Hengsai Bio Secures Tens of Millions in Pre-A Financing Led by Fuhui Ventures, with MedBio Capital as Exclusive Financial Advisor

Recently, Zhongshan Hengsai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as: Hengsai Bio) announced the completion of a Pre-A round of financing worth tens of millions of RMB, led byFuhui Venture Capital led the investment, Hengyue Investment followed, and Mobi Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor.。

Hengsai Biotech was founded in 2018 and has a research and development center in Shanghai. It is a high-tech enterprise focusing on the field of tumor immunotherapy, mainly engaged inResearch and Industrialization of a New Generation of Personalized Dendritic Cell Tumor Therapeutic Vaccines (DC Vaccines), aiming to develop DC vaccine products with independent intellectual property rights, international leadership, domestic innovation, strong accessibility, safety, and convenience. The company was co-founded and is led by seasoned industry experts and an industrialization team, integrating industry, academia, and research.Founder and CEO Dr. Huining LiuHolds a Ph.D. in Immunology from Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan, an MBA from Tulane University School of Business in the U.S., and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School. Has worked for well-known companies such as BMS and Quintiles, leading and participating in over 50 clinical trials and more than 10 new drug applications, guiding several drugs to market in multiple countries worldwide. Has extensive experience in scientific research and drug development. Core team members previously led the first DC vaccine project for adult T-cell leukemia in Japan, achieving breakthrough clinical results, and will accelerate the drug’s market entry through the green review channel.

Dendritic Cells (DCs) are the most powerful professional antigen-presenting cells discovered to date and are the only antigen-presenting cells capable of activating naïve T cells to produce antigen-specific immune responses, playing a crucial role in the body's immune system. DCs were discovered in 1973 by Professor Zanvil Cohn and Professor Ralph Steinman. Professor Ralph Steinman treated his own pancreatic cancer with a DC vaccine, significantly extending his survival period. In recognition of his pioneering work in the discovery of DCs, Professor Ralph Steinman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2011. DC vaccines have made breakthrough progress in clinical research for tumor immunotherapy both in China and internationally and have become a research hotspot in the field of cancer immunotherapy vaccines.

Currently, there are no approved DC vaccine products on the market in China. Hengsai Biotech has now established a comprehensive R&D platform and technical system for DC vaccines, including internationally leading technologies such as DC cell separation and induction, tumor antigen selection and loading platforms, clinical trial-grade DC cell production centers, quality control, and management systems. Based on overseas cutting-edge DC vaccine R&D experience, the company’s technology has been further improved to establish standardized, regulated, and industrialization-friendly methods for DC vaccine production. The overall technical level is internationally leading, with multiple patented inventions, filling the gap in this field within China.

Hengsai Bio's DC vaccine focuses on disease areas where there are currently no effective treatments, targeting related diseases caused by the EBV virus, including lymphoma, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, chronic active EBV infection, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, gastric cancer, and multiple sclerosis, among other indications. In the future, it will also expand into several other disease areas such as cervical cancer, hepatitis, glioblastoma, AIDS, and pancreatic cancer.

The company has reached cooperation intentions with multiple research institutions to comprehensively promote the application for clinical trials, including exploratory clinical studies (IIT) of personalized DC vaccines for various types of tumors, and to evaluate the clinical efficacy of DC vaccines. This round of funding will be applied to the clinical development of DC vaccine products, the research and development of new pipelines, and team recruitment.

Dr. Hui Ning Liu, Founder and CEO of Hengsai BiotechHengsai Biotech has a relatively mature DC vaccine preparation process and a scientifically compliant quality control system. We are very grateful for the recognition and trust from this round of investors, Fuhui Venture Capital and Hengyue Investment, as well as the support from MB Capital. This round of financing will help us advance the clinical validation of our first product pipeline and further innovate the platform technology. The Hengsai team will continue to be guided by clinical needs and driven by technological innovation to develop safer, more durable, and affordable DC vaccines.

Dr. Cheng Hao, Investment Partner of Fuhui Venture CapitalRepresentation: Fuhui Venture Capital, in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the local government investment platform of Zhongshan City, has long been paying attention to the improvement, iteration, and disruptive innovation opportunities of emerging biotechnology in China in the field of innovative drugs. Tumor immunotherapy is one of our key focuses and is worthy of long-term investment. We are optimistic about the broad application prospects of Hengsai Bio's next-generation DC vaccines in future immunotherapy combinations. We are pleased to participate in this round of financing for Hengsai Bio, helping the company grow rapidly into a world-leading DC vaccine R&D enterprise. At the same time, we look forward to Hengsai Bio’s research products bringing good news to patient groups as soon as possible.

Mr. Ding Huanxing, Partner of VCBeat CapitalExpressed: It is a great honor to serve as the exclusive financial advisor of Hengsai Bio. As the most important antigen-presenting cells in the human immune system, DC has not been widely used like CAR-T and other cell therapies due to its difficult R&D technology. Currently, most of the companies and research institutions achieving good clinical outcomes are leading international startups and research organizations. Hengsai Bio possesses world-leading DC vaccine R&D technology and successful clinical experience, and we look forward to the company’s products benefiting clinical patients as soon as possible.

Fuhui Venture Capital is a VC investment institution focused on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and early-stage investments in technology companies. It specializes in investments in fields such as healthcare and advanced manufacturing, with a management team that has extensive experience in both the real economy industry and equity investments. In the healthcare sector, its portfolio includes several high-quality enterprises such as New Horizon Health (06606.HK), Airdoc Technology (02251.HK), Weizhen Biotech [Medical Devices], Jinbaihui Biotech [Medical Devices], Kexin Kaidi [New Drug R&D], Zhiben Medicine [Anti-Infective New Drugs], Nulan Biotech [Exosomes], Huazi Biotech [Long-Acting Proteins], Baiji Hongye [New Drug R&D], Youli Medicine [New Drug R&D], Loqi Biotech [Nanobodies], Leadgene Era [Pharmaceutical CDMO], Ruishun Biotech [Cell Therapy], New Leader Medicine [Transdermal Formulations], Ruisi Puli [Inhalation Formulations], and Ruiyi Technology [Pharmaceutical CDMO].

Hengyue Investment is an industrial investment firm that specializes in investing in cutting-edge biopharmaceutical companies. It is composed of seasoned healthcare investors and has previously invested in multiple high-growth early-stage enterprises.

MedBio Capital is a boutique investment bank focused on the life sciences and healthcare sectors, committed to becoming the capital and strategic partner of top scientists and entrepreneurs. The core team has deep roots in the healthcare industry, covering key nodes in research and development, clinical trials, and market dynamics, with diverse backgrounds in investment, investment banking, and consulting. Team members have collectively completed financing exceeding tens of billions and have served more than a dozen top-tier publicly listed healthcare companies.