Healthcare Weekly Report: HeSheng DingJiTang Secures Tens of Millions in RMB from Northern Light; Leman Biotech Raises Additional RMB 50 Million in Angel Rounds
Leman Biotech
Developer of Novel Tumor Immunotherapy Drugs
BioGeometry
Large Molecule Drug Developer
In recent years, innovation in the healthcare and health industry has been emerging constantly, developing into one of the most active sectors. 36Kr has witnessed and accompanied the growth of innovative companies in this field, bringing a professional voice to the industry.
To this end, 36Kr has launched the "Healthcare Industry Weekly" column, which will be released regularly in the future to provide readers with industry information from multiple perspectives, including capital, policies, finance, new products, and more.
Medical and Health Industry Weekly Report for June 23rd, Please Check. This weekly report includes financing news in the medical and health field for this week.
Financing and Investment
- "Hopson Dingji Hall" Receives Tens of Millions of Yuan in Investment from Northern Light
36Kr exclusively learned that "Hesheng Dingjitang," a chain of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medical institutions, has recently secured tens of millions of yuan in angel funding, led by Northern Light Venture Capital. The funds will primarily be used to establish a TCM hospital in a core area of Beijing, with an expected floor area of 3,000 square meters and a daily outpatient capacity of 2,000 visits. The hospital is currently in the renovation phase.
Hesheng Dingji Hall belongs to Hesheng Oriental Group and currently has three major business sectors: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) chain clinics, TCM education and training, and TCM dietary therapy products. Among them, the TCM chain "Hesheng Dingji Hall" was established in 2013 and is one of the earliest medical institutions in Beijing to focus on pediatric massage as its core technology. Currently, Hesheng Oriental Group has established two clinics, one outpatient department, and one internet hospital; under construction are a first-class TCM hospital and a youth sanatorium.
- Leman Biotech Secures Additional RMB 50 Million in Angel Round Financing
Leman Biotech Co., Ltd. recently completed a total of 50 million yuan in angel+ and angel++ rounds of financing. The new shareholders in this round of financing include Fuhui Venture Capital, Yunfan Technology Investment, and private financial investors, while existing shareholders TianTu Investment and Crystal Technology continued to increase their investment. The company also received approximately 20 million yuan in various grants. Since its establishment in 2021, Leman Biotech has cumulatively obtained about 150 million yuan in angel funding and grants. The proceeds from this financing will be used for the IND application of the company’s "extremely low dose" metabolism-enhanced CD19 CAR-T cell therapy drug, as well as to accelerate the clinical development of metabolism-enhanced cell therapy drugs targeting solid tumors.
- "BioGeometry" Completes Pre-A Round Financing
BioGeometry has completed a new round of financing, led by TsingTech Ventures, with participation from Zhipu AI and Shengjing Jicheng, while existing shareholder Gaorong Ventures continued to increase its investment. The funds raised will be mainly used to accelerate the implementation of generative AI large models in the biomanufacturing field, as well as to advance the development of proprietary products. Founded in 2021, BioGeometry focuses on developing a generative AI protein design platform to empower the biomanufacturing sector.36Kr previously reported on it.). The company has accumulated certain technical expertise in generative AI technologies such as diffusion models and flow matching.
Early Projects
- Committed to "In-situ Regeneration," Huaxia Bio Focuses on Developing Decellularized Amniotic Membrane Matrix Regenerative Materials | Early-stage Project
From the early days of implant fillers to today's "regulation of cell behavior and promotion of tissue regeneration," the market performance in the field of bio-regenerative materials has been heating up year by year. Especially in the medical aesthetics field, the emergence of popular materials such as poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) has also made regenerative materials one of the key areas currently attracting attention from investment institutions.
Despite the constant emergence of new materials and technologies, many materials are actually "only repairing forms and it's hard to identify whether they possess true functional regenerative ability." Professor Tang Suyang, founder of Huaxia Bio and chairman of the Skin and Soft Tissue Repair and Reconstruction Technology Branch of the Chinese Association of Medicine and Biotechnology, believes: "In the wave of regenerative medicine, what can truly drive the industry forward are technologies and products that achieve functional regeneration. Huaxia Bio is committed to 'allowing hundreds of millions of people to regain tissue regeneration,' which is not only the mission of Huaxia Bio but also the starting point of the company."
Professor Tang Suyang graduated from the Fourth Military Medical University and has nearly 35 years of experience in burn and plastic surgery. It was precisely due to recognizing the shortcomings of past animal-derived materials in clinical applications that Professor Tang Suyang focused on the development and application of amnion, a human-derived material, from the very beginning of his entrepreneurial journey...Click here for more details）
- Self-developed Oocyte In Vitro Fertilization Pre-culture System Receives Patent, "Airs" Aids in the Localization of Assisted Reproductive Consumables | Early-stage Project
In 2024, the inclusion of assisted reproductive technology in medical insurance accelerates further. In March this year, relevant leaders of the National Healthcare Security Administration mentioned during an inspection that they would continue to guide eligible regions to further improve the project establishment and medical insurance payment management for assisted reproductive medical services. Following this, multiple provinces issued policies to follow up. As of early June, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and other places announced the inclusion of certain assisted reproductive technology projects in the scope of medical insurance reimbursement.
In recent years, after the three-child policy was fully implemented, increased policy attention and capital investment have caused the assisted reproductive sector to continue heating up, giving rise to many high-value consumables and medical service provider companies. Aier Medical, recently contacted by 36Kr, has chosen to focus its efforts here.
Airs Medical founder Qian Rincheng mentioned that although the application of assisted reproductive technology in China has become very mature, most of the drugs used in the process, such as female ovulation induction drugs, and laboratory equipment consumables, such as various culture solutions, are still dominated by imported products. There are certain issues in terms of cold chain storage, safety and effectiveness, and traceability, indicating a huge demand for domestically produced alternatives...Click here for more details）
Overseas New Things
- Enveda Biosciences Secures $55 Million in Financing to Accelerate Clinical Trials for Drugs Like Dermatitis Treatments | Overseas New Things
In mid-June, Enveda Biosciences announced the completion of a $55 million Series B2 financing round. This round was participated in by new investors Premji Invest, Lingotto Investment Fund, Microsoft, The Nature Conservancy, as well as existing shareholders Kinnevik, True Ventures, FPV, Level Ventures, and Jazz Venture Partners. Building on the previous funding of $119 million, this new round brings the company's total financing to $230 million.
Enveda, founded in 2019, is a biotechnology company headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with a drug research and development team composed of biologists, chemists, bioinformaticians, and data scientists, aiming to understand and harness the chemical reactions that form the basis of life...Click here for more details）
- Yellowstone Biosciences Secures £16.5M in Financing to Develop Bispecific T-Cell Engagers for Cancer Treatment | Overseas New Things
On June 20, Yellowstone Biosciences, a promising pharmaceutical biotech company, announced its establishment after securing £16.5 million in Series A funding from Syncona, a venture capital firm listed on the FTSE 250 Index in the UK that has incubated multiple cell and gene therapy companies. Syncona has committed to supporting Yellowstone Biosciences in advancing its pipeline for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and exploring opportunities to expand its product portfolio.
Yellowstone Biosciences will develop novel therapies targeting Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class II expression in common cancers. This therapy focuses on Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class II (HLA-II) targets in oncology, aiming to explore a new class of antigens that are frequently expressed across various diseases and can serve as therapeutic targets. These antigens are expected to significantly improve patients' lives...Click here for more details）
Focus Analysis
- The Battle for Weight Loss Drug Production Capacity Begins: Who Will Secure the Next Billion-Dollar Order? | Focus Analysis
GLP-1 Has "Opened" a New Track.
In mid-June, Eli Lilly, with a market value of nearly 850 billion US dollars, announced again: the Phase II clinical trial results of its GLP-1 triple-target peptide pipeline Retatrutide for the treatment of Metabolic Associated Steatohepatitis (MASLD) showed a maximum reduction of liver fat content by 86%. The potential of Retatrutide to become the next blockbuster in the market once again excited participants in the upstream and downstream of the GLP-1 peptide industry chain.
In recent years, the development difficulty of small molecule drugs has been increasing, and the homogenization of large molecules is severe. The global market performance of "peptide drugs" has been quite impressive. Especially the GLP-1 track represented by the "billion-dollar drug king" semaglutide and tirzepatide, which has "elevated the market to another level."
During the two to three years when "miracle drugs for lowering blood sugar and losing weight" gained massive popularity, many upstream raw material suppliers and CDMOs (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations), as "water carriers," hoped to seize as much of this immense wealth as possible. Data shows that China's peptide CDMO market share in the global market is expected to rise from 5% in 2020 to 9% by 2025. In terms of raw materials, Chinese companies have already surpassed those in the U.S. and Europe in DMF filings for peptide generic drug raw materials with the U.S. FDA.
Capacity expansion, technology upgrades, and IPO filings to raise more funds—though the strategies vary among companies, the goal is the same: secure that order… (Click here for more details）
Editor: Hai Ruo Jing