ReLive Biotech Secures Tens of Millions in RMB in Angel Funding to Advance Cartilage Regeneration Therapies

36Kr learned that a regenerative medicine company focusing on tissue and organ repair and regenerationRuiling Biomedical (Nanjing) Co., Ltd.(hereinafter referred to as:“Raylife Technology"") has completed an angel round of financing worth tens of millions of RMB. This round of financing was jointly led by Jiuyou Capital and Indaco Capital, with Dao Capital Limited participating as a follow-up investor.

It is reported that the first product line of Rayvant will mainly focus on cartilage defect repair. In the future, through independent research and development, it will utilize the technology of organically combining multi-source cells with 3D printed bio-scaffold materials to develop cost-effective cartilage regeneration products for joint hyaline cartilage, osteochondral, meniscus repair in the field of orthopedic sports medicine, as well as auricle reconstruction in the field of plastic surgery.

Compared to vital organs such as viscera and blood vessels, the health of cartilage tissues in the human body is often overlooked. Since cartilage tissue does not contain blood vessels and can only rely on intercellular contact for nutrient supply, it is difficult to self-repair once damaged. According to relevant data from the World Health Organization, there are currently over 400 million people worldwide suffering from osteoarthritis, and in China, osteoarthritis patients account for more than 10% of the total population. With the intensification of population aging, the incidence rate is increasing year by year.

It is reported that the main patient group of osteoarthritis is caused by articular cartilage defects, if not...ObtainedTimely treatment still carries the risk of causing chronic disability. As for the issue of cartilage defects, existing therapies can only partially alleviate patients' symptoms in the short term; unless a complete joint replacement is performed, which is expensive and highly invasive to the patient. Relatively speaking, repairing cartilage defects in the aforementioned group is a better option.

It is reported that currently, there are only two mainstream products globally that can achieve cartilage regeneration through biotechnology: MACI from Vericel Corporation in the United States and Spherox from Co.Don AG in Germany. RuiSheng Technology aims to introduce the Spherox product from Co.Don AG in Germany to the Chinese and American markets.

According to Dr. Xing Zhao, founder of Raylife Technology, compared with the similar American product MACI, which requires open-knee surgery, Spherox can be operated under arthroscopy, reducing patient suffering and offering greater convenience for both doctors and patients. Moreover, Spherox uses autologous cells and autologous serum to culture cartilage tissue in vitro, significantly lowering production costs. Currently, its average price in Europe is around $10,000, only one-fifth of MACI's cost.

Zhao Xing stated that the company plans to formally submit an application to China's NMPA regulatory authorities within 2022, while completing the technology transfer and supporting necessary clinical bridging experiments to ensure the product’s early market entry in China. While introducing Spherox, RuiSheng Technology also aims to simultaneously bring in its underlying production system, building a fully automated production facility in China. Reportedly, the company’s nearly 2,000-square-meter GMP workshop is currently under construction in Nanjing’s Jiangbei New Area.

However, the introduction of mature overseas products is merely the starting point for Ruisun Technology's efforts in the regenerative medicine field. According to reports, in the future, the company will also develop cost-effective cartilage regeneration products based on German products through independent research and development, utilizing more advanced technologies that combine cells with 3D-printed bio-scaffold materials to meet the demands of sports medicine.

Zhao Xing stated that the future cartilage defect repair products independently developed by Ruisheng Technology will further reduce the inconvenience caused by surgery, providing safe, efficient, long-lasting, and affordable solutions for patients with more severe joint cartilage defects.

According to reports, in the future, RealGene Tech will establish research and development teams in Nanjing, China, and Boston, USA. The company's self-developed articular cartilage repair product will commence early-stage R&D work in Boston, with all preclinical experiments, including in vitro and animal tests, expected to be completed within two years. Additionally, RealGene Tech has confirmed its self-developed product lines for osteochondral bilayer repair and auricular reconstruction. Collaborating with Harvard Medical School and MIT, the company plans to begin in vitro experiments in the first quarter of this year, aiming to complete preclinical trials within two years and swiftly initiate investigator-led clinical trials.

Starting with the field of cartilage repair, RuiSheng Technology is also entering the vast "blue ocean" market of regenerative medicine. According to an analysis by market research firm Verified Market Research, the global regenerative medicine market size was $27.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $149.8 billion by 2028, with an average annual growth rate of 23.54%. Zhao Xing stated, "Through the co-culture of different cells, including stem cells, and the organic integration of related materials, RuiSheng Technology can achieve the 'reconstruction' of human organs and tissues. In the future, the company will continue to develop products for different fields based on regenerative medicine, building a global platform company for cartilage repair."

It is reported that Dr. Zhao Xing, the founder of the company, has been engaged in research and practice in the field of regenerative medicine for many years. He pursued his Ph.D. in regenerative medicine at the Medical School of Utrecht University in the Netherlands and later at Harvard Medical School in the United States, where he completed his postdoctoral research. At the age of 29, he became a lecturer in orthopedics at Harvard. In 2015, he entered the industry, serving as the head of R&D and the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee at Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ: VCEL.US), a U.S.-based regenerative medicine company. It is worth noting that the U.S. cartilage repair product MACI, which Raytheon Biotech is introducing this time, was co-led by Dr. Zhao Xing during his tenure at Vericel and was approved for marketing by the FDA at the end of 2017. Additionally, Raytheon Biotech will establish R&D teams in Nanjing, China, and Boston, USA, to lay the foundation for the subsequent development of new cartilage repair products for the global market.