls generated from other variant callers. Our variant calling platform is at least 50% faster than other commercial software.

The figures below show the precision-recall curves for calling SNVs and InDels on benchmark data for our variant caller – UVC, in comparison to three other commercially available variant callers. For each variant caller, the pair of sensitivity and precision that achieved the best F-score is marked with a dot.

We also developed an automated variant reviewer, mutNET, to replace the manual variant review process based on a machine learning framework. mutNET reduced the variability due to human judgment during the manual review process and cut down 95% of the review time.

The below graph illustrates the workflow and performance of mutNET in our somatic mutation calling pipeline for whole exome sequencing data.

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Further, we have applied AI technologies in the development of diagnostic tests for detecting early stage cancers. We applied advanced machine learning technologies to integrate different types of biomarkers for an algorithm, to select key biomarkers for a simple assay for large-scale application, and to optimize our model and product of cancer early detection with enlarged cohort studies. We also trained our bioinformatics pipeline with our evaluation of mutations from clinical outcome to call low-frequency mutations with higher fidelity. These approaches led to increased accuracy of our early screening services. Our diagnostic classifier, a method to detect early stage cancers currently based on our algorithm for liver cancer, was published in PNAS.

OUR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CAPACITIES

We believe our continued research and development is the key driving force behind our long-term competitiveness, as well as our future growth and development. Our overall objective is to continuously broaden the spectrum of our services and products in order to detect a wider range of cancers and to optimize the treatment of cancer.

Our industry leading research team and achievements

Our R&D capacities are supported by our research and development team led by scientists at the forefront of cancer genomics research. Dr. Hai Yan, our Chief Scientific Officer, and Dr. Yuchen Jiao, our Chief Technology Officer, lead our in-house research and development team consisting of 184 researchers and scientists, including 27 Ph.D. degree holders and 104 Master’s degree holders across medical, pharmaceutical, molecular biology, biotechnology and other related areas. Dr. Hai Yan obtained his M.D. from Peking University Health Center and his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Columbia University and received his postdoctoral training in Dr. Bert Vogelstein Laboratory at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Yan has published over 100 articles in peer reviewed journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, and Science, as the first or corresponding authors. Dr. Yuchen Jiao obtained his M.D. from Peking Union Medical College and his Ph.D. in biological chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Jiao also had his postdocoral training at Dr. Bert Vogelstein Laboratory at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research has been published in multiple renowned academic journals such as Science and Nature Genetics. In addition, we have established R&D centers in Maryland and Beijing.

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Our research and development capabilities are well-recognized in the industry. We have obtained an approval from the National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC to establish a national demonstration center for cancer genomic testing technologies. As of June 2020, we were the number one NGS-based cancer diagnosis and monitoring companies in the PRC in terms of the number of articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals with impact factor over 12, according to Frost & Sullivan.

The table below summarizes some of our research collaborations and the related journal publications:

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Our research and development capabilities are also acknowledged by the government. As a leading precision oncology company, we are accredited as a National High-Tech Enterprise, after being evaluated at all factors, including core independent intellectual property rights and the ability to apply the scientific and technological achievements.

R&D Plan

We have developed innovative technology platforms since our inception, including Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method, ctDNA low frequency mutations detection technology and Mutation Capsule^TM. We are fully committed to investing in R&D to develop new clinical services and IVD products. In the next three to five years, we expect to focus our near-term R&D efforts on early screening and seek NMPA registration of IVD products covering early screening of liver cancer, lung cancer, digestive cancer and multi-cancer, as well as diagnosis monitoring products such as large-panels, and other blood-based MRD and NGS assays.

R&D Expenses

We have invested RMB71.4 million, RMB91.7 million and RMB149.0 million (US$22.8 million) in research and development for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, accounting for 53.9%, 51.4% and 90.7% of cost of revenue, demonstrating our strong commitment in R&D.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Protection of our intellectual property is fundamental to the long- term success of our business. Specifically, our success is dependent on our ability to obtain and maintain protection for our technology and the know-how related to our business, defend and enforce our intellectual property rights, and operate our business without infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating valid and enforceable intellectual property rights of others.

Our patent strategy is focused on seeking coverage for our core technology, such as one-step library construction method, our sequencing platform, our assay, and specific follow-on applications and implementations for detecting, monitoring and early screening cancer or other diseases by determining genetic variations in patient samples. In addition, we file for patent protection on our ongoing research and development which may be applicable in cancer cases and other diseases.

As of December 31, 2020, we have seven issued patents and 22 pending patent applications in China, and have ten international patent applications under the PCT. Our patents cover our key technologies, including Genetron One-Step Seq^TM Method (patent number 201710218529.4) and liquid biopsy library construction sequencing analysis. We also own 90 registered trademarks, copyrights to 49 software programs developed by us relating to various aspects of our operations, and nine registered domain names as of December 31, 2020.

Our key patents and patent applications include:

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We obtained an exclusive worldwide license from a leading research institution under certain patent rights make, use and sell products related to TERT mutation analysis.

We seek to ensure that investments made into the development of our technology are protected by relying on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, including know-how, license agreements, confidentiality agreements and procedures, non-disclosure agreements with third parties, employee disclosure and invention assignment agreements and other contractual rights. We have also employed internal policies, confidentiality agreements, encryptions and data security measures to protect our proprietary rights. However, there can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful. Even if our efforts are successful, we may incur significant costs in defending our rights. From time to time, third parties may initiate litigation against us alleging our infringement of their proprietary rights or declaring their non-infringement of our intellectual property rights. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property”.

OUR MANUFACTURING AND TESTING CAPACITY

Our Manufacturing Facilities

We use OEM model to manufacture our sequencing instruments, and all our assays are manufactured in-house. We carry out our manufacturing activities at two facilities located in Beijing and Chongqing. Our Beijing manufacturing facility has a total gross floor area of 402 square meters and is responsible for the production of our assays. Beijing manufacturing facility has designed annual production capacity of 100,000 assays with utilization rate being approximately 16%, 36% and 77% in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Our Chongqing manufacturing facility mainly assembles and manufactures medical devices and has a designed annual production capacity of 500 sequencing platforms. Utilization rate of Chongqing manufacturing facility was approximately 6.00%, 9.78% and 19.11% in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. The manufacturing process of our medical devices takes approximately ten days while the manufacturing of our assays typically takes one month.

Our Testing Facilities

We have four clinical laboratories located at Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou, China, and one in Maryland, USA. Our clinical laboratories are equipped with sequencing platforms to support our cancer molecular profiling services. Our sequencing instruments include such as Illumina Novaseq 6000 and HiSeq XTen, as well as Thermo Fisher S5 Plus and BGI SEQ2000. As we progress with the construction of our new operating center in Wuxi, another clinical laboratory will also be included as part of the building plan.

All our clinical laboratories in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou have conducted registrations and obtained the Medical Institution Practicing License. In addition, all these clinical laboratories other than the Guangzhou laboratory, which was recently established, are authorized to perform PCR amplification for clinical use. Our clinical laboratory in Beijing has obtained comprehensive panel accreditation under the CLIA from the CMS and certification from the CAP. In addition, each of our above mentioned clinical laboratories has obtained NCCL EQA Certifications in various aspects, including our high-throughput sequencing and our bioinformatics platforms. In particular, our above mentioned clinical laboratories have passed over 190 national and provincial clinical laboratory EQA tests since our inception, covering germline, comprehensive panel and liquid biopsy testing and bioinformatics, demonstrating our dedication to the highest service quality. Furthermore, our Beijing manufacturing facility has achieved ISO 15189:2012 certification, ISO 13485: 2016 certification and ISO 9001 2015 certification. Both Beijing manufacturing facility and Chongqing platform manufacturing facility have passed verification of quality management system for medical device registration. In late December 2019, an expert panel authorized by National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Guangdong Bureau reviewed Onco PanScan^TM (TS), a comprehensive gene panel testing service proposed to be conducted through our Guangzhou lab, and recommended Onco PanScan^TM (TS) for pilot run. Our Maryland lab in the US is also CLIA-certified.

Quality Control

We believe that an effective quality management system is critical to ensuring the quality of our products and services. We have established an in-house quality management system and devoted significant attention to quality control of our raw materials, equipment, products and services. We have established detailed quality control and assurance procedures guiding our internal production and external purchase of raw materials and equipment. We purchase our raw materials and equipment only from selected reputable suppliers. In addition, to ensure high product quality, we have implemented a “quality-by-design” approach pursuant to which manufacturing processes are designed during the research and development stage and quality control processes are continuously monitored. Furthermore, our Beijing manufacturing facility has achieved ISO 15189:2012 certification, ISO 13485: 2016 certification and ISO 9001 2015 certification. Both Beijing assays manufacturing facility and Chongqing platform manufacturing facility have met the requirements under GMP of medical devices. In addition, each of our medical devices, including platforms such as Genetron 3D biochip reading instrument, Genetron S5, Genetron Chef, and Genetron S2000 and assays such as IDH1 assay, TERT assay, and 8-gene Lung Cancer Assay (Tissue), has also satisfied such requirements. We are one of the first precision oncology companies in China that obtained both CAP accreditation and CLIA certification for NGS platform, according to Frost & Sullivan.

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Supply of Raw Materials and Components

We have a dedicated team to procure required components to meet specific requirements of our hardware products. The primary raw materials and components used in our laboratories for our LDT services and IVD products include medical device sub-components and reagents such as enzymes, plasmid and buffer solution. We procure our raw materials from suppliers in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, South Africa, Netherlands and Singapore, which we believe have sufficient capacity to meet our commercial needs. We maintain a list of raw material suppliers and review their qualifications on an annual basis by taking into consideration the results of our on-site evaluation of their production facilities, to the extent applicable, as well as factors such as their product quality, business scale, market share and reputation. To monitor the quality of supplies, we implement a standardized operating system by setting out the procedures and guidelines on the procurement of raw materials, quality control inspection, warehousing, testing and storage. In addition, from time to time, we procure genomics sequencing machines. During the past three years, we have not experienced any material shortages or delays in the supply of raw materials. The experience with our suppliers during past four years has provided us confidence in their ability to produce consistent and quality instrumentation, reagents and materials.

We have taken active measures to control the increases in procurement costs. For example, we enter into long-term framework supply agreements with our major suppliers to secure sufficient raw materials and lock the prices of raw materials for the upcoming financial year. We also purchase manufacturing equipment and tools from multiple suppliers to ensure we maintain stable supply at reasonable prices. Furthermore, we are conducting research on certain key raw materials, and upon completion of our research, we seek to manufacture these raw materials in-house to control cost and quality. During the past three years, we had not experienced any material fluctuations in raw material costs that had a material impact on our results of operations.

License and Supply Agreement

In January 2018, we entered into a license and supply agreement with an international NGS instrument manufacturer (the “International Licensor”), pursuant to which the International Licensor granted a license for us to manufacture a localized version of the International Licensor’s next generation sequencing instruments and diagnostic assays and the International Licensor provides certain sequencers, equipment and other materials that we use in our laboratory operations. During the term of the license and supply agreement, the International Licensor will supply us with sequencing instruments, software, reagents and other consumables for use with the International Licensor instruments.

During the term of the license and supply agreement, we are required to make a rolling quarterly forecast of our expected needs for sequencing instruments, reagents and other consumables for the following four quarters, and place purchase orders for sequencing instruments, reagents and other consumables. Subject to discounts that vary depending on the volume ordered and an annual price adjustment, the price for instruments, reagents and other consumables is based on contract prices that are fixed for a set period of time and may increase in proportion to increases in the International Licensor’s published US list price for equivalent products. The license and supply agreement includes a minimum purchase requirement and requires us to source substantially similar products from the International Licensor.

The agreement contains negotiated use limitations, representations and warranties, indemnification, limitations of liability, and other provisions. The initial term of the license and supply agreement is five years and may be renewed by written mutual agreement. Either we or the International Licensor may terminate the license and supply agreement for the other’s uncured material breach, bankruptcy or insolvency-related events.

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OEM Collaboration Agreement

In December 2018, we entered into an OEM cooperation agreement with a domestic NGS instrument manufacturer (the “Domestic Licensor”), for it to provide certain sequencers, equipment and other materials that we use in our laboratory operations and grant a license allowing us to assemble and manufacture instruments and consumables. During the term of the OEM cooperation agreement, the Domestic Licensor will supply us with sequencing instruments, reagents and other consumables for use with the Domestic Licensor instruments.

During the term of the OEM cooperation agreement, we are required to make a rolling monthly forecast of our expected needs for reagents and other consumables for the following three months, and place purchase orders for instruments, reagents and other consumables. The Domestic Licensor may not unreasonably reject conforming purchase orders. Subject to discounts that vary depending on the volume of instruments and consumables ordered, the price for instruments, reagents and other consumables is based on contract prices that are fixed for a set period of time. The OEM cooperation agreement includes a minimum purchase requirement.

The agreement contains negotiated use limitations, representations and warranties, indemnification, limitations of liability, and other provisions. The initial term of the OEM cooperation agreement is six years (or five years starting from the date when we obtain the regulatory approval for the instruments) and may be renewed by written mutual agreement. Either we or the Domestic Licensor may terminate the OEM cooperation agreement for the other’s uncured material breach, bankruptcy or insolvency-related events, acquisition by competitors or unpermitted assignment.

SALES AND MARKETING

As of December 31, 2020, we have established a robust sales and marketing team of approximately 260 members, consisting of both sales team and marketing team, to provide doctors, patients and other clients with the customized support. Since 2017 and as of December 31, 2020, we had provided products and services to patients in over 500 hospitals in China. We have also established an external sales network of distributors, covering tier-three and tier-four cities in China. In addition, our commercialization efforts are facilitated by our dedicated marketing team, responsible for promoting our services and products, ideas and mission of our company, through both online platforms and offline channels, to our existing customers and potential new customers. Our marketing team will also co-sponsor or organize medical summits, conferences and seminars to promote and raise awareness of the clinical application of precision oncology among physicians and patients.

Direct Sales

As of December 31, 2020, our direct sales team covers over 37 cities, including four tier-one cities, located in more than 27 provinces in China.

The majority of our business is derived from direct sales to patients, which is divided into three business units, focusing on diagnosis and monitoring services, early screening services and development services, respectively.

We believe that the precision oncology market requires further education and guidance on the benefits of genomic screening of cancer. In this regard, our sales and marketing team is well-positioned to guide and educate the market, driving market penetration in the markets we selected. In anticipation of our business expansion and as more of our pipeline products obtain approval for commercialization, we plan to further expand our sales and marketing force in the next few years.

Sales through Distributors

In addition to our direct sales, we also sell our products, primarily IVD products, to hospitals through our distributors. We monitor the sales activities of our independent third-party distributors from time to time, including the levels of inventory of IVD assays and sequencing platforms at our distributors. We believe that our distribution model is consistent with customary industry practice and serves to complement our direct sales. In particular, to provide a wider and more comprehensive sales network, we engage our distributors mainly to penetrate into tier-three or tier-four cities in China. Combining both our sales and marketing team and our distributors network, we believe we are able to provide a more comprehensive sales network within China compared to our peers.

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COMPETITION

Growing understanding of the importance and effectiveness of precision oncology medicine is leading to more companies offering services and products in the industry. In the China market, due to various regulations, we are mainly competing with domestic players. Our competitors may include companies providing cancer molecular profiling, third-party service providers specializing in diagnosis and monitoring services, and upstream suppliers. We primarily compete on a number of factors, including efficiency and turnaround time for report preparation, support by KOLs, our product pipelines, technology platforms, ability to commercialize products, strong R&D and IVD registration capabilities.

We expect the competition in the precision oncology market to persist and intensify. Our competitors may announce or develop new clinical services, products or enhancements that allow for a more precise detection and/ or quicker turnaround. They may also establish clinical trial sites or conduct preclinical testing and clinical trials with new scientific approaches that better cater for the medical needs of patients. We believe our comprehensive LDT services, deep IVD registration pipeline and R&D capability form a barrier to entry and provide us with competitive advantages. However, we cannot assure that we will continue to compete effectively. For more information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks relating to Our Business and Industry—We may face intense competition and our competitors may develop similar, but more advanced services and products than ours, which may adversely affect our business and financial conditions.”

PROPERTIES AND FACILITIES

We are headquartered in Beijing, China and have material offices and clinical laboratories in Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, China and Maryland, USA. As of December 31, 2020, we had leased office space, plants and clinical laboratories for our material facilities as summarized below. We lease our premises under operating lease agreements from independent third parties. We believe that our existing facilities are generally adequate to meet our current needs, but we expect to seek additional space as needed to accommodate future growth.

INSURANCE

We provide social security insurance including pension insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and medical insurance for our employees. We do not maintain property insurance to protect our equipment and other properties essential to our business operation against risks and unexpected events. We do not maintain business interruption insurance or general third-party liability insurance, nor do we maintain product liability insurance or “key person” insurance. We consider our insurance coverage sufficient and in line with market practice for our business operations in China.

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LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are currently not a party to material legal or administrative proceedings. We may from time to time be subject to various legal or administrative claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Litigation or any other legal or administrative proceeding, regardless of the outcome, is likely to result in substantial cost and diversion of our resources, including our management’s time and attention. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Operations—Allegations or lawsuits against us or our management may harm our reputation and business.”

PRC REGULATION

This section sets forth a summary of the principal PRC laws, rules and regulations relevant to our business and operation in China.

Major Regulatory Authorities relating to Our Business in the PRC

The National Health Commission of the PRC (the “NHC”), formerly known as National Health and Family Planning Commission (the “NHFPC”), is responsible for, among others, formulating and implementing regulations relating to medical institutions, medical services and medical technologies. In particular, the medical test laboratories and clinical gene amplification test laboratories established for genomic testing services, and the medical technologies used in genomic testing services are under supervision of NHC.

The National Medical Products Administration (the “NMPA”), under and supervised by the State Administration for Market Regulation, was established to undertake part of duties of the former China Food and Drug Administration (the “CFDA”). NMPA is responsible for, among others, formulating and implementing regulations relating to research, manufacturing, operation, distribution, quality control, usage and registration of medical devices. In-vitro diagnostic reagents, gene sequencers or software relating to genomic testing services shall be deemed as medical devices and supervised by NMPA and its local counterparts.

The Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC (the “MOST”) is responsible for regulating the collection, preservation, utilization and outbound provision of human genetic resources.

Regulations relating to Laboratories

Medical Test Laboratories

According to the Administrative Regulations on Medical Institutions, promulgated by the State Council, effective on September 1, 1994, and amended on February 6, 2016, and the Implementation Measures of the Administrative Regulations on Medical Institutions, effective on September 1, 1994, latest amended by NHFPC and effective from April 1, 2017, any entity or individual which intends to establish and operate a medical institution shall apply for an approval from NHC or its local counterparts to obtain a Medical Institution Practicing License.

According to the Basic Standards and Practice of Medical Test Laboratory, promulgated by NHFPC and effective from July 20, 2016, a medical test laboratory, which conducts clinical tests, including clinical hematology tests and body fluid tests, clinical chemistry tests, clinical immunology tests, clinical microbiology tests, clinical molecular cytogenetic tests and clinical pathology tests, for the purpose of diagnosis, management, prevention or treatment of diseases and health assessment, shall be regulated as a medical institution. The establishment and operation of a medical test laboratory shall apply for an approval from NHC or its local counterparts to obtain a Medical Institution Practicing License. We had established four medical test laboratories in PRC with Medical Institution Practicing License as of the date of this annual report.

Clinical Gene Amplification Test Laboratories

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Clinical Gene Amplification Test Laboratories of Medical Institutions, promulgated by the Ministry of Health, the former of NHFPC, and effective from December 6, 2010, and the Catalogue of Clinical Laboratory Items for Medical Institutions (2013) promulgated by NHFPC on August 5, 2013, or Testing Items Catalogue, the NHC at the provincial level is responsible for the supervision and administration of clinical gene amplification test laboratories of medical institutions. A clinical gene amplification test laboratory shall register its clinical testing items with the NHC at the provincial level after technical verification passed by the center for clinical laboratories at the provincial level. In the event that any clinical testing items conducted by any clinical gene amplification test laboratory exceed the scope of clinical test items registered with the NHC, or clinical testing reagents used by any clinical gene amplification test laboratory for clinical gene amplification test are not registered with the NMPA, such laboratory may potentially be required to suspend its business of clinical gene amplification testing. In addition, pursuant to the Notice on Issues Related to the Management of Clinical Laboratory Items, or Circular 167, promulgated by the NHFPC on February 25, 2016, the clinical testing items which are not included in the Testing Items Catalogue, but with clear clinical significance, relatively high specificity and sensitivity, and reasonable price, shall be validated in time to meet clinical needs.

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Pathogenic Microorganism Laboratories

Pursuant to the Regulations on Administration of Bio-safety in Pathogenic Microorganism Laboratories, promulgated by the State Council, effective on November 12, 2004, and latest amended on March 19, 2018, pathogenic microorganism laboratories are classified into four levels, namely bio-safety levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 in terms of bio-safety protection levels in accordance with national standards on biosafety of laboratories. Laboratories at bio-safety levels 1 and 2 shall not engage in laboratory activities related to highly pathogenic microorganisms. The construction, alternation or expansion of a laboratory at bio-safety level 1 or 2 shall be filed for record with the local counterparts of NHC. The entity launched a pathogenic microorganism laboratory shall develop a scientific and strict management system, regularly inspect the implementation of the regulations on bio-safety, and regularly inspect, maintain and update the facilities, equipment and materials in the laboratory, to ensure its compliance with the national standards.

Regulations relating to Medical Technologies

Pursuant to the Administration Measures for the Clinical Application of Medical Technologies promulgated by NHC on August 13, 2018 and effective from November 1, 2018, a negative list will be set up regarding the clinical application of medical technologies, which are classified into two categories: “restricted” and “prohibited”. Any medical institution shall refrain from conduct any clinical application of medical technologies that fall within the “prohibited” category, while a medical institution which engages in clinical application of medical technologies falling within the “restricted” category shall file with the NHC or its local counterpart within fifteen working days after the first clinical application of such technologies. In addition, pursuant to the Notice of Strengthening the Administration of Products and Technologies Relating to Clinical Gene Sequencing, jointly promulgated by General Office of NHFPC and CFDA on February 9, 2014, no medical institutions may apply gene sequencing technologies or products for clinical use before the issuance of relevant access standards and management regulations.

Regulations relating to Medical Devices

The manufacturing, using and operation of medical devices in China are subject to extensive regulations.

Pursuant to the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Medical Devices (the “Medical Devices Regulation”), promulgated by the State Council and effective from April 1, 2000, and latest amended on May 4, 2017, and the Administrative Measures for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents, promulgated by CFDA and effective from October 1, 2014 and amended on January 25, 2017, medical devices, including in-vitro diagnostic reagents, are classified into three different categories, Class I, II and III on the basis of their respective degrees of risk. Medical devices of Class I refer to such devices with low level of risk, the safety and effectiveness of which can be ensured through routine administration. Medical devices of Class II refer to such devices with medium level of risk, the safety and effectiveness of which shall be strictly controlled. Medical devices of Class III refer to such devices with high level of risk, the safety and effectiveness of which shall be guaranteed and be subject to strict control through special administrative measures.

In March, 2021, the State Council published the newly revised Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Medical Device (the “Revised Regulations”), which will become effective from June 1, 2021. Pursuant to the Revised Regulations, for in-vitro reagents, if no product of the same kind has been allowed to be marketed in PRC, qualified medical institutions may, according to their clinical needs, self develop these in-vitro reagents and put into use of these reagents under the guidance of practicing physicians. The NMPA and the NHC are authorized to jointly promulgate more detailed regulations relating to such provision.

Pursuant to the Notice of Strengthening the Administration of Products and Technologies Relating to Clinical Gene Sequencing, jointly promulgated by General Office of NHFPC and CFDA on February 9, 2014, gene sequencing diagnostic products, including gene sequencers and relevant diagnostic reagents and software, shall be regulated as medical devices.

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Registration and Fling of Medical Devices

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Registration of Medical Devices, promulgated by CFDA and effective from October 1, 2014, among domestic manufactured medical devices, medical devices of Class I shall be filed with the NMPA at the city level; medical devices of Class II shall be subject to the inspection, approval and the granting of product registration certificates by the NMPA at the provincial level; medical devices of Class III are subject to the inspection, approval and the granting of product registration certificates by the NMPA. The product registration certificate is valid for five years, and the holder of such certificate shall apply for renewal within six months prior to its expiration. We have obtained NMPA registrations (including NMPA registrations at provincial level) for three assays and four platforms as of the date of this annual report.

Production Permit and GMP for Medical Devices

Pursuant to the Medical Devices Regulation and the Administrative Measures for Production of Medical Devices, promulgated by the CFDA, amended and effective from November 17, 2017, an entity engaging in the production of medical devices of Class I shall complete record-filing with the NMPA at city level where such entity is located; and an entity engaging in the production of medical devices of Class II or III shall obtain a production permit of medical devices from the NMPA at provincial level. The production permit of medical devices is valid for five years and the holder of such permit shall apply for extension within six months prior to its expiration.

According to the Good Manufacturing Practice of Medical Devices promulgated by CFDA and effective from March 1, 2015, an entity engaging in the design, developing, production, sales after-sales of medical devices shall establish and effectively maintain quality control standards.

Operation Permit and GSP for Medical Devices

Pursuant to the Medical Devices Regulation and the Administrative Measures for Operation of Medical Devices, promulgated by the CFDA, and amended and effective from November 17, 2017, an entity engaging in the operation of medical devices of Class I is not required to obtain approval or filing for record with the NMPA or its local counterparts; an entity engaging in the operation of medical devices of Class II shall file for record with the NMPA at city level where such entity is located; an entity engaging in the operation of medical devices of Class III shall apply for an operation permit from the NMPA at city level. The operation permit of medical devices is valid for five years and the holder of such permit shall apply for extension within six months prior to its expiration. According to Medical Devices Regulation, any entity shall not sell or use medical devices which are not properly registered or filed with the NMPA or its local counterparts.

Pursuant to the Good Sales Practice of Medical Devices promulgated by CFDA and effective from December 12, 2014, an entity engaging in the procurement, acceptance, preservation, sales, transportation and after-sales of medical devices shall take effectively quality control measures.

Regulations relating to Export of Medical Devices or Medical Supplies

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Production of Medical Devices, an entity engaging in the production of medical devices for export shall complete record-filing of such medical devices with NMPA at city-level and shall ensure such medical devices for export must meet the relevant requirements of import country (region).

In accordance with the Notice of Strengthening the Export Quality Supervision of Medical Supplies for Anti-Epidemic which was jointly promulgated by MOFCOM, General Administration of Customs and SAMR on April 25, 2020 and became effective on April 26, 2020, entities engaging in the export of medical supplies for anti-epidemic (including but not limited to reagents and materials used to perform Coronavirus COVID-19 testing), which has obtained certification or registration of foreign standard, shall submit written declaration that such medical supplies for export have met the quality standard and safety requirements of import country (region). In addition, customs shall check and release such medical supplies based on the list provided by MOFCOM of manufacturing enterprises that have obtained certification or registration of foreign standards. We have been approved to join such list.

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Regulations relating to Encouragement of Innovation in Medical Devices

There are certain laws, regulations and policies for encouraging innovation in medical devices in China. Pursuant to the Opinions of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Deepening the Reform on the System for Review and Approval to Encourage Innovation of Drugs and Medical Devices which was issued on October 8, 2017, in order to encourage the research and development of innovative medical devices, priority processing shall be given to the review and approval of those innovative medical devices that are supported by the National Science and Technology Major Projects, the National Key Research and Development, and the clinical trials carried out and recognized by the National Clinical Medical Research Center.

Regulations relating to Human Genetic Resources

The Regulation for the Administration of Human Genetic Resources (the “HGR Regulation”) promulgated by the State Council on May 28, 2019, and effective from July 1, 2019, regulates entities engaging in collection, preservation, utilization and outbound provision of human genetic resources. Human genetic recourses include (i) human genetic resources materials, such as organs, tissues and cells that contain hereditary substances such as human genomes genes, and (ii) human genetic resources information, such as data generated from human genetic resources.

According to the HGR Regulation, collection and preservation of human substances such as organs, tissues and cells and carrying out related activities for the purposes of clinical diagnosis and treatment, blood collection and supply services, crime investigation, doping detection and funeral and interment shall be subject to other applicable laws and regulations.

Pursuant to the HGR Regulation, foreign entities, individuals and such entities established or actually controlled thereby (each, a “Restricted Entity”) shall not, within the territory of China, collect or preserve human genetic resources of China, nor provide human genetic resources of China outward across the border; while a Foreign Entity is allowed to conduct scientific research activities by utilizing human genetic resources of China through cooperation with scientific research institutions, higher education institutions, medical institutions or enterprises of China (each, a “Domestic Entity”). The utilization of human genetic resources of China in any international cooperative scientific research is subject to approval by the MOST. However, the aforesaid approval is not required, but instead a filing for record with the MOST is required, if human genetic resources of China are utilized for international cooperative clinical trials without any outbound provision of human genetic resources, for the purpose of obtaining product registration of relevant medicine and medical device in China.

Regulations relating to Product Quality and Consumer Protection

Product Quality

Pursuant to the Product Quality Law of the PRC which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (the “SCNPC”) on February 22, 1993 and became effective as of September 1, 1993, and latest amended and came into force on December 29, 2018, and the Regulations on Quality Responsibility for Industrial Products which was promulgated by the State Council on April 5, 1986 and effective from July 1, 1986, a manufacturer is liable for the quality of products that it produces. The quality of a product shall be inspected and proved to be conformed to the standards. Industrial products which may be hazardous to health or safety of human life and property shall be in compliance with national and industrial standards safeguarding the health and safety of human life and property; in the absence of such national or industrial standards, such products shall meet the requirements for procuring the protection of health and safety of human life and property.

According to the Product Quality Law of the PRC, consumers or other victims who suffer personal injury or property losses due to product defects may demand compensation from the manufacturer as well as the seller. Where the responsibility for product defects lies with the manufacturer, the seller shall, after settling compensation, have the right to recover such compensation from the manufacturer, and vice versa.

Pursuant to the Civil Code of the PRC which was promulgated by the National People’s Congress on May 28, 2020 and effective from January 1, 2021, manufacturers shall assume tort liability where the defects in relevant products cause damage to others. Sellers shall assume tort liability where the defects in relevant products causing damage to others are attributable to the sellers. The aggrieved party may claim for compensation from the manufacturer or the seller of the relevant product in which the defects have caused damage.

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Consumer Protection

Pursuant to the Consumer Protection Law of the PRC which was promulgated by the SCNPC on October 31, 1993, and latest amended and came into force on March 15, 2014, the rights and interests of the consumers who buy or use commodities or receive services for the purposes of daily consumption are protected, and all manufacturers and sellers involved shall ensure that the products and services provided will not cause damage to the customers. Violations of the Consumer Protection Law of the PRC may result in the imposition of fines. In addition, the manufacturers and sellers may be ordered to suspend operations and its business license may be revoked, while criminal liability may be imposed in serious cases.

Regulations relating to Intellectual Property

China is a signatory to several major international conventions on intellectual property rights, including the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty, Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and Patent Cooperation Treaty.

Patent Law

According to the Patent Law of the PRC (the “Patent Law”), promulgated by the SCNPC on March 12, 1984, latest amended and effective from October 1, 2009, and the Implementation Rules of the Patent Law of the PRC, promulgated by the State Council on June 15, 2001 and latest amended on January 9, 2010, the National Intellectual Property Administration is responsible for administering patents in the PRC. The Patent Law and its implementation rules provide for three types of patent: “invention”, “utility model” and “design”. The protection period is 20 years for invention patents and 10 years for utility model patents and design patents, commencing from their respective application dates. The Chinese patent system adopts a “first come, first file” principle, which means that where more than one person files a patent application for the same invention, a patent will be granted to the person who files the application first. To be patentable, invention or utility models must meet three criteria: novelty, inventiveness and practicability. Except under certain specific circumstances provided by law, any third-party user must obtain consent or a proper license from the patent owner to use the patent. Otherwise, the use of constitutes an infringement of the patent rights, and shall pay compensation to the patentee and is subject to a fine imposed by relevant administrative authorities and, if constituting a crime, shall be held criminally liable in accordance with the law. On October 17, 2020, the SCNPC adopted the amendment to the Patent Law, or the 2020 Patent Law, which will take effect on June 1, 2021. The 2020 Patent Law further strengthens patent protection. For example, (i) the design patent term extends from 10 years to 15 years, and rights holders can claim part of an entire product design; (ii) an invention will not lose its novelty in the event that it is firstly published for public interest under a national “state of emergency” or under “extraordinary circumstances” within 6 months after application date of such invention; and (iii) the maximum statutory damages increase from RMB1,000,000 to RMB5,000,000.

In addition to the above, under the HGR Regulation, patent right derived from the cross-border cooperation concerning genetic resources of China shall be shared by the parties jointly.

Trademark Law