Recently, the official results of the final competition of the 14th China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Guangdong·Guangzhou Division) and the 2025 Guangzhou Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in the Cell and Gene Industry were officially announced.Lion TCR stood out from numerous participating companies with its cutting-edge technological innovations and clear development strategy, winning the second prize (third place) in the industry competition, adding another significant milestone to its innovative development journey.

As one of China's highly influential innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, this year’s event is guided by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology and hosted by the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau. It has specially invited authoritative experts in the field of cell and gene to form a judging panel, empowering the competition review with a professional perspective. Among them, the Cell and Gene Growth Track has brought together many outstanding cell therapy companies in Guangzhou, undergoing rigorous selection and professional evaluation through preliminary review, preliminary competition, and finals.

The final competition continued with high-standard review criteria, adopting an offline roadshow model of "8-minute self-presentation and 5-minute Q&A from the judges," with professional competition unfolding around core dimensions such as technological innovation, clinical value, and commercialization potential. Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. comprehensively showcased the breakthrough value and clinical transformation achievements of its mRNA-encoded TCR-T technology in this competition. Its precise targeting technical approach and broad application prospects spanning oncology and infectious diseases received high recognition from the judging panel.

As a clinical-stage biotechnology company incubated by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, Laien Biologics' winning of this award demonstrates its continued strength in the field of cell therapy. The company's core product is an mRNA-encoded TCR-T cell therapy targeting the hepatitis B virus (HBV).The World's FirstThis therapy, approved by the FDA for an international multicenter Phase II clinical trial for liver cancer, holds both Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations and recently received FDA approval to expand its application to treat chronic hepatitis B. In November 2024, Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. obtained the implied permission for an IND from China's drug regulatory authority, marking a significant advancement in the company’s TCR-T cell therapy domain.

With the support of technological innovation, Laien Bio is building a broader R&D matrix. Leveraging an AI-driven target discovery and RNA technology platform, the company’s pipeline has expanded from liver cancer to lung cancer, breast cancer, and other solid tumors, while proactively advancing the in vivo TCR-T universal cell therapy. This therapy can significantly reduce production costs, making cutting-edge treatments accessible to more patients. Currently, its HBV-targeting in vivo TCR-T therapy has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in animal models, laying a solid foundation for industrial translation.

Rooted in Guangzhou, linked to the world. Relying on the full-chain innovation ecosystem built by Guangzhou's "12218" industrial system, Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. has established its China headquarters in Guangzhou's Sino-Singapore Knowledge City. It forms a synergy with the Singapore GMP innovative drug base and is deeply integrated into Huangpu District's "two cities, one island" biomedical innovation layout, becoming a benchmark enterprise in the field of cell therapy under Sino-Singapore cooperation. Its outstanding achievement in the China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition is not only an affirmation of the company’s technical strength but also recognition of its integration into regional innovative development.

Honor is recognition, and more importantly, motivation. In the future, Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. will take this award as a new starting point. With the policy support and ecological advantages for the cell and gene industry in Guangzhou, the company will continue to overcome technical bottlenecks in mRNA-encoded TCR-T technology, accelerate the clinical translation of in vivo therapies, explore more possibilities in the field of cancer and infectious disease treatment, and contribute to improving the global accessibility of patient treatments.

Highlights:

Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. and SIAT Sign Cooperation Framework Agreement to Jointly Develop In Vivo Universal Cell Therapy Technology

World's First! Laien Bio's mRNA-Encoded TCR-T Approved for Clinical Trials, Precisely Targeting Hepatocellular Carcinoma

LIONTCR

WeChat ID｜Laien Bio

Official Website｜https://www.liontcr.com/