Yimiao Shenzhou Secures Series C++ Funding to Advance Gene and Cell Therapy Process Technologies

VCBeat learned that on December 22, 2020, Beijing Yimiaoshenzhou Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yimiaoshenzhou”) secured a new round of financing just two months after its previous one, receiving investment from SDIC Venture Capital in the C++ round. The funds will be primarily used to build an innovative technology R&D platform and a process development platform, so as to accelerate the research and development of its new product pipeline.

It is reported that in 2020, Beijing Yimiaoshenzhou Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (Yimiao Shenzhou) received two clinical trial approval notices for its IM19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell injection (IM19 CAR-T cell injection), indicated for the treatment of relapsed or refractory CD19-positive acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia and relapsed or refractory CD19-positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The company also completed the enrollment of the first subject and partnered with Simcere Pharmaceutical Group for the registration and commercialization of the IM19 CAR-T cell injection in China and select overseas markets. Furthermore, leveraging its robust technological capabilities and promising clinical data, Yimiao Shenzhou joined forces with Edigene Inc., which specializes in genome editing and allogeneic T-cell manufacturing processes, to collaboratively develop a universal CAR-T platform aimed at creating potential best-in-class therapies suitable for allogeneic T-cell editing and production.

Dr. He Ting, Founder and CEO of Yimiaoshenzhou, stated that to date, no CAR-T cell therapy product in China has completed a New Drug Application (NDA) for market approval. Furthermore, autologous cell drug manufacturing technologies remain far from mature globally and are in urgent need of improvement. In 2021, Yimiaoshenzhou committed itself to establishing industry-leading processes for gene vector production, CAR-T cell manufacturing, and related analytical methods. The company will continue to explore innovative, scientifically sound, practical, and cost-effective technologies to better serve patients, aiming to deliver trustworthy and affordable innovative therapies.

SDIC Venture Capital believes that ImmuOnco’s focus on cell therapy, which utilizes modified immune T cells as “living drugs,” represents an indispensable niche within the biomedical technology sector. As one of the earliest companies in China to engage in CAR-T cell therapy, ImmuOnco has achieved a leading domestic position in the development and clinical trials of its CAR-T cells. SDIC Venture Capital will continue to leverage synergies, guide additional social capital and resources, and fully support the commercialization of ImmuOnco’s genetic and cellular drug technologies, thereby accelerating process development and production for its product pipeline and enhancing the overall level of industrial development.

Founded in 2015, Beijing Yimiaoshenzhou Medical Technology Co., Ltd. is an innovative biopharmaceutical company dedicated to applying gene and cell therapy technologies to the treatment of malignant tumors. As a national high-tech enterprise, the company possesses domestically leading R&D capabilities for CAR-T cell therapies and has undertaken major scientific and technological projects, including Beijing’s “Major New Drug Creation” Special Project. Yimiaoshenzhou has established advanced clinical-grade, large-scale lentiviral vector engineering platforms and state-of-the-art clinical-grade CAR-T cell manufacturing platforms, focusing on the development of cancer therapeutics based on CAR-T immunotherapy. Currently, the company has developed multiple candidate CAR-T cell products and continues to optimize its technology platforms to research and develop next-generation CAR-T cell therapies.

The Yimiaoshenzhou team possesses extensive experience in basic and translational medical research on cancer and immunology, has published high-impact academic papers in international journals, and masters multiple core CAR-T technologies. Dr. He Ting, Founder and CEO, was selected for the MIT Global Young Science Leaders Summit and the “Innovators Under 35” China list. He is a leading talent in the Zhongguancun High-Gathering Engineering Program and a Beijing Science and Technology Star, and has been invited on numerous occasions to deliver keynote addresses at international summits.

SDIC Venture Capital, established in 2016, is a private equity fund management company specially set up by China State Development & Investment Corp. (SDIC) on a market-oriented basis. Its mission is to implement the national innovation-driven development strategy, deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Technology, and accelerate the transfer and commercialization of national scientific and technological achievements. Through platforms such as the National Science and Technology Major Project Achievement Transformation Fund, the SDIC Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Scientific and Technological Achievement Transformation Fund, the SDIC High-Tech (Shenzhen) Venture Capital Fund, and the SDIC (Ningbo) Scientific and Technological Achievement Transformation Fund, SDIC Venture Capital remains committed to its investment goal of facilitating the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. It focuses on key sectors including advanced manufacturing, electronic information, biopharmaceuticals, and materials and energy. Aligning with national regional development strategies in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the company continuously promotes breakthroughs in independent innovation of core key technologies and strives to build a robust investment ecosystem for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements.