CellOrigin Secures Tens of Millions in New Funding to Advance Clinical-Grade Immune Cell Pipeline

VCBeat (WeChat ID: Vcbeat) was the first to learn that recently, CellOrigin, a high-tech innovative company dedicated to the research and development of engineered pluripotent stem cell-derived immune cells, officially announced the completion of a new round of financing worth tens of millions of RMB. The funds will be used to advance the development of clinical-grade manufacturing processes for immune cells and accelerate the R&D of other innovative products and pipeline candidates. This round of financing was led by Kunlun Capital. Previously, CellOrigin had secured investments from Shulan Junjie Capital and ChaoSheng Capital.

Saiyuan Biotech has long been dedicated to the research and development of iPSC-derived innate immune cell therapeutics. Founder Zhang Jin serves as a Principal Investigator (PI) at the School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, and a Core PI at the Zhejiang University Medical Center / Liangzhu Laboratory. During his tenure at Harvard Medical School, he trained under Professor George Daley, former President of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). He also previously worked as a scientist at Amgen, where he was responsible for establishing an iPSC-based platform for novel drug target discovery. Under his leadership, the team maintains close collaboration with The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University and the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University. In 2020, they published the world’s first report on the application of chimeric antigen receptor-expressing macrophages derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) (CAR-iMacs) in cancer immunotherapy.

Saiyuan Biotech currently operates an internationally pioneering iPSC-derived innate immune cell technology platform with proprietary intellectual property rights, alongside a CAR-macrophage technology platform developed in parallel with global advancements. The company maintains in-depth collaborations with stem cell and synthetic biology laboratories at Harvard University and MIT. Capitalizing on the advantages of stem cell-induced differentiation—which yields monoclonal, genetically editable, and expandable immune cells—Saiyuan Biotech achieves the universality, efficacy, safety, and large-scale manufacturing of its immune cell therapy products, thereby enabling their optimized application in tumor immunotherapy, as well as gene/cell therapy for autoimmune diseases and rare diseases. The company's core technology——The preparation technology for iPSC-derived, tumor-targeting macrophages has been granted a national invention patent, and the international PCT patent application has entered the national phase in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and other countries; it has also obtained ethical approval for an Investigator-Initiated Trial (IIT).

Zhu He, Managing Director of Kunlun Capital, stated: "Kunlun Capital is highly optimistic about the potential of innovative therapeutic models to address unmet clinical needs, and is committed to collaborating with industry experts to explore the 'zero-to-one' industrial translation of scientific discoveries. Following the groundbreaking contributions of CAR-T to oncology, immune cell therapies have entered a phase of diversified development. We believe that iPSC, as a thoroughly validated novel platform technology, will accelerate the clinical translation of innovative cell therapies. Professor Zhang Jin, founder of Saiyuan Biosciences, possesses internationally leading academic expertise in stem cell fate regulation and macrophage therapy. We are delighted to partner with Professor Zhang to jointly advance Saiyuan's innovative pipeline into clinical development and deliver greater benefits to cancer patients."

Founded in 2015, Kunlun Capital focuses on investing in innovative technology enterprises and operates under a dual-currency (USD and RMB) model.

Centered on user value, Kunlun Capital focuses on innovative business models driven by technology, products, and data, seeking entrepreneurial teams with global potential and localization capabilities through the careful selection of leading enterprises in niche sectors.

In recent years, Kunlun Capital has successively invested in Inke, Dada, Zhuyun Technology, Pony.ai, Keya Medical, EdiGene, Cytek, PingCAP, Obio Technology, Leyan Technology, Xunshi Technology, and other enterprises.