National Institute and He Yuan Bio Forge Global Partnership, Pioneering a 'China Model' in the Immune Cell Therapy Arena

On June 21, 2021, the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences) (hereinafter referred to as "the Institute") and Juventas Bio (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. jointly signed the *Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Technology Transfer and New Drug Development* in Tianjin. Both parties announced a deep partnership to leverage their complementary strengths and jointly advance technological innovation and new drug development based on CAR technology platforms, iPSC-based immunotherapy platforms, and related technologies. This signifies that a national-level research medical institution that pioneered cell therapy in China and a new-generation, technology-driven Chinese biopharmaceutical enterprise are joining forces to enter the global immunotherapy biopharmaceutical market. Through the "Chinese model" of independent innovation and industry integration, they aim to secure a stronger voice in the international biopharmaceutical sector.

Throughout the history of drug development in China and abroad, during the "chemical drug era," China's pace and capabilities in new drug R&D lagged significantly behind international standards; in the "macromolecular biologic era," represented by antibody therapeutics, China has achieved a "follower" status in keeping pace with global cutting-edge technologies.

According to Cheng Tao, Director of the Institute of Hematology, as the world advances into the "era of cell and gene therapies" driven by innovative technologies, China has already achieved "keeping pace with the United States" in the scientific research sector, and even "taking the lead" in certain fields. However, on the industrial front, China lags slightly behind, with multiple cell therapy drugs currently in the pre-marketing clinical trial stage.

Juventas is a new-generation, technology-driven biopharmaceutical company originating from China. Less than three years after its establishment, two clinical trials of its independently developed CNCT19 cell injection have already entered the Phase II registrational stage and been granted the "Breakthrough Therapy Drug" designation by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). In particular, the product indicated for the treatment of adult relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is poised to fill a global market gap for cell therapy drugs in this indication.

Dr. Lulu Lu, CEO of Juventas, believes that cell and gene therapies represent the most promising track for China to rapidly overtake global competitors in the biomedical sector. "Whether it is the Chinese government, research institutes, or enterprises themselves, we all possess a strong intrinsic drive to secure a leading voice on the global stage. However, building competitive strength in the international biomedical arena cannot rely solely on individual companies or research institutions; it requires scientific, in-depth, and highly efficient collaboration across the entire industry chain."

The full-industry-chain synergy of “national research institutes + Juventas” has effectively channeled China’s abundant medical resources toward the cell therapy sector, streamlined the high-level cycle of industry-academia-research collaboration, and significantly elevated the international competitive landscape of China’s cell therapy industry. The Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital is currently China’s largest national-level, research-oriented specialized medical institution for hematological diseases, integrating clinical care, scientific research, education, and industrial translation. Benchmarking against global standards, the deepening strategic “strong alliance” between Juventas and the Institute represents a critical juncture for both parties as they jointly initiate their global competitive expansion.

Attending experts praised this in-depth "collaboration" between Juventas and leading domestic research institutions and hospitals as one of the most efficient models currently driving the R&D and commercialization of innovative cell and gene therapies, noting that it also contributes a new "Chinese solution" to the advancement of the immune cell therapy industry. Leveraging the Institute of Hematology’s nearly two decades of scientific research accumulation and Juventas’ expertise in novel drug development focused on cell and gene therapies, the two parties will closely integrate and support each other across technological innovation, talent development, clinical resources, innovative drug R&D, and production and sales. Together, they will jointly lead and accelerate the commercialization of China's independently developed immune cell therapy and gene therapy technologies.

Chang Zikui, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital; Cheng Tao, President of the Institute; and Wang Jianxiang, Vice President attended the signing ceremony. They unanimously stated, “Cell therapy is a key priority in the national plan for the biopharmaceutical industry, emphasizing full-industry-chain capabilities from scientific research to drug commercialization. Guided by the innovation-driven development strategy, we will steadily advance the construction of national-level platforms and an open technological innovation system. Through in-depth cooperation with Juventas, we aim to build a globally influential biopharmaceutical industry cluster distinguished by cell and gene technologies.”

It is understood that the special agreement signed by the two parties establishes a strategic cooperation focused on the translation of scientific and technological achievements and new drug development, based on the CAR technology platform and the iPSC-based immune cell therapy platform. Dr. Lu Lulu stated that, moving forward, Juventas will leverage its independently developed high-standard and high-efficiency process technology system. Driven by its internationalization strategy, the company will continuously expand the breadth and depth of its industrial layout, project incubation, and R&D initiatives. In particular, the rapid translation pathway for innovative drugs will gradually adopt a synchronized domestic and international development model, marking another significant leap in the immune cell therapy sector.