YuFang Bio Completes Over RMB 100 Million Pre-A Financing to Advance Clinical Development of 'First-in-Class' Gene Therapy for Heart Failure and Other Major Indications

Mar 10, 2025 08:00 CST Updated 08:00

Juvensis Therapeutics

Developer of Gene Therapy Drugs Targeting Telomere Mechanisms

VCBeat has learned that Shanghai Yufang Biopharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yufang Bio”) recently announced the completion of its Pre-A financing round, exceeding RMB 100 million. The round was led by Shanghai Growth-FOF Co., Ltd., with participation from Huntbest Capital, Hangzhou Flying Dart Xia Yan Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Technology Investment Group Co., Ltd., and Henry WU, a senior expert in the biopharmaceutical sector. Existing shareholders, including the Shanghai Biomedical Innovation Translation Fund under SIIC Capital and Shanghai Jinpu Muhe Fund, continued their support. The proceeds will be used to advance the clinical development of Yufang Bio’s core cardiac gene therapy pipeline, JV101, and to expand research into multiple indications for heart failure.

Yufang Biologics is a leading biotechnology company dedicated to the development of anti-aging therapeutics. Leveraging its proprietary next-generation platform for precise telomere regulation, the company develops gene therapy drugs targeting major indications in cardiovascular, neurological, and renal diseases from an aging perspective, aiming to address significant unmet clinical needs and extend human lifespan.

The company’s first indication focuses on heart failure refractory to standard pharmacological therapy. It has developed JV101, a novel, first-in-class original gene therapy drug targeting cardiomyocyte telomeres. JV101 effectively restores telomere homeostasis, regenerates mitochondria to recover cardiomyocyte function, and reverses the progression of heart failure. Through an investigator-initiated trial (IIT) involving multiple patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)-related heart failure, the company has preliminarily validated the drug’s safety and efficacy in humans. Patients demonstrated reversible improvements in cardiac function, a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk events, and marked enhancement in quality of life. Compared with existing heart failure therapies, JV101 exhibits clear technological leadership and broad prospects for clinical application.

The IND application for this project was formally submitted to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) at the end of 2024, with plans to further advance clinical development. In addition to the initial indication, the drug has demonstrated significant reversal of cardiac dysfunction and prolonged survival in more than 10 different animal models of heart failure. Future efforts will focus on expanding its application to other types of heart failure, such as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), thereby benefiting a broader patient population.

Dr. Xu Xiao, Founder and CEO of Yufang Bio, stated:“We are deeply honored to have earned the recognition and support of both new and existing investors. Over the past two years, our team has overcome numerous challenges to relentlessly advance the clinical development of ‘global-first’ cardiac gene therapies, pioneering the application of gene therapy in large, refractory, and malignant indications. This financing will enable us to propel the clinical studies of our core asset, JV101, and expand into related indications. Yufang Bio will continue to focus on its telomere precision regulation technology platform, adopting an aging-centric perspective to develop high-value gene therapy drugs addressing unmet medical needs in common disease areas such as cardiovascular, neurological, and renal disorders.”

Professor Zhang Jiayu, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Yufang Biotech, stated:“We sincerely thank both new and existing shareholders for their recognition and support of Yufang Biotech and its team! Yufang Biotech is pioneering Gene Therapy 2.0 innovations by approaching chronic diseases from an anti-aging perspective, with a portfolio that includes JV101, a globally leading gene therapy drug for heart failure, as well as therapies targeting degenerative neurological diseases and chronic kidney failure. Following the completion of this financing round, the company will accelerate clinical studies in China and overseas, aiming to bring hope to patients worldwide at an early date and contribute Yufang Biotech’s gene therapy solutions to the advancement of medicine.”

Wei Yaguang, Partner at Growth-FOF, stated:“Heart failure is a major disease that strikes fear in the public, particularly among patients refractory to standard therapies, where unmet clinical needs are especially acute. Based on foundational scientific discoveries in next-generation telomere technology, Yufang Bio has developed original therapeutics targeting heart failure and other serious diseases. These therapies have demonstrated encouraging safety and efficacy signals in investigator-initiated trials (IITs), enabling some patients to return to work and daily life, thereby offering heart failure patients a ‘last chance.’ This approach delivers significant clinical, economic, and social value, representing a meaningful endeavor in transitioning from ‘China-new’ to ‘Global-new.’ We are delighted to partner with Yufang Bio and facilitate the establishment of its headquarters in Pudong, Shanghai, integrating it into the innovation hub’s industrial chain. We look forward to its future contributions to benefiting patients in China and worldwide.”

Dr. Wang Wenjun, Managing Partner of Huntbest Capital, stated:“I have known the company’s team for many years and witnessed their continuous breakthroughs in overcoming challenges, successfully achieving one significant milestone after another. It is a great honor for me to participate in this round of financing. I firmly believe that in the near future, the breakthrough therapies developed by the company will bring revolutionary solutions to heart failure treatment, delivering tangible clinical benefits to more patients. Meanwhile, I look forward to Yuefang being the first to successfully apply gene therapy, a cutting-edge technology, to the treatment of chronic diseases, thereby creating a historic industry milestone. In the future, I look forward to working hand in hand with the company’s team to jointly witness its sustained growth and outstanding achievements.”

Zhou Kai, Partner at Flying Dart Xia Yan and Director & Executive President of ATLATL Innovation Group, stated:“Since its early days, Yufang Bio has been supported by the Flying Dart Innovation Center with a comprehensive empowerment ecosystem, including shared laboratory environments and R&D services. This support has helped Yufang Bio gain prominence in a series of innovation competitions co-hosted by Flying Dart and international pharmaceutical companies, accelerating its R&D progress and external expansion. Based on our long-standing in-depth collaboration and our strong confidence in Yufang Bio’s innovative therapies for heart failure, we have decided to participate in the company’s long-term development through the Flying Dart-Xia Yan Venture Capital Fund, jointly established by Flying Dart Innovation Group and Xia Yan Capital. This initiative aims to synergize capital support with R&D empowerment to drive the company’s rapid growth. We look forward to seeing the company’s telomere precision regulation platform expand into indications related to apoptosis of non-regenerative, terminally differentiated cells.”

Gao Liang, Chairman of Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Technology Investment Group Co., Ltd., stated:“We are honored to participate in Yufang Biotech’s latest round of financing. The heart failure market offers substantial growth potential, yet there is a lack of effective therapeutic drugs; existing first-line clinical treatments for heart failure fail to halt the disease’s progressive nature. Leveraging a novel, original telomere regulation mechanism, the company is conducting clinical research on gene therapy for heart failure, with preliminary data demonstrating significant efficacy. Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Technology Investment Group Co., Ltd. has strong confidence in Yufang Biotech’s sustained R&D and technology transfer capabilities, and will continue to provide professional, efficient services and support to foster the company’s development. We believe that Yufang Biotech will grow into a gene therapy enterprise with international influence.”

Mr. Guo Qiushan, Partner of Shanghai Bio-Medicine Fund, stated:“Yufang Bio’s pioneering AAV-based telomere-mitochondria precision regulation technology platform is leading the exploration of novel therapeutic paradigms in metabolic diseases. Over the past two years, the team’s efficient execution has facilitated the successful completion of patient enrollment, dosing, and more than six months of follow-up for the first-in-class indication, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)-related heart failure, in an investigator-initiated trial (IIT). All patients across both dose cohorts demonstrated good tolerability. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging revealed improvements in both left and right ventricular function and structural remodeling following JV101 administration—a first in global pharmacological studies for heart failure—along with definitive enhancements in quality-of-life metrics such as exercise capacity. We believe Yufang Bio’s product has the potential to become a blockbuster heart failure therapy that reshapes the treatment landscape, while also expanding into broader chronic disease areas.”

Mr. Zhang Hua, Partner at Shanghai Jinpu Muhe Fund, stated:“We are honored to have the opportunity to continue increasing our investment in Yufang Bio. We firmly believe in the promising prospects of Yufang Bio’s technology, which employs gene therapy to precisely regulate telomeres for the treatment of heart failure and other major unmet medical needs. Furthermore, we look forward to the Yufang team’s continued efforts to deepen their aging-focused drug technology platform, expand drug development into other major indications, and emerge as a leader in the development of therapeutics related to aging.”