Kerui Bio Completes Pre-A+ Financing Round to Accelerate TCR-Based Innovative Drug Pipeline

VCBeat learned第一时间获悉，近日，Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd. ("Kerui Bio") completed a Pre-A+ round financing worth hundreds of millions, led jointly by Sunshine Ronghui and Xinrui Medical, with Longmen Capital participating.This round of financing will be used to advance several innovative TCR-T cell therapy products and the development pipeline of soluble TCR protein drugs, including cell therapy products targeting KRAS-G12 mutations and the world's first innovative TCR protein drug targeting KRAS-G12 mutations.

Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd., founded by multiple Peking University alumni and returned overseas students, is committed to developing innovative drugs based on T-cell receptors (TCR). Through technological innovation, Kerui Biological Technology has established a systematic TCR R&D platform, solving a series of technical difficulties in TCR cloning and optimization, enabling high-efficiency, large-scale TCR innovative drug development. Based on the internationally leading SMART-TCR affinity optimization platform, the success rate and efficiency of TCR affinity optimization have been greatly improved, and a comprehensive soluble TCR protein drug R&D technology platform has been built. With its highly innovative R&D technology platform and mature process development and analytical quality control industrialization platform, the company is developing a rich product pipeline targeting multiple solid tumors and viral infectious diseases. Recently, the company has continuously made progress in product development, R&D pipeline advancement, talent building, and site expansion, moving towards becoming a leading enterprise with global competitiveness in the field of TCR immunotherapy.

Founder of Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd., Xie XingwangBeijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd. has developed multiple TCR-T pipelines based on a well-established TCR innovative drug R&D platform. The first TCR-T cell therapy product has entered the IIT clinical research stage. Meanwhile, recognizing the unique advantages and broad application prospects of TCR protein drugs in terms of cost, accessibility, and controllable PK characteristics, Kerui Biological Technology has also started to focus on the development of TCR protein drugs. Leveraging the strengths of the SMART-TCR affinity optimization technology platform and the AI-assisted TCR protein drug design and development platform, Kerui Biological Technology has made rapid breakthroughs in the field of TCR protein drugs and has already laid out numerous patents for TCR protein drug structures and high-affinity TCRs.

Special thanks to the recognition and trust of both new and existing investors. Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd. will continue to enhance and refine its technology platform, maintain its technological edge, and meet patients' clinical needs by developing higher-quality products.

Shi Shenghao, Managing Partner of Sunlight Ronghui FundRepresentation: Earlier this year, the FDA approved Kimmtrak, the world's first TCR protein drug, for the treatment of uveal melanoma, achieving very impressive results. Meanwhile, in cell therapy, TCR-T has demonstrated broader target options, stronger cytotoxic cell activation, and superior tumor infiltration capabilities compared to CAR-based therapies. It has shown promising outcomes in multiple clinical trials across various solid tumors, earning high hopes from the industry. Undoubtedly, TCR therapy has already displayed tremendous potential and initial commercial value in the treatment of solid tumors and will become a significant direction for future cancer treatment.

Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the few companies in China that simultaneously develops two major technological platforms: TCR-T cell drugs and TCR protein drugs. Under the leadership of Dr. Xie Xingwang, the company has built a highly innovative pipeline, a team with strong execution capabilities, an efficient screening platform, stable processes, and a comprehensive quality control system. We are fortunate to continue our support for the company’s development. We look forward to the early market launch of its products, which will benefit patients worldwide and establish the company as a representative leader in the TCR therapy field.

Founder of Xinrui Medical Fund, Zhang MingfangIndicates: In the past two years of 2020 and 2021, Xinrui Medical Fund maintained a cautious attitude towards investment in China's innovative drug sector, successfully avoiding the burst of a major investment bubble in domestic innovative drugs. Under these circumstances, our investment in Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd. in 2022 was based on three core judgments:

1. From the industry perspective, TCR-T cell therapy is a treatment technology with confirmed efficacy and reliable safety. Compared with other complex innovative drugs, it has definite therapeutic effects, and compared with CAR-T, it offers better safety. The development risk of TCR-T cell therapy drugs is much lower than that of other innovative drugs, significantly increasing the success rate.

2. At the company level, Kerui Bio has established a distinctive TCR screening and optimization platform, achieving fruitful results. Under the leadership of the founding team centered on Dr. Xie Xingwang, all key aspects such as R&D, clinical trials, regulatory submissions, and product quality control have gathered top experts in the industry. We believe that such a highly cohesive founding team will demonstrate efficiency and success rates far surpassing those of competitors.

3. Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd. not only has a TCR-T cell therapy pipeline that will enter the clinical trial stage, but also owns an ongoing TCR protein drug platform, which is also a direction we are optimistic about and look forward to. Let us jointly look forward to and witness the development and success of Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd., and hope that its innovative products will benefit patients as soon as possible.

Wang Haining, Founding Partner of Longmen CapitalRepresentation: Tumors are our key focus, and we have established more than ten different types of technology platforms, including antibodies, cells, nucleic acids, and gene drugs. For malignant solid tumors, we believe that each technology platform has its own value, and combination therapy is the trend. TCR-T is also a field we have been looking to develop, with the potential to bring new breakthroughs in clinical practice.

Beijing Kerui Biological Technology Co., Ltd.'s TCR screening and optimization platform features systematic innovation in methodology. Dr. Xie and the team’s spirit of scientific exploration, as well as their understanding of the industrialization of cell-based drugs, have left a deep impression on me.