Gene Editing Firm Qihan Bio Secures Over $20 Million in Funding to Advance Xenotransplantation

36Kr has learned that Hangzhou Qihan Biotech Co., Ltd., a company specializing in xenotransplantation, has completed a new round of financing exceeding $20 million. This round was funded by China Merchant Bank International Capital Management (Shenzhen) Ltd. and Legendstar Capital. Just one year ago, Qihan Biotech had closed its Series A funding round of $7.8 million, with participation from Sequoia China, Arch Venture, Northern Light Venture Capital, Shulan Medical Capital, Biomatics Capital Partners, Alta Partner, and others.

Hangzhou Qihan Biotech Co., Ltd., established in 2017, is an innovative biotechnology company dedicated to leveraging the latest gene-editing technologies to obtain safe and effective xenogeneic cells, tissues, and organs suitable for human transplantation, thereby advancing xenotransplantation.

The company was co-founded by Dr. Luhan Yang, the principal investigator of the xenotransplantation program at Harvard University, and Professor George Church, a renowned geneticist at Harvard University and a dual member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Qihan Biotech, as previously reported in the United States...eGenesis(founded in 2015) as a sister company, co-founded by Luhan Yang and George Church, with both companies conducting synchronized R&D in China and the United States.

In addition to Qihan Biotech and Egenesis, other companies engaged in xenotransplantation (or related research) include domestic firms such asGarand、Saino Biotechand the United States'Synthetic Genomicsetc.

36Kr has learned that Hangzhou Qihan Biotech Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Qihan Biotech”) announced the completion of a $7.8 million Series A financing round. The round was led by Sequoia Capital China, with participation from Arch Venture Partners, Northern Light Venture Capital, Shulan Medical Capital, Biomatics Capital Partners, and Alta Partners, among others. Moving forward, Qihan Biotech will accelerate the development of its gene-editing platform to advance research and development in xenotransplantation.

It is estimated that approximately 330 people die every day in the United States due to organ failure. In China, there are about 1.5 million patients with organ failure annually, of whom 300,000 are suitable candidates for organ transplantation; however, only slightly over 10,000 receive life-saving transplants. A primary reason for this disparity is that the supply of donated organs falls far short of the demand for transplantation.

In response, academia and industry have begun exploring the use of gene-editing technology to achieve xenotransplantation of organs, with Hangzhou Qihan Biotech Co., Ltd. serving as a prime example. Established in 2017, the company is an innovative biotechnology firm dedicated to leveraging cutting-edge gene-editing technologies to obtain safe and effective xenogeneic cells, tissues, and organs suitable for human transplantation, thereby advancing the field of xenotransplantation.

It is reported that the company was co-founded by Dr. Luhan Yang, the leader of Harvard University’s xenotransplantation research program, and Professor George Church, a renowned geneticist at Harvard University and a dual member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The team they led published a study in Nature last August, titled “Successful Production of the First Pigs with Inactivated Endogenous Retroviruses Using CRISPR-Cas9 and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer,” announcing the successful generation of the world’s first pigs with inactivated endogenous retroviral activity. This breakthrough addresses the safety concerns associated with the clinical application of xenotransplantation.Considered a Milestone Achievement in the Scientific Research Process of Xenotransplantation。

Qihan Biotech and the previously reported U.S.eGenesis(Founded in 2015) is a sister company, co-founded by Luhan Yang and George Church, among others. The latter’s core business involves knocking out genes in pigs that could cause diseases or trigger organ rejection in humans, utilizing the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool to facilitate the transplantation of pig organs into humans, thereby advancing the clinical application of xenotransplantation. The establishment of Qihan Biotech also aims to enable synchronized R&D and mutual exchange between China and the United States.

CRISPR-Cas9 Technology

Data shows,The basic principle of CRISPR-Cas9 technology is to utilize the molecular scissors, Cas9 enzyme, to cleave target DNA sequences, followed by the insertion of replacement DNA to substitute the removed genetic information. Cas9 can recognize specific DNA fragments within the human genome via a specialized "guide" molecule, persist in the body for hours to weeks, and mediate the cleavage and integration of other DNA fragments or target DNA sequences in vivo.

Regarding investment logic, Neil Shen, Global Executive Partner at Sequoia Capital, stated that the wave of the gene revolution will bring new opportunities to the life sciences industry, and Hangzhou Qihan Biotech Co., Ltd.’s exploration of a new model of cooperation with the U.S. biotechnology industry is poised to grow and thrive in this trend.