33 Chinese Innovative Drug Developers Secure New Funding in April, Totaling RMB 3.856 Billion

According to statistics from SmartNuclide, in April 2024, there were a total of33 companiesInvolved new drug R&D companies have completed a new round of financing, with a disclosed total amount of approximatelyRMB 3.856 billion, representing a 71.3% increase compared to the previous month.

Financing Overview

In April's financing events, market sentiment showed a significant recovery, with early-stage projects receiving particular attention, accounting for over 70% and totaling 25 financing events. At the B-round stage, there were five financing cases, while four financings occurred at the C-round and subsequent stages.

In terms of disclosed amounts, there were 11 financing events reaching the hundred-million-yuan level this month.

In the early stage,D3 BIOStanding out with a $62 million Series A+ financing round, the company focuses on developing precision therapeutic drugs for cancer and immune diseases. Currently, its lead product, D3S-001, is undergoing global Phase II clinical trials, covering indications including non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) has become a popular field for financing this month, with over seven companies in the sector securing funding. The total disclosed funding amount reached 665 million RMB.

Among them, the directly affiliated unit of Shanghai Institute of Biological SciencesShanghai Xinyi Pharmaceutical R&D (Group) Co., Ltd., successfully attracting a $35 million Pre-A round of financing from Goldman Sachs;

UniXelI BIOTECHNOLOGYIs a company focused on the development of cell therapy drugs based on human pluripotent stem cell technology;AndShenzhen Cell ValleyPlatforms dedicated to providing one-stop CRO/CDMO services for cell and gene therapy have completed financing at the hundred-million level.

In the field related to proteins, seven companies have completed financing, with a total disclosed financing amount of 420 million RMB. Among them,APTBIOAPTBIO, formerly the Proteomics Research and Analysis Center of the Shanghai Institute of Life Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced the completion of a C-round financing worth hundreds of millions of RMB. The company mainly provides life science technical services based on mass spectrometry multi-omics.

Three companies in the nucleic acid drug field have received financing,ArnatarRecognized by dozens of investment institutions, it has completed an A-round financing of over 50 million US dollars. The company is committed to developing nucleic acid drugs targeting common metabolic diseases and severe rare diseases both within and outside the liver.

Although there are only two companies in the nuclear medicine fieldSmartNuclide and Yantai Lannacheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Completed financing, with a total amount exceeding 400 million yuan.

The largest single financing disclosed this month comes fromIMPACT TherapeuticsIMPACT Therapeutics, an innovative drug research and development company focusing on the mechanism of synthetic lethality in tumors, has successfully completed a D+ round of financing worth 400 million RMB, with strong support from state-owned capital.

From the perspective of regional investment and financing activities,Yangtze River Delta RegionOccupying more than half of the market share, it still maintains a leading position in the investment and financing field.Bohai Rim RegionThis month's financing activities have shown significant growth, whileGuangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay AreaAs a region with continuous appeal in the biopharmaceuticals industry, it has maintained a stable level.

This month's R&D-type financing events involved areas such as cell and gene therapy drugs, small-molecule new drugs, peptide drugs, nucleic acid drugs, radiopharmaceuticals, AI-empowered drug discovery, synthetic biology, oncolytic viruses, and protein-related fields.

The disclosed financing events cover multiple therapeutic areas, including cancer treatment, rare diseases, metabolic diseases, anti-infection, autoimmune diseases, chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and pain management.

The following is a summary of financing events:

Financing Events at the Billion-Yuan Level

Shanghai Xinyi Pharmaceutical R&D (Group) Co., Ltd.

Round: Pre-A Round

Amount: 35 million US dollars

Shanghai Xinyi Pharmaceutical R&D (Group) Co., Ltd. Secures $35 Million Pre-A Round Funding, Goldman Sachs (China) Invests.

Shanghai Xinyi Pharmaceutical R&D (Group) Co., Ltd. is a pharmaceutical R&D service provider, integrating cell drug research and development, clinical drug trials,Hospital Clinical Recruitment, Hospital Clinical Management, as a whole.The company has established eight major industrial clusters, covering multiple fields such as biopharmaceuticals, cell therapy, genetic engineering, patient recruitment, medical services, and drug metabolism.

XiYuan An Jian

Round: Pre-A Round

Amount: Over 100 Million Yuan

Xiyuan Anjian Completes Over 100 Million Yuan Pre-A Round Financing, Led by Shunxi Fund under Beijing State Administration and Sherpa Healthcare Partners, with Existing Shareholders Qiming Venture Capital and Boyuan Capital Continuously Increasing Investment, and Zhongran Yijing and Wennai Pharmaceuticals Following Up.

Xiyuan AnjianDedicated to the R&D of innovative biopharmaceuticals, with indications covering the fields of oncology and chronic diseases. The company was co-founded by a Ph.D. who studied in the United States. Currently, multiple molecules are at different preclinical stages of development, with clinical translation expected to be completed by 2023.

UniXelI BIOTECHNOLOGY

Round: A Round

Amount: Over 100 Million Yuan

UniXelI BIOTECHNOLOGY Completes Over 100 Million Yuan in Series A Financing, with Investment from Pudong Venture Capital.

UniXelI BIOTECHNOLOGYFocus on developing a new generationCell Therapy Drugs Based on Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology, aiming to utilize human pluripotent stem cell preparation, culture, differentiation, and gene-editing technology platforms to focus on the research and development of technologies and products in the field of stem cell therapy. Its R&D pipeline covers neurodegenerative diseases, rare diseases, and cancer, among others.

Arnatar

Round: Series A

Amount: Over 50 million US dollars

Arnatar Therapeutics Completes Over US$50 Million Series A Financing. This round of financing was jointly completed by Eight Roads Capital, 3E Bioventures Capital, Cowin Capital, Gaorong Capital, Lyfe Capital, New Alliance Capital, Yijing Capital, Legend Star, Hongsheng Capital, and Chuanhua Capital.

ArnatarIt is a biopharmaceutical developer, mainly building a drug development platform based on antisense nucleic acid technology, used for developing nucleic acid drugs that target the liver and extrahepatic tissues to treat common metabolic diseases and severe rare diseases.

Antikang Biotechnology

Round: Series A

Amount: Hundreds of Millions of Yuan

Antikang Biotech Completes Hundreds of Millions of Yuan in Series A Financing.

Antic Biopharmaceuticals is a developer of new anti-infective drugs for respiratory diseases, focusing on the fields of respiratory anti-infection and pain management. It is committed to developing innovative drugs to address challenges in China's respiratory anti-infection sector. The company has built a 1,200-square-meter platform for the discovery and screening of new anti-infective drugs for respiratory diseases. Its pipeline includes several innovative antiviral drugs for respiratory conditions, such as a single-dose flu cure, an oral medication for COVID-19, and treatments for RSV, as well as a novel drug for curing endometriosis.

D3 BIO

Round: A+ Round

Amount: 62 million US dollars

D3 BIO Completes $62 Million Series A+ Financing Round Led by Medicxi Ventures with Matrix Partners China Participating

D3 Bio is a developer of precision therapies for oncology and immunology, focusing on the development and commercialization of targeted treatments. It is committed to improving existing standard treatment options or developing alternatives to better meet patient needs. D3 Bio targets new disease pathways and delivery mechanisms in the fields of immunology and oncology to provide better therapeutic solutions for patients.

Settiming Qiang

Round: A+ Round

Amount: Over 100 Million Yuan

Cytomedix Completes Over 100 Million Yuan in Series A+ Financing. This round of financing was invested by professional institutions such as Tigermed Equity Investment, Richell Investment, and Zhongzhi Investment.

Settimin StrongIt is an innovative small molecule drug developer that has built the AI-driven, large-scale drug design and screening platform SigmaHit®, focusing on drug research and development in the fields of oncology, autoimmune diseases, and the central nervous system. By leveraging cutting-edge R&D technologies and computational resources, it seeks to find optimal solutions.

Lannacheng

Round: B+ Round

Amount: 300 million yuan

Yantai Lannacheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Secures RMB 300 Million in Series B+ Funding, Led by Shenzhen Capital Group with Follow-on Investments from Qianhai Ark, Yantai Caijing, Longxin Investment, and Aohua Clean Energy.

LannachengSmartNuclide is an innovative integrated diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine R&D provider, focusing on building a world-leading Class 1 integrated diagnostic and therapeutic platform for innovative oncology nuclear medicines. It is committed to providing more precise and effective treatment solutions for cancer patients. The company has established a relatively comprehensive pipeline of radionuclide diagnostics and therapeutics, with targeted drugs covering small molecules, peptides, and antibodies. Its products span multiple fields including prostate cancer, solid tumors, gliomas, and neuroendocrine tumors.

Qingpu Bio

Round: B+ Round

Amount: Over 100 Million Yuan

Qingpu Biotech Completes Over 100 Million Yuan in B+ Round Financing, with Investors Including ZJ Capital, Huiding Investment, and Shengjing Jia Cheng Venture Capital.

Qingpu Biotech is a global biotechnology company focused on the research and development of novel drugs in the field of pain management, aiming to provide patients with non-opioid, long-acting, and potent new analgesic drugs. Based on multiple proprietary technology platforms such as sustained-release injectable technology, transdermal delivery systems, and solubility enhancement technology for poorly soluble drugs, the company has developed a rich pipeline of products. Indications cover postoperative pain, various types of neuropathic pain (such as DPN, PHN, etc.), osteoarthritis pain, migraine, and various refractory pain conditions (such as cancer pain).

APTBIO

Round: C Round

Amount: Hundreds of Millions of Yuan

APTBIO Announces Completion of Hundreds of Millions of CNY in Series C Financing, Led by GF Xinde with Shengshi Capital as a Follower

APTBIO was established in 2004, with its headquarters located in Shanghai. Originally known as the Proteomics Research and Analysis Center of the Shanghai Institute of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, it is a life science technology service provider driven by mass spectrometry-based multi-omics.

BinHui Bio

Round: C Round

Amount: Hundreds of Millions of Yuan

BinHui Bio Obtains Hundreds of Millions in C-round Investment, with Investors Including Zhongbo Julv, etc.

Puduirui PharmaceuticalsIt is a developer of mechanism research for major neurological diseases and innovative drugs. Based on the peptide-guided protein knockdown technology platform, Puduirui has initiated drug research for Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Among them, the drugs for Parkinson's disease and ALS have entered the pharmacodynamics evaluation stage.

IMPACT Therapeutics

Round: D+ Round

Amount: 400 million yuan

IMPACT Therapeutics Announces Successful Completion of RMB 400 Million D+ Financing Round. This round was co-led by GaoTJ Investment and Xicheng Jinrui, with participation from Yangzhou Guojin Group and Guyu Nan Ge (a fund under Yuyuan Yong). Existing shareholders Lilly Asia Ventures and Xiamen C&D Emerging Investment continued to increase their investment in this round.

IMPACT Therapeutics is committed to the research and development of proprietary targeted anticancer drugs, with a focus on the synthetic lethality mechanism. Building on its self-developed platform targeting the DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathway, IMPACT Therapeutics has established the most comprehensive DDR product portfolio among global biotechnology companies and is progressively expanding into more novel synthetic lethal targets.

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