Hegene Biosciences Completes Nearly RMB 100 Million Series A1 Financing to Accelerate Clinical Development of Multiple Best-in-Class siRNA Drug Candidates

VCBeat learned that recently, Hygieia Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hygieia"), a rising company in the field of small interfering RNA (siRNA) innovative drugs, has successfully completed nearly 100 million yuan in A1 round financing. This round of financing was led by Tasly Capital Holding (Beijing) Co., Ltd., with participation from Hangzhou Qiantang and Dada Health Venture Capital Fund Partnership Enterprise (Limited Partnership) and Jianxin Capital Management Co., Ltd. Existing shareholders continued to increase their investment. CEC CAPITAL served as the exclusive financial advisor for Hygieia in this transaction. After completing this round of financing, Hygieia will accelerate the progress of its clinical pipeline research and advance preclinical compounds (PCCs) towards IND, further solidifying the company's leading position in the industry.

Hygieia Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. is committed to the construction of a technology platform for siRNA delivery and drug development, establishing a complete end-to-end siRNA drug development platform from target discovery to clinical proof of concept (POC), with coverage spanningFrom Early R&D to IndustrializationA professional team with full lifecycle experience and extensive domain expertise.

Hygieia has developed multiple siRNA delivery technology platforms with full independent intellectual property rights. Among them, the MVIP delivery platform is the world's first dual-conjugate siRNA delivery technology for liver-derived diseases, featuring unique stability that prevents siRNA degradation. Its high efficiency, safety, and long-lasting effects have been validated through several pipelines in Hygieia's clinical and preclinical studies.MVIP is the first siRNA delivery technology platform in China to receive global patent authorization.The DDP delivery platform is the company's second-generation siRNA delivery technology for hepatic-origin diseases, designed to address the delivery of siRNA drugs in complex disease areas with multiple concurrent conditions. It can simultaneously deliver two or more siRNAs. Currently, some pipelines have advanced to the IND-Enabling Studies stage. The HJYNSdp delivery platform is the company’s siRNA delivery technology developed for neurological disorders, capable of targeting both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Multiple pipelines are currently in the preclinical compound validation phase.

Hygieia Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. focuses on disease areas with urgent clinical needs or no available treatments, based on the aforementioned siRNA delivery technology platform. Its pipeline covers hepatitis B, NASH/MASH, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, complement-mediated related diseases, and neurological disorders.

The treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus infection authorized to Starry Kunze under Fosun Pharma isThe first China-produced siRNA hepatitis B new drug to receive NMPA and FDA approval for clinical trials.The drug was developed based on the MVIP delivery technology platform. The results of Phase I studies at all stages indicate that this pipeline has demonstrated good safety, tolerability, and efficacy potential with Best in Class (BIC) prospects.

The pipeline developed based on the MVIP delivery technology platform for the treatment of hyperlipoproteinemia (a) associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has currently received clinical tacit approval from the NMPA. Head-to-head efficacy studies with competing products from international leading companies have shown that Hygieia Biotech's pipeline demonstrates superior efficacy and sustainability.With the potential to be the best-in-class (BIC).

The pipeline for treating moderate to severe fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is developed by Hygieia based on the MVIP technology platform.Globally pioneering dual-targeting liver THRβ agonist,Can minimize the systemic exposure of THRβ agonists, reducing side effects on extrahepatic organs (such as the heart and thyroid axis). Preclinical efficacy studies show that this pipeline can not only significantly improve NASH but also achieve a certain degree of reversal effect on moderate to severe fibrosis. Currently, this pipeline is in Phase I clinical trials, and the completed studies indicate that it has good safety and tolerability.With the potential for best-in-class efficacy and optimal safety.

Hygieia Pharmaceuticals CEO Mr. Tao Guan stated:

We sincerely thank both new and existing investors of Hygieia who continue to support us during this challenging period. With over 20 years of industry experience, our R&D team has successfully advanced multiple products into the clinical translation stage, with some pipelines already achieving Best in Class validation in human trials. We will continue to strive for higher standards in internal product development, aiming to develop more globally leading or best-in-industry drugs. At the same time, we will collaborate with more industry peers to further advance the small nucleic acid field. We believe that the small nucleic acid industry has the potential to replicate the success trajectory of the antibody industry from a decade ago, becoming another globally influential Chinese advantage sector, and Hygieia is committed to being one of the key participants.

The company team unanimously expressed that, in the capital market winter, the industry's requirements for enterprises are constantly increasing. We clearly realize that as a Chinese biotechnology company, we cannot only focus on domestic demand but need to hold our product pipeline to global standards in terms of speed and quality. Only companies that can truly meet global standards will stand out in fierce competition, move forward continuously, and become top-quality leading enterprises.

Mr. Yang Ji Yun, Partner of Tasly Capital Holding (Beijing) Co., Ltd., said:

As an industrial investment fund focusing on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, we have always been optimistic about the technical direction of small nucleic acids (siRNA). Their long-acting, safe, and stable characteristics provide unparalleled significant advantages in the field of chronic diseases. After an in-depth understanding, we are deeply impressed by Hygieia Pharmaceuticals' profound accumulation in the industry and its end-to-end R&D platform that has already been established. The clinical data of Hygieia's existing pipeline has already shown the potential to be the global best-in-class. We look forward to Hygieia Pharmaceuticals developing more high-quality small nucleic acid drugs in the future, benefiting numerous patients with chronic diseases.

Mr. Jin Yufeng, Executive Affairs Delegate Representative of Zhejiang Province's "4+1" Biomedical and High-End Equipment Industry Fund and Chairman of Hedajinrong, stated:

As investors dedicated to supporting the long-term development of innovative pharmaceutical companies, we continue to be optimistic about the growth potential of the small nucleic acid (siRNA) field. Investing in Hygieia is another key step in our strategic layout within this domain. With its exceptional scientific capabilities and leading technology platform, Hygieia has achieved remarkable success in the siRNA space, with multiple clinical-stage pipelines demonstrating best-in-class global potential. We fully recognize Hygieia's accumulated expertise and development goals, and will support its long-term growth in various aspects. Subsequently, the 5 billion RMB Zhejiang Province 4+1 Healthcare Fund under our management will also continue to monitor the company’s next financing round, hoping to help Hygieia become a leader in the small nucleic acid field.

Mr. Hu Shuo, General Manager of Jianxin Capital Management Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, stated:

We are very pleased to cooperate with Hygieia. Delivery is the lifeline of small nucleic acid drug development. The Hygieia team has more than 20 years of professional experience in the development of small nucleic acid drugs, and has independently developed multiple delivery platforms. Its MVIP delivery patent has been authorized in both China and the United States, and has been preliminarily validated, showing potential for international application. The team has strong execution capabilities and high R&D efficiency. We look forward to more positive clinical data from the company’s pipeline, benefiting more patients.

Tasly Capital Holding (Beijing) Co., Ltd. has long been committed to carefully identifying the fundamental drivers of industry development. It focuses on "bottleneck" technologies at the forefront of global science and technology, in the main economic battlefield, addressing major national needs, and improving people's health. The company seeks out high-quality projects that are non-replicable, irreplaceable, technologically mature, promising for industrial transformation, and have enormous market potential. Concentrating on the 4D (drugs, diagnostics, devices, digital health) investment sectors, it invests around five core disease areas: cardiovascular, oncology, digestive metabolism, respiratory, and neurological disorders, while actively exploring entirely new growth spaces in strategic structural development. Relying on a professional, meticulous, and long-term focused fund management team, it continuously observes trends in the industry’s structural reallocation, forming differentiated capabilities in predicting quality tracks, selecting underlying and key technologies, and identifying high-quality targets. In a complex, ever-changing yet opportunity-filled investment environment, it strives to deliver predictable and sustainable investment returns for its broad investor base.

Hangzhou Qiantang and Dada Health Venture Capital Fund Partnership Enterprise (Limited Partnership) was registered and established on October 16, 2023. The total size of the fund is 5 billion yuan, with the first phase being 2 billion yuan. It is managed by Heda Industrial Fund Management and Heda Jinfu Group as the manager and GP1, while Jintou Shengyuan, a subsidiary of Provincial Financial Control Management Company, participates in the management as GP2. The fund uses capital as a link to attract high-quality enterprises, talent, and financial resources to gather in Zhejiang, serving the high-quality development of the real economy.

Jianxin Capital Management Co., Ltd. continues to deepen innovative investments in the biopharmaceutical field, with a strong focus on life and health. It has completed investments in nearly 50 outstanding companies within the industry that possess top-tier technical capabilities and management teams. The firm supports the growth of its portfolio companies while delivering substantial returns for investors. Notable investment cases include Chipscreen Biosciences, Akeso Biopharma, InnoCare Pharma, Shanghai Yizhong, Yanno Pharmaceuticals, and Entrotech Medical.