Chengdu-based Cell Therapy Innovator Zhenyu Biotherapeutics Secures Nearly RMB 1 Billion in Funding

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Recently,CR Therapeutics(hereinafter referred to as "CR Therapeutics") completed a financing round of nearly RMB 100 million,`Chengdu Future Industry Fund`andYuanSheng Venture PartnersCo-led,Renyou Capital, SJ Capitaland other institutions jointly participated, existing shareholders`Legend Capital`The additional investment will be primarily used to advance the clinical development of the company's core pipeline.

Personalized genetically modified immune cell therapy has been clinically validated, but its widespread use among patients in urgent need of treatment remains limited by challenges such as prolonged manufacturing cycles and high costs.

The CR Therapeutics team has accumulated years of research and clinical expertise in the field of cell therapy. Since its establishment in July 2023, it has focused from the outset on the R&D of next-generation off-the-shelf cell therapy products, establishingIn vivo CAR-TAndNovel Modality Therapeutic VaccinesDual-platform technologies tackle the key challenges in traditional cell therapy applications. All products developed through CR Therapeutics' dual platforms integrate three core attributes: efficacy, safety, and accessibility, and are poised to achieve a genuine breakthrough in next-generation immune cell therapy, emerging as flagship products in their respective therapeutic areas.

The in vivo CAR-T industry has converged on two mainstream technological pathways: viral vectors and mRNA-LNPs. Each approach presents distinct advantages and limitations regarding efficacy and safety, and the industry appears to be entering a new bottleneck: Is a trade-off between safety and high efficacy inevitable?

CR Therapeutics, based on in-depth consideration and comprehensive comparison throughout the entire lifecycle of in vivo CAR-T products, selected the option with higher safetymRNA-LNP Approach. Through modular parallel R&D, a series of internationally competitive innovations have been achieved in cell-targeted delivery systems, mRNA sequence optimization, and CAR molecular design, achieving comprehensive enhancements across delivery efficiency, expression persistence, cytotoxic activity, and solid tumor penetration. These advancements are expected to endow the products with both high safety and potent efficacy, delivering a critical breakthrough to overcome industry bottlenecks. The core pipeline has advanced into multiple clinical trials, demonstrating low toxicity and highly efficient CAR-T cell generation in clinical settings.

The highly innovative TCR-T in vivo platform is based on a therapeutic vaccine approach utilizing a novel druggable modality, enabling comprehensive and durable T-cell immune activation and driving high-fold in vivo expansion of multiple TCR clones (TCR-T in vivo).

EBV is the first human tumor-associated virus identified. It infects 95% of adults worldwide and establishes lifelong persistence. Persistent infection can lead to various malignancies, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoma, and EBV-associated gastric cancer.CR101, the lead program from CR Therapeutics’ TCR-T in vivo platform, has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in a clinical study involving patients with advanced EBV-associated malignancies who have failed multiple lines of therapy, present with widespread systemic metastases, and are refractory to PD-1 antibodies. Some patients have achieved a complete response (CR) and have survived for over three years. The nasopharyngeal carcinoma indication for CR101 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. FDA.

Additionally,This technologyIt has been approved for clinical translational application at Huaxi Lecheng Hospital in Boao, Hainan, with all treated patients achieving rapid EBV-DNA clearance, marking a major clinical breakthrough.

Located at the Frontier Medical Center in the Chengdu High-tech Zone, CR Therapeutics has leveraged the robust biopharmaceutical ecosystem of the region, alongside the efficient full-chain incubation and support from West China Hospital of Sichuan University and the Chengdu Minshan Cell Engineering Technology Research Institute. Driven by the highly effective execution of its founders and team, the company has achieved multiple milestones within less than three years of its establishment, including advancing its in vivo CAR-T therapy to clinical trials, generating sales revenue, and securing FDA Orphan Drug Designation for its therapeutic vaccine.

Professor Yang Hanshuo, Company Founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief ScientistWith years of research experience at West China, coupled with exceptional clinical, scientific, and commercial acumen, the team has proactively front-loaded technology transfer, pioneering a novel model for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

CR Therapeutics has previously secured strategic investments from institutions such as Legend Capital and Jingchuang of Chengdu High-tech Bio-city. In its recent financing round, the participating investors have demonstrated pronounced synergistic and value-adding effects, which will further accelerate the clinical submission and industrialization process of the company's core pipeline.

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