Leman Biotech Secures Over RMB 100 Million Series A Financing to Advance Metabolically Enhanced Immunotherapies into Clinical Development

36Kr learned that Leman Biotech Co., Ltd. has recently completed an A-round financing of over 100 million yuan. This round of financing was led by Fuhui Venture Capital, with participation from Junyi Investment and XtalPi, among others. The funds raised will be mainly used for the IND application of core CAR-T cell drugs, the research and development of automated production processes, as well as accelerating the clinical transformation of metabolism-enhanced solid tumor cell therapy drugs.

Leman Biotech was founded by Professor Li Tang's team from EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in collaboration with XtalPi, focusing on the development of innovative cancer immunotherapy drugs that combine immune metabolic reprogramming (Meta 10) and AI.

In the field of tumor immunotherapy, T cell exhaustion has always been a key issue limiting its efficacy. To address this, Leman Biotech Co., Ltd. has independently developed an IL-10-mediated immune metabolic reprogramming technology (Meta 10) and established a proprietary technology platform for the discovery, research, and production of biologic macromolecule drugs and novel immune cell therapies. Preclinical studies have shown that the Meta 10 metabolic reprogramming technology platform can effectively overcome T cell exhaustion and induce the formation of stem-like memory immune cells.

In previous reports, 36Kr provided a detailed introduction to this technology.. On this occasion of the Series A financing, Leman Biotech Co., Ltd. has once again shared with us the latest developments in the research and development of related products.

Based on the existing technology platform, Leman Biotech Co., Ltd. is currently developing a core product, a metabolic-enhanced CD19 CAR-T therapy (Meta10-19 injection). In an investigator-initiated clinical trial (IIT), this therapy achieved complete clearance of tumor cells with an extremely low dosage (as low as 1% of the traditional CAR-T therapy dose). So far, more than 20 patients with relapsed or refractory leukemia or lymphoma have reached a state of complete remission (CR) and have been discharged smoothly. The initial group of enrolled patients also included several individuals with mobility issues and those with central nervous system metastases, all of whom showed positive treatment responses.

Recently, the IIT clinical research of this therapy has begun to enroll pediatric patients. The first enrolled child was diagnosed with high-risk relapsed/refractory acute B lymphoblastic leukemia and had central nervous system metastasis before receiving treatment. The condition had not been effectively controlled after four lines of treatment. Soon after receiving the Meta10-19 injection, the child's condition showed significant improvement, with tumor cells in the body effectively eliminated, eventually reaching a state of complete remission (CR).

According to further introduction, in the latest IIT clinical research, after clinical experts reduced the injection dose of metabolism-enhanced CAR-T cells to one-thousandth of the conventional dose, the CAR-T cells were still able to expand efficiently within the patients' bodies. Several patients have achieved complete remission (CR), and their hospital stays were shortened.

In addition, Leman Biotech Co., Ltd. has recently made some breakthroughs in the clinical research of cell therapy for solid tumors. The company has reached a collaboration with XtalPi and antibody discovery startup Komi Biotech to successfully develop an AI super-factor screening platform and a neoantigen antibody discovery platform by leveraging AI computational models and high-throughput screening technologies.

This technology enables the directed evolution of antibody recognition sequences in CAR-T cells for solid tumors, enhancing the specificity of CAR-T cells in targeting tumor antigens while reducing off-target effects on homologous tumor-associated antigens in normal tissues. This is expected to improve the safety and efficacy of metabolically enhanced CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors. Recently, Leman Biotech Co., Ltd will initiate clinical research on metabolically enhanced cell therapy targeting solid tumors.

Investor Perspective:

• Dr. Cheng Hao, Partner of Fuhui Venture Capital, stated: "Leman Biotech has cutting-edge scientific research achievements and industry-leading technology platforms in the field of novel cancer immunotherapy drug development, and has made exciting progress in clinical translation through efficient team execution. Fuhui Venture Capital is conducting in-depth strategic cooperation with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Zhongshan Cuiheng New District government to jointly promote the technological achievement transformation of Leman Biotech's metabolism-enhanced immunotherapy in Zhongshan Cuiheng New District. We believe that under the leadership of Leman Biotech's founding team, metabolism-enhanced immunotherapy will continue to achieve breakthroughs in major disease areas such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, quickly meet unmet clinical needs, accelerate the global launch of Class 1 innovative drugs, and benefit patients as soon as possible."
• Ms. Xie Ziyu, Partner of Junyi Investment, stated: "Within two years, Leman Biotech has rapidly established a comprehensive innovative technology platform for drug development based on immunometabolic reprogramming, while also building a rich product pipeline. Its metabolism-enhanced CAR-T cell therapy has demonstrated breakthrough clinical efficacy in investigator-initiated trials (IIT), significantly improving the survival outcomes of patients with relapsed or refractory advanced cancer. Moreover, this therapy has been extended to pediatric patients. We look forward to collaborating with Leman Biotech to jointly advance the field of cancer immunotherapy, accelerate the clinical translation of metabolism-enhanced immunotherapy, and bring safer, more effective, and accessible innovative cancer immunotherapy drugs to patients."
• Dr. Shu-Hao Wen, Chairman of XtalPi, stated: "The Leman team led by Professor Li Tang focuses on the field of novel immunotherapy and possesses world-class scientific research capabilities. Their clinical data on metabolism-enhanced immunotherapy has been highly recognized by peers both in China and internationally. Moreover, the Leman team demonstrates outstanding cohesion, efficient execution, and a strong sense of mission. XtalPi is committed to discovering and supporting innovative biotech companies with breakthrough technological potential. As an important strategic partner and strong supporter of Leman Biotech, XtalPi will continue to provide innovative technical support driven by AI and automation, helping to accelerate their drug development process for the benefit of patients worldwide as soon as possible."
• Professor Tang Li, co-founder and chairman of Leman Bio, stated: "Leman Bio is committed to providing innovative metabolism-enhanced immunotherapy drugs for cancer patients, transforming cutting-edge biotechnology into effective treatments that save lives in clinical settings, and enabling more patients to quickly benefit from advancements in science and technology. We especially thank the investment institutions and leading enterprises that have continuously supported Leman Bio. Amid a capital winter and intense industry competition, their choice to firmly support Leman Bio represents high recognition of our innovation, execution, core value, and growth potential, as well as confidence that key scientific breakthroughs can cure cancer. The success of this Series A financing round will provide us with more substantial financial support to accelerate the research, development, and clinical translation of related drugs. We will continue to uphold the philosophy of 'innovation, cooperation, and win-win,' striving to bring more and better cancer immunotherapy drugs to patients."