CureGene secures over RMB 300 million Series C round for global innovative drugs in cardiovascular, metabolic, and antiviral areas

CureGene announced the completion of over RMB 300 million in Series C financing in the first quarter of 2026. This round was led by Walvax Biotechnology, with continued support from Taikun Fund under Tailong Capital, and the addition of several well-known investment institutions including Qianhai Ark Fund and Shenzhen Credit Venture Capital. The proceeds will primarily be used to accelerate global clinical development of multiple core and key pipeline assets. The combined backing of industrial capital and professional institutions marks the company's entry into a new phase of accelerated growth.

Since its establishment in Zhangjiang, Shanghai in 2018, CureGene has built two globally leading technology platforms: the "Aosheng" mRNA platform (CureGene-X1 mRNA Therapeutic Platform) and the "Puyu" prodrug platform (A-proX™ Platform), focusing on the development of innovative drugs with global competitiveness. The company's pipeline includes multiple innovative drug candidates with global intellectual property rights and significant market potential. The core team members come from world-renowned multinational pharmaceutical companies and possess extensive experience in innovative drug research and development, clinical operations, and industrialization across multiple therapeutic areas including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, metabolism, and antiviral therapies.

The company's core product, Evategrel (CG-0255), is a global first-in-class, next-generation P2Y12 receptor inhibitor available in both intravenous and oral formulations. Utilizing an innovative thiol-hydrolyzing prodrug design, it achieves rapid onset (less than 15 minutes for injection, less than 30 minutes for oral administration) and completely overcomes the "clopidogrel resistance" issue present in approximately 58% of the Chinese population.

Clinical data demonstrate superior antiplatelet efficacy, with a 2 mg dose achieving the same therapeutic effect as 300 mg of clopidogrel, along with a favorable safety profile, low individual variability, and low risk of drug-drug interactions. The injectable formulation could fill a global treatment gap for stroke, while the oral formulation effectively addresses current clinical treatment challenges. The product is currently advancing through registrational clinical studies in the United States and a Phase II clinical study in China.

Beyond its core product, CureGene has achieved significant progress across multiple innovative drug candidates with global intellectual property rights:

CG-0416 (for weight management and metabolic liver disease): A next-generation, highly selective, liver-targeting THR-β agonist, has successfully entered Phase I clinical development. This is another liver-targeting innovative drug developed based on the "Puyu" targeted prodrug platform. Its differentiating advantage lies in its ability to efficiently reduce liver fat and body weight without relying on central appetite suppression, while significantly reducing muscle loss, offering patients with obesity and metabolic diseases a new oral option for "high-quality weight loss."

CG-1999 (for functional cure of hepatitis B): Using the "Aosheng" mRNA platform, the company has developed a therapeutic vaccine aimed at achieving functional cure of hepatitis B. It effectively induces a specific immune response, enabling effective suppression and clearance of the hepatitis B virus. In animal models, CG-1999 demonstrated a clear synergistic effect when combined with siRNA or ASO, significantly accelerating the reduction of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) while effectively suppressing viral rebound after discontinuation of siRNA or ASO therapy.

Leveraging its solid technological foundation, CureGene will continue to increase investment in fundamental innovation. With the proceeds from this financing round, the company will not only accelerate clinical development of its core product and key pipeline candidates but also drive the iterative advancement of its two core technology platforms. Furthermore, it plans to advance the investigational new drug (IND) application preparations for several highly promising preclinical candidate compounds (PCCs), accelerating the entry of more high-quality, globally competitive innovative drugs into the clinic to benefit patients both in China and worldwide.