Autistic CEO "Tests Drug on Himself," Wealth Surges 47 Billion in Half Year

Radar Finance Production Text | Ding Yu Edited | Meng Shuai

On March 5th, Hurun Research Institute released the “2026 Hurun Global Rich List.” Among the top 10 new faces in China, Neuroregen Technologies’ Qu Yijia topped the list with a net worth of 91 billion yuan.

It is worth noting that in the “2025 Hurun Top 100 Rich List” published at the end of October last year, Qu Yijia first appeared on the list with a fortune of 44 billion yuan, ranking 130th. In less than half a year, Qu Yijia’s personal wealth surged by 47 billion yuan to 91 billion yuan.

According to reports, Neuroregen Technologies claims to be an early-stage biotech company focused on the research and commercialization of traditional Chinese medicine targeting neurological cognitive disorders and degenerative diseases.

However, from 2019 to 2025, Neuroregen Technologies has never generated any product sales revenue, and over seven years, it has accumulated a net loss of about $24 million.

Riding the Brain-Computer Interface Hot Topic, Market Value Fluctuates Wildly

The key to Qu Yijia’s wealth explosion may be the current hot concept of brain-computer interfaces.

In May last year, market rumors suggested that Neuroregen Technologies announced its new generation neural regulation chip had passed FDA clinical trial approval and would cooperate with top global medical institutions like Mayo Clinic to conduct Parkinson’s disease treatment research.

The rumors also mentioned that this neural regulation chip technology is at the forefront of the brain-computer interface field. The company plans to use this technology to develop treatments for Parkinson’s disease, targeting a global market of approximately 10 million patients.

On June 16th last year, Neuroregen Technologies’ previously announced 38-for-1 stock split officially began trading, with the split conducted in the form of stock dividends.

According to the Daily Economic News, on that day, Neuroregen Technologies’ stock price surged by over 283% in a single day, with multiple circuit breakers during trading. By the close, the stock was at $60 per share, with a market capitalization soaring to $29.669 billion, setting a new record high.

However, the Daily Economic News pointed out that at that time, neither the company’s official website nor announcements mentioned that “its new neural regulation chip had passed FDA clinical trial approval, and it announced cooperation with Mayo Clinic for Parkinson’s treatment research,” instead emphasizing “traditional Chinese medicine,” ADHD, and ASD.

Radar Finance notes that in the company’s latest financial report, Neuroregen Technologies emphasizes itself as an early-stage biotech company specializing in traditional Chinese medicine, with limited operational history.

According to Neuroregen Technologies, the company mainly focuses on research, development, and commercialization of Chinese medicine for neurological cognitive disorders and degenerative diseases, especially for ADHD and ASD.

It is noteworthy that since its establishment in 2014, the company has no approved products, no marketable products, and no revenue from product sales.

Neuroregen Technologies states, “Before our standardized Chinese medicine formulations for ADHD and autism are commercialized in Hong Kong, we do not expect to generate any revenue.”

As of June 30, 2025, Neuroregen Technologies had only 10 full-time employees in Hong Kong, a decrease of 2 from the same period last year.

Among these 10 employees, 4 are engaged in R&D, 2 in sales and marketing, and 4 in administrative management.

However, as of the close on March 9th Eastern Time, Neuroregen Technologies’ stock was at $25.9 per share, a significant decline from its previous peak, with a latest market value of approximately $12.807 billion.

Seven Years of Loss of $24 Million, Core R&D Relies on Family Support

According to Neuroregen Technologies, so far, the company’s efforts have been almost entirely focused on developing candidate products, with operational funds mainly raised through an IPO.

Tianyancha shows that Neuroregen Technologies went public on NASDAQ in July 2021. Since its founding, the company has been operating at a loss.

The latest annual report shows that for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, and June 30, 2024, the company recorded net losses of $3.58 million and $4.36 million, respectively.

Looking further back, iFinD data indicates that since 2019, the company has accumulated a net loss of about $24 million.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Neuroregen Technologies’ operating expenses were $3.77 million, with general and administrative expenses at $2.81 million, accounting for over 70%; R&D expenses were about $950,000, roughly 25%.

In the 2025 fiscal year, the company paid a total of $760,000 in cash to directors and senior executives.

In the past two fiscal years, founder and CEO Qu Yijia did not receive any salary or bonuses. Financial reports show that before the company’s market value reached $1 billion, CEO compensation was capped at $1.

A further look into the company’s ownership structure reveals that Neuroregen Technologies is a typical family business.

In the board of directors, founder Qu Yijia holds an absolute majority with 88.6% of shares, and before going public, he was the sole shareholder.

Qu Yijia’s younger brother (Yat-Pui Au) also joined Neuroregen Technologies in 2021 as Senior Vice President and currently serves as Chief Business Officer.

The company’s standardized Chinese medicine formulations, which continue to be invested in R&D, originate from the founder Qu Yijia’s father, Sik-Kee Au.

According to the company, Sik-Kee Au developed Chinese herbal formulas that can treat ADHD and ASD.

In January 2018, Neuroregen Technologies signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Sik-Kee Au, acquiring ownership and intellectual property rights to these herbal formulas.

Currently, the company has completed its first study in cooperation with Sik-Kee Au and is developing candidate drugs based on standardized Chinese medicine formulas for ADHD and ASD.

In August 2021, the company launched a second efficacy trial using this standardized herbal formula. It plans to further explore the application of this herbal base in other neurological diseases, functional disorders, and degenerative diseases.

Father from a Medical Family, Qu Yijia “Tests Drugs on Himself”

Public information shows that Sik-Kee Au and Qu Yijia have quite a legendary family background.

According to the “Sik-Kee Au Chinese Medicine Practitioner” website, Sik-Kee Au is a renowned Chinese medicine doctor from Hong Kong. Born into a medical family, his father, Sik-Lok Dong, was a highly respected Chinese medicine doctor in Hong Kong during the 1950s and 60s, and was appointed as a national Chinese medicine examiner; his mother was an obstetrician graduated from Guangzhou Medical College.

Sik-Kee Au studied in the U.S., earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UC Berkeley. He was then employed by IBM in the U.S., serving as a senior computer design engineer, responsible for developing new computer products, publishing several advanced theories and designs on magnetic disk drives, and holding multiple patents.

In his spare time, Sik-Kee Au founded Sik’s Anti-Theft System Company in 1972. Under his careful management, the company gradually became a well-known brand in the U.S.

However, after nearly thirty years of operation, Sik-Kee Au handed over the business to his son and returned to Hong Kong to establish “Rebirth Hall,” promoting Chinese medicine.

His interest in Chinese medicine was cultivated from a young age, as he often read his father’s writings and even cured his wife’s hyperthyroidism.

Inspired by the wonders of Chinese medicine, he set up a clinic in his company, offering free consultations every Saturday to friends and relatives, accumulating clinical experience. Later, he remembered his promise to promote Chinese medicine before his father’s death and chose to return to Hong Kong to practice medicine, starting a second entrepreneurial journey.

It is worth mentioning that Sik-Kee Au has five children, among whom Qu Yijia suffered from ADHD and ASD as a child, facing many difficulties early in life.

According to Neuroregen’s official website, due to these illnesses causing emotional instability and irritability, Qu Yijia was often excluded and performed poorly academically, with mostly D grades.

When he was in high school, his grades were even in the bottom 1%, requiring several times more study hours than classmates without these conditions.

Qu Yijia was the number one patient of his father’s Chinese medical treatments, receiving Chinese medicine therapy for over 30 years, which helped improve his ADHD and autism.

Eventually, he graduated in the top 2% of his class and was admitted to UC Berkeley. Through persistent effort, he later successfully entered Haas School of Business.

His personal experience gave him a deep understanding of the difficulties faced by patients with ADHD and autism. This motivated him to establish Neuroregen Technologies, focusing on research and commercialization of Chinese medicine solutions for these conditions.

According to Neuroregen’s financial reports, Qu Yijia is also an active investor in real estate, technology, and biotech sectors.

Additionally, Wanda Information Technology previously announced that Qu Yijia served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer, joining in 2000, overseeing mergers, acquisitions, finance, and business development.

Before joining Wanda Information Technology, Qu Yijia worked from 1996 to 2000 at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong and ING Barings Hong Kong, mainly responsible for initiating and executing equity financing and M&A transactions in Asia, including negotiations and due diligence.

However, due to differences in business direction and strategy, Qu Yijia ceased serving as an executive director, legal representative, supervisor, and audit committee member of Wanda Information Technology starting May 2004.

Now, with a prominent position on the Hurun Global Rich List, whether Qu Yijia can lead Neuroregen Technologies to achieve revenue remains to be seen. Radar Finance will continue to follow.