Antar Therapeutics Secures Nearly RMB 100 Million in Seed Funding Led by Xingze Capital to Advance Antisense Oligonucleotide Drug Development

VCBeat learned that Arnatar Therapeutics recently announced the completion of a nearly 100-million-yuan seed round investment led exclusively by Apricot Capital. The proceeds from this round will mainly be used to build a unique antisense nucleic acid bidirectional regulation technology platform and to advance the early-stage R&D and layout of multiple innovative drug pipelines.

Arnatar Therapeutics was founded in 2022 as a drug development company based on Antisense Technology. The founding team includes renowned senior experts in the antisense nucleic acid drug field, such as Dr. Xuehai Liang, former head of the core technology department at Ionis, and Dr. Yanfeng Wang, a veteran expert in drug development and former head of the DMPK and clinical pharmacology departments at Merck, Novartis, and Ionis. The team also comprises professionals with years of hands-on experience in RNA Biology, drug target identification, and small nucleic acid synthesis. Leveraging their cutting-edge research in the industry, Arnatar has built internationally leading, unique, and highly efficient siRNA and ASO technology platforms that enable bidirectional regulation of protein expression, significantly expanding the range of treatable diseases. Arnatar is committed to the research and development of innovative drugs for the global market. Utilizing its proprietary technology platforms, the company develops nucleic acid drugs targeting common metabolic diseases and severe rare diseases by modulating gene expression up or down according to disease mechanisms, focusing on liver-targeted and extrahepatic applications.

Founder and CEO of Arnatar, Xuehai Liang, Ph.D.Expressed: "We are very grateful for the recognition and support from Apricot Capital! In just a few short months, the company has grown rapidly. This round of financing enables us to efficiently optimize and finalize our proprietary technology platform, advance the R&D of our drug pipeline, and complete Proof-of-Concept (POC) validation for different drug targets in animal models. It also supports us in advancing the early-stage research and strategic development of multiple innovative drug pipelines. Our goal is to leverage the efficient and rapid characteristics of our small nucleic acid drug platform, along with its flexible and diverse mechanisms of action, to develop innovative drugs that combat and treat various gain-of-function and loss-of-function diseases. Arnatar Therapeutics will continue to build our unique antisense nucleic acid bidirectional regulation technology platform, transforming core technologies and knowledge into urgently needed medicines for patients, and striving to become a leader in the global small nucleic acid drug R&D field."

Dr. Yanfeng Wang, Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Arnatar TherapeuticsRepresentative stated: "The name of Arnatar Therapeutics carries two layers of meaning: Advanced RNA Targeting, which refers to our technological core, and also embodies innovation, confidence, and vitality—values that have been part of Arnatar’s company culture since its inception. Based on our in-depth analysis of RNA biology and disease mechanisms, as well as Arnatar's strengths in the antisense nucleic acid technology platform, we have established a multi-pipeline layout in areas such as cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver, kidney cysts, cancer, and Alagille syndrome, while committing to the research and development of innovative drugs. Currently, numerous animal experimental data have demonstrated the high efficiency of our proprietary technology platform, and the development of multiple pipeline drugs is proceeding smoothly, including the MOA of innovative drugs. We are confident and hope to expedite IND-enabling studies as soon as possible, bringing highly effective therapeutic innovations to patients in need."

Dr. Jing Qiang of Apricot CapitalStated: "Apricot Capital is honored to accompany entrepreneurs who shine on their own, promoting the advancement and development of the life science industry. Small nucleic acid drugs are a direction that Apricot Capital is very optimistic about. The approval and market launch of more than 10 RNA-targeting drugs based on antisense nucleic acid technology in recent years demonstrates the maturity of this novel drug R&D platform technology. Dr. Xuehai Liang and Dr. Yanfeng Wang, founders of Arnatar Therapeutics, are well-known experts with deep expertise in the small nucleic acid field, possessing multiple technical patents and years of management and drug R&D experience in ASO and siRNA fields. We have seen that in just a few months of development, despite limited funding, Arnatar Therapeutics has accomplished the most crucial tasks during the company's start-up phase: building an efficient team of initial scale, completing the construction of its proprietary technology platform and MOA validation for various disease-focused small nucleic acid drugs, and setting up an early-stage R&D lab and chemical synthesis lab with full functionality, showcasing the founding team's extremely high operational efficiency. Based on its unique technology platform, Arnatar Therapeutics has implemented a differentiated layout focused on innovative drugs in indications such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, and tumors, showing potential for internationalization. We highly anticipate that the Arnatar team will achieve even greater success in the future!"

Apricot Capital was founded in 2015. The name "Apricot" implies "skilled doctors in the apricot grove, benefiting the world." With the power of capital, it partners with brilliant entrepreneurs to address significant unmet clinical needs.

The investment team of Apricot Capital consists of more than 20 professionals with extensive experience in healthcare investment, academia, and industry. The investment focus is on innovative biopharmaceuticals, medical devices (including life science instruments), and innovative service supply chains. Currently, the portfolio includes over 50 companies, with total managed assets nearing 5 billion yuan.

Since its establishment, Apricot Capital has focused on investing in outstanding early-stage and growth-stage companies in the life sciences industry. Its investment projects cover fields such as biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and medical services. The companies it has invested in include Junshi Biosciences (01877.HK), Akeso Biopharma (09926.HK), China Antibody (03681.HK), RemeGen (09995.HK), Heartflow Medical (02160.HK), MicroPort EP (688351.SH), Xennovate Pharma, HexaPharm, ImmunoViro, Tavotek Bio, Yilian Bio, Qihe Biotech, Bowang Pharma, Tianze CloudTech, Shenqi Medical, Shengsheng Logistics, PharmaCube, and more than 50 other rapidly growing star enterprises.

Arnatar Therapeutics was founded in 2022 and is committed to becoming a high-tech innovative drug research and development enterprise with independent intellectual property rights, using novel antisense nucleic acid technologies (siRNA and ASO) as its platform. The founding team of Arnatar Therapeutics consists of world-renowned experts in the field of antisense nucleic acid pharmaceuticals and drug development, working alongside industry veterans with years of experience in RNA Biology, drug target selection, and small nucleic acid chemical synthesis. Currently, Arnatar Therapeutics is focusing on the research and development of innovative drugs based on novel antisense nucleic acid technology. The company actively promotes complementary collaborations with industry partners and academic institutions to accelerate drug development, striving to contribute to alleviating patients' suffering.