RNAimmune Secures $27 Million Series A Financing to Advance mRNA Therapeutics and Vaccines

GERMANTOWN, Maryland, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RNAimmune, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of mRNA-based therapies and vaccines, announced that it has successfully completed a Series A funding round of approximately US$27 million. The company plans to use this funding to further advance its research and development of mRNA vaccines and drugs for infectious diseases, cancer, and rare diseases. This round of financing was led by existing shareholders of RNAimmune, including Sirnaomics Ltd. ("Sirnaomics," stock code: 2257.HK) and Smooth River Limited ("Smooth River"), along with a new investment from a fund managed by Rotating Stone Capital.

Since its establishment in March 2020, RNAimmune has built its mRNA vaccine and drug research and development platform to address significant unmet medical needs in infectious diseases, cancer, and rare diseases. The company submitted a pre-IND application for its next-generation COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate, RIM730, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2021 and received approval in January 2022. The company anticipates submitting an IND to the FDA and initiating Phase I clinical trials in the fourth quarter of 2022 to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of RIM730. RNAimmune is also collaborating with the University of California, Los Angeles to advance its broad-spectrum RAS cancer vaccine program and with the University of Houston to advance its preventive herpes simplex virus vaccine project.

Dr. Dong Shen, Founder and President of RNAimmune, said: "We are very grateful for the support from both new and existing investors in RNAimmune's Series A financing. This indicates the investors' confidence in RNAimmune's technology and products. The funds will be used to recruit our team and expand RNAimmune's mRNA vaccine R&D pipeline. In addition, we will validate RNAimmune's next-generation AI-driven mRNA delivery platform, which includes the PLNP delivery system."

Dr. Yang Lu, Founder, Chairman, Executive Director, President and CEO of Sirnaomics, and Chairman of RNAimmune, stated: "With the successful completion of RNAimmune's $27 million Series A financing, we can advance its clinical trial programs targeting significant public health issues and ensure that RNAimmune maintains a globally leading position in the rapidly evolving mRNA-based therapeutics and vaccine industry."

RNAimmune Completed Angel Financing of USD 2.3 Million in August 2020 and Seed Financing of USD 10 Million in April 2021.

AboutSmooth River

Smooth River is a joint stock company registered in the Republic of Seychelles as an international business company. Smooth River is also an existing shareholder of Sirnaomics.

About Rotcapital

Rota Capital is an equity investment management firm focused on long-term value. Several investment funds managed by Rota Capital are existing shareholders of Sirnaomics.

AboutRNAimmune

RNAimmune is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the research and development of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) therapies and vaccines. The company uses mRNA as a vector to induce the human body to produce its own proteins capable of combating various diseases. RNAimmune is a subsidiary of Sirnaomics and has obtained the global exclusive rights to Sirnaomics' proprietary peptide lipid nanoparticle (PLNP) technology for mRNA delivery. The company has also developed a proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm for antigen prediction and vaccine design (ALEPVA). By integrating multiple established platform technologies, RNAimmune aims to develop a comprehensive mRNA drug R&D platform to enrich the company’s therapeutic and vaccine product pipelines, addressing significant unmet therapeutic needs in infectious diseases, cancer, and rare disease treatments. The company is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with a global market outlook. For more information about RNAimmune, please visitwww.rnaimmune.com。

AboutSirnaomics

Sirnaomics is an RNA therapeutics biopharmaceutical company with candidate products in preclinical and clinical stages, focusing on exploring and developing innovative drugs for the treatment of indications with unmet medical needs and significant market opportunities. Sirnaomics is the first clinical-stage RNA therapeutics biopharmaceutical company to hold a strong market position in both China and the United States, and it is also the first company to achieve positive Phase IIa clinical results for its core product, STP705, an RNAi therapy in the field of oncology. For more information about the company, please visit:www.sirnaomics.com。

Contact Information:
Shen Dong, MD PhD
President of RNAimmune, Inc.
Email:dong.shen@rnaimmune.com

Investor Inquiry:
Ye Yongji
CFO of RNAimmune, Inc.
Email:Nigel@rnaimmune.com

U.S. Media Inquiry:
Alexis Feinberg
Phone: +1 203 939 2225
Email:Alexis.Feinberg@westwicke.com

Asian Media Inquiry:
Li Yaorong
Phone: +852 3150 6707
Email:sirnaomics.hk@pordahavas.com