LEALING Biopharma Secures Tens of Millions RMB in Angel Funding to Advance TCR Technology Platforms and Pipeline Development

Recently, Liling Biopharmaceutical (LEALING Biopharma) (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Liling Biopharma) announced the completion of an angel round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan, jointly invested by Mint Venture Capital and Originate Ventures. The funds obtained from this round will mainly be used for the improvement of the TCR technology platform, the advancement of related project pipelines, and team building, among others.

In recent years, the successful launch of CAR-T therapy has continuously increased the attention on cellular immunotherapy. TCR-T therapy, which has greater advantages in solid tumor treatment, has also been widely applied in numerous clinical studies. Existing clinical data shows that TCR-T therapy has significantly improved the treatment outcomes for solid tumors and demonstrated good tolerance in terms of safety. This therapy is expected to bring a new revolutionary treatment option for patients. However, the current TCR-T therapy has a limited number of selectable targets, and the time and process for screening TCRs are relatively complicated with high costs, which are bottlenecks restricting the development in this field.

Personalized TCR-T utilizes the patient's own tumor-reactive TCR to treat tumors, with the potential to overcome limitations in cell therapy targets and indications. Bispecific antibodies targeting intracellular targets through T cells can achieve low-cost and large-scale production while significantly improving patient accessibility to the drugs. Leveraging the industry experience of its technical team and the advantages of its technology platform, Liling Biopharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. is rapidly advancing the development of personalized TCR-T and TCR-like bispecific antibody drugs, poised to make significant research progress and lead the advancement of related industries.

Founder of Liling Biopharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Wang WenboIndicates:

"TCR therapy has the advantages of recognizing intracellular tumor-specific antigens and better infiltration of solid tumors, showing exciting potential in the treatment of solid tumors. The current key bottlenecks of TCR therapy lie in the screening and identification of specific TCRs, as well as scale-up processes and preparation cycles. Liling Biopharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. has established a new generation of independently developed TCR rapid screening platform and cloning technology, which shortens the screening cycle from the conventional approximately two months to about three weeks. This effectively addresses the issues of long sequence screening time and low throughput, laying a solid foundation for the development of TCR drugs."

Yanghuan Bao, Partner of Mint Venture PartnersIndicates:

"Liling Biopharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. has established a unique TCR discovery and optimization platform, utilizing it to accelerate the development of TCR-T and TCR bispecific antibodies for both known and novel targets, significantly streamlining the R&D process. Founder Wang Wenbo conducted extensive research on cellular immunotherapy during his time at CARL JUNE’s lab. After returning to China, he collaborated with clinicians at Ruijin Hospital on translational medicine research in cellular immunotherapy. With years of experience in cell therapy R&D, he is adept at bridging scientific research and clinical applications. He is also an entrepreneur with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and we believe Wenbo will lead the team to develop products that truly benefit patients."

Gang Cheng, Partner of Yuansheng VenturesIndicates:

"Immunotherapies represented by CAR-T and CD3 bispecific antibodies have demonstrated revolutionary efficacy in hematologic malignancies, but so far have shown limited success in solid tumors. TCR therapy possesses several potential advantages, including the ability to target intracellular antigens and more controllable side effects. In January 2022, the FDA approved the first-ever TCR/CD3 bispecific antibody for solid tumors (uveal melanoma), marking a significant milestone in this field. Recently, encouraging registrational clinical trial results of TCR cell therapies have been published, with leading international products potentially gaining approval within the next few months to a year. These advancements preliminarily validate the clinical safety and efficacy of TCR therapies for certain solid tumors, allowing us to further envision their development prospects. The two founders of Liling Biopharmaceutical possess solid yet complementary professional backgrounds and work experience, having already explored a fast and efficient technical route for TCR sequence screening. Moreover, the courage and perseverance they have demonstrated—qualities essential for successful entrepreneurs—have left a deep impression on us. Yuan BioVentures looks forward to providing comprehensive support to Liling, assisting them in developing TCR therapies that meet international standards as soon as possible, benefiting a wide range of patients with solid tumors."

Liling Biopharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., located in bioBAY, Suzhou Industrial Park, is an innovative technology company focusing on intracellular targets and dedicated to the development of personalized TCR-T cell therapies and TCR bispecific antibody drugs. The company possesses several technical platforms, including a rapid TCR cloning and screening technology that does not rely on gene synthesis, various optimized aAPC models, immune cells secreting single-domain antibodies, and an optimized TCR bispecific structure, all of which further address existing limitations of TCR-related drugs. The company's founder, Wang Wenbo, has over a decade of interdisciplinary R&D experience at renowned research and clinical institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center, the Jackson Lab in the United States, CARL JUNE Lab, and Shanghai Ruijin Hospital. The co-founder, Liu Hongchuan, was previously the head of the quality management department at Junshi Biosciences. The company has now built a professional team with extensive early-stage R&D experience in cell therapy and bispecific antibody treatment, covering key processes such as rapid TCR cloning and screening, discovery of TCR-like antibodies, evaluation of candidate product efficacy in vitro and in vivo, and subsequent process development.

Mint Ventures is China's first life sciences and healthcare investment fund focused on full-cycle incubation. The fund’s seasoned investment team collaborates with a world-class "think tank" of scientists, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to prioritize cutting-edge life science technologies urgently needed in the Chinese market, including novel targets and mechanisms for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and anti-infective drug development. It also focuses on innovative precision medicine solutions such as early disease screening and molecular imaging. By deeply understanding the pathways and cycles of technology commercialization, Mint Ventures helps enhance the success rates and growth speed of enterprises. Additionally, Mint Ventures has initiated and operates Beijing Newlife Nest and Suzhou Bohe, incubation and innovation centers that aggregate original scientific research achievements, providing an end-to-end innovative ecosystem service to accelerate the incubation and transformation of breakthrough innovations.

Oriza Ventures is an investment institution focused on the early and growth-stage healthcare sector, based in Suzhou BioBAY with a global reach. It has successfully invested in over 160 outstanding companies in the life sciences and health sector, covering four major areas: novel drug development, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics and precision medicine, as well as healthcare services, achieving substantial investment returns. Sixteen of its portfolio companies have been listed on capital markets such as the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the STAR Market. Oriza Ventures has been repeatedly recognized as one of the Top 10 venture capital funds in China's healthcare sector and one of the most active healthcare investment institutions in China. With a team of experienced professional investors and a world-class scientific advisory board, Oriza Ventures possesses extensive experience in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and corporate operations within the biopharmaceutical industry. Leveraging professionalism, dedication, and abundant industry resources, we are committed to becoming one of the most successful healthcare and pharmaceutical venture capital funds in China.