SineuGene Completes Nearly RMB 100 Million Pre-A Financing to Advance Innovative Gene Therapies for Neurological Disorders

VCBeat has learned that SINEUGENE recently successfully completed a Pre-A financing round of nearly RMB 100 million. The round was led by Zhongguancun Capital, with participation from ZBJL CAPITAL, Transfar Capital, and Sanmei Investment.The funds raised in this round will be primarily used for the IND filing of SINEUGENE’s first pipeline candidate, SNUG01, and the advancement of other pipeline products.

Leveraging over a decade of scientific research accumulation by Professor Jiachang Jia’s team at the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, SINEUGENE has established platforms for novel gene-knock-in animal disease models (including Drosophila and mice) and for screening adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors targeting the central nervous system. The company is dedicated to developing therapies for neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”), stroke, and Parkinson’s disease.

SNUG01, indicated for ALS, is SINEUGENE’s first gene therapy drug to enter clinical trials. Utilizing an AAV vector and a globally first-in-class therapeutic target, it has demonstrated significant neuroprotective effects in preclinical animal studies. According to the latest disclosure, the first patient treated under compassionate use has completed one year of follow-up; the rapidly progressing disease prior to treatment has stabilized, indicating favorable safety and efficacy. Furthermore, an investigator-initiated trial (IIT) of SNUG01 is being conducted at Peking University Third Hospital, with enrollment of four patients completed.

SINEUGENE’s successful fundraising is not only another important milestone in the company’s development, but also demonstrates the capital market’s support for and confidence in the fields of neurological diseases and gene therapy.

Sun Cisuo, Chairman of Zhongguancun CapitalStatement: Zhongguancun Capital focuses on the hard-tech sector, adhering to the investment philosophy of “robust technology, strong teams, and solid market potential.” Against the backdrop of an aging society, there is immense potential for the development of drugs targeting neurodegenerative diseases. SNUG01, SINEUGENE’s first gene therapy drug, is a “First-in-Class” innovative medicine independently developed in Zhongguancun. Under the leadership of Professor Jiachang Jia, Dr. Lin Peng, and Dr. Wei Guo, the company has achieved a series of significant milestones in less than three years. We will continue to empower SINEUGENE by leveraging our resource advantages to jointly promote its innovative breakthroughs in the life and health sector, working together to do what is “difficult yet right.”

Xie Enwei, Managing Partner of the Life Sciences Fund at Transfar Sci-Tech CityStatement: Adhering to long-termism ensures that like-minded partners will inevitably converge. We have witnessed SINEUGENE evolve from a small incubator team into an enterprise with a new 1,200-square-meter facility and an independently developed R&D platform. Professor Jiachang Jia’s scientific dedication, the executive prowess of Lin Peng and Wei Guo, the company’s focus on the central nervous system (CNS) with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as a strategic entry point, its commitment to source innovation and clinical translation, and its determination to undertake difficult yet correct endeavors—all these factors underpin our investment decision. We are honored to serve as a steadfast backer of SINEUGENE and look forward to joining hands to witness major breakthroughs in advanced therapies, primarily gene therapy. We hope its products will fill gaps in the CNS disease market and deliver health benefits to patients at the earliest opportunity.

Tian Xiaoling, Head of Healthcare Investment at ZBJL CAPITALZBJL CAPITAL stated: “Markets experience fluctuations and cycles, but the pursuit of health is endless. Downturns present significant opportunities for impactful action. ZBJL CAPITAL consistently adheres to principles of calmness, focus, and independent analysis to identify great enterprises poised for the future. SINEUGENE focuses on the central nervous system (CNS), using amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as a breakthrough point. It has rapidly built a complete chain of evidence, from target discovery to investigator-initiated trial (IIT)-based efficacy validation in patients. With strong capabilities in source innovation and potential expansion to other indications, SINEUGENE addresses unmet clinical needs. Professor Jiachang Jia has dedicated ten years to rigorous, foundational ALS research, establishing a solid scientific basis. Drs. Lin Peng and Wei Guo have gone ‘all-in’ on this entrepreneurial venture, resulting in a highly efficient execution team. This is not merely an investment, but a mutual commitment driven by shared vision. We firmly believe that, leveraging its exceptional technical strength and innovative capabilities, SINEUGENE will become a benchmark in the gene therapy industry, bringing more treatment options and hope to patients worldwide.”

Wang Xishun, Investment Director/Partner at Sanmei InvestmentStatement: As an industrial investment institution deeply rooted in the healthcare sector, we hold a highly favorable view of Professor Jia’s team at SINEUGENE, recognizing their profound expertise accumulated over many years in the field of neurodegenerative diseases and their extensive experience in the development of gene therapy drugs. SINEUGENE’s SNUG01 is an AAV gene therapy drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) developed based on a globally innovative target. The recently disclosed data from the first clinical dosing case are encouraging, demonstrating “First-in-Class” potential and significant clinical application value. We are confident that SINEUGENE will soon achieve a breakthrough success, thereby benefiting patients worldwide. Sanmei Investment will fully leverage our capabilities in whole-industry-chain investment and operations to provide comprehensive support and assistance to SINEUGENE.

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As multiple pipelines advance and new capital is injected, SINEUGENE will remain true to its original mission, adhering to a patient-centric approach and technology-driven strategy to fully accelerate the company’s R&D progress and business development. In the future, we will strengthen close collaboration with our investors, leverage the respective strengths of all parties, and jointly create a promising future in the field of gene therapy for neurological disorders.

Dr. Jia Yichang, Founder of SINEUGENE and Tenured Professor at Tsinghua University School of MedicineStatement: We express our gratitude to the investors for their trust and support in SINEUGENE. Since its establishment in late 2021, although we are still a relatively young team in the industry, our R&D pipeline has been able to advance steadily and achieve rapid progress, leveraging our solid and profound accumulation of basic research in the early stages. In the future, SINEUGENE will continue to leverage its expertise and advantages in neurological diseases and gene therapy, continuously advancing pipeline development and clinical translation. Our goal has never changed: to bring benefits to patients with neurological diseases as soon as possible, ensuring that innovative achievements benefit more people in need.

Dr. Wei Guo, Co-founder & CSO of SINEUGENEHe stated: “We are deeply grateful for the investors’ favor and trust in SINEUGENE, as well as their strong support for the research and development of innovative drugs for neurological diseases. Currently, our lead pipeline candidate, SNUG01, is advancing toward its Investigational New Drug (IND) application, while several other pipelines are in the preclinical research stage. We will continue to uphold our vision of providing efficient and safe gene therapy solutions for patients with nervous system disorders worldwide. We remain committed to integrating industry, academia, and research; building a high-caliber talent team; strengthening our technological platform capabilities; accelerating clinical research progress; and advancing more investigational pipelines into clinical stages to benefit a broader patient population.”

Dr. Lin Peng, Co-founder & CEO of SINEUGENEThis oversubscribed financing round amidst the “capital winter” marks a solid step forward for SINEUGENE and serves as an affirmation of our team’s long-term efforts. Here, I would like to express my admiration and gratitude to every investor in this round. Our interactions have deeply impressed me with your keen insights and unique perspectives on the global gene therapy industry, your recognition of SINEUGENE’s independent R&D capabilities, and your constructive suggestions for the company’s future development. These have been both inspiring and invaluable to me. I also extend my thanks to all of SINEUGENE’s existing shareholders; together with our new investors, you form the steadfast strength behind our efforts to overcome challenges and forge ahead. With the support of all our shareholders, we will continue to focus on unmet clinical needs in the central nervous system (CNS) field, accelerate the Investigational New Drug (IND) applications and formal clinical trials of our gene therapy products, represented by SNUG01, and strive to benefit patients worldwide at the earliest possible date.

Zhongguancun Capital is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zhongguancun Development Group. Originating from the Group’s Major Projects Department and Investment Department, it serves as the Group’s capital platform for supporting the development of technological innovation industries. With nearly 15 years of investment experience since 2010, the company manages over RMB 50 billion in assets. Its fund product lineup includes funds of funds (FOFs), strategic funds, market-oriented direct investment funds (angel, VC, PE, etc.), S funds, industrial park development funds, and Pre-REITs funds. Adhering to the strategy of investing early, investing in small enterprises, and investing in hard technology, the company focuses on cutting-edge projects in next-generation information technology, new energy, new materials, high-end manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals and healthcare. Through its FOFs and direct investments, it has invested in more than 2,800 companies. To date, it has cumulatively invested in 412 “Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative” (SRDI) enterprises and 67 unicorn companies, among which 159 have completed initial public offerings (IPOs). Notable portfolio companies include SMIC, GigaDevice, Naura Technology, Unisoc, CISRI Nak, BeiGene, and Tinavi Medical Technologies. In 2024, the company was newly appointed as the market-oriented manager for Beijing’s RMB 10 billion New Materials Fund.

Transfar Capital has cultivated deep expertise in industry, placing significant emphasis on industrial chain layout and the construction of a sci-tech innovation ecosystem. Adhering to the investment philosophies of “value investing,” “research-driven decision-making,” and “ecosystem empowerment,” it aims to “serve portfolio companies, empower partners, and leverage capital as an engine to connect the value chains of sci-tech innovation and industry.” By fully leveraging Transfar Group’s robust industrial foundation and the sci-tech innovation ecosystem momentum of Transfar Sci-Tech City, it strives to establish a benchmark for developing new quality productive forces in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.The Transfar Life Sciences Fund, in which Transfar Capital has participated as an investor, was jointly established by Transfar Sci-Tech City Company, Hangzhou High-Tech Investment Group, and the Xiaoshan Sci-Tech City Fund of Funds. Focusing on four key sectors—synthetic biology, advanced therapies and clinically valuable novel drugs, innovative medical devices, and high-value consumables—the fund primarily targets early-stage investments. Upholding the EVC (Ecosystem Venture Capital) investment philosophy, it collaborates with external market-oriented funds, corporate venture capital (CVC) firms, and government investment platforms to help transform Transfar Sci-Tech City into a new international hub for biotechnology and sci-tech innovation, characterized by the convergence of talent, technology, and capital.

ZBJL CAPITAL (Beijing) Investment Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “ZBJL CAPITAL”) was established in 2013, with its primary investment focus on biopharmaceuticals, next-generation information technology, and new energy. Adhering to the investment philosophy of “being grounded in science and technology while delivering value,” ZBJL CAPITAL emphasizes the scarce value generated by technological innovation. It avoids following trends or blindly conforming, instead continuously identifying potential unicorn enterprises characterized by high technical barriers and strong core competitiveness. By empowering portfolio companies through both capital and resources, ZBJL CAPITAL supports the development of China’s technology enterprises, creates value, and contributes to the well-being of humanity and society.

Sanmei Investment is a specialized boutique investment firm focused on the healthcare sector. Its fund management team primarily hails from leading domestic investment banks, investment institutions, and publicly listed healthcare companies, with extensive, long-term expertise in the broader healthcare industry and a proven track record of successful investments. The investment team possesses comprehensive capabilities across the entire industry value chain and is committed to becoming a premier investment institution with strong value-add capabilities through specialized and focused operations.

SINEUGENE (Beijing) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on gene therapy for neurological disorders. Its core pipeline is built upon more than a decade of foundational research in neuroscience conducted by Professor Ji Yichang’s laboratory at the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University. Leveraging technologies such as AAV-mediated gene expression and editing, as well as small nucleic acid-mediated regulation of gene expression, the company has established multiple product development pipelines aimed at tackling neurological conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. In January 2022, the company completed its seed financing round, receiving exclusive investment from the Beijing Life Science Park Innovation Investment Fund. In March of the same year, Shanghai Fengcang Innovation Fund participated in the “seed+” round, bringing cumulative financing to over RMB 10 million. In March 2023, SINEUGENE closed an angel financing round worth tens of millions of RMB, co-led by MSA Capital and Shanghai Fengcang Innovation Fund, with participation from the Shuimu Tsinghua Alumni Seed Fund.