Lidao Pharma Advances Innovative Ion Channel Therapeutics with Series A Funding Led by Shanghai Biomedical Innovation Translation Fund

Leadopharma, an ion channel drug development platform, recently announced the completion of its tens-of-millions-yuan Series A financing round. The round was led by the Shanghai Biomedical Innovation Transformation Fund, with participation from Zhangke Lingyi, Hongfeng Investment, and Hongke Baishi.

Leadopharma is an innovative ion channel drug developer in the clinical research stage. Ion channels are the second-largest class of drug targets, after GPCRs., closely associated with a wide range of diseases including neuropsychiatric disorders and autoimmune diseases, presenting broad market potential for related drug development. However, this field faces numerous challenges, such as limitations in target detection technologies, high requirements for drug specificity, limited understanding of target structures, and complex pathological mechanisms, leading toCurrently, few novel ion channel drugs have been launched on the market, and the domestic ion channel drug market is largely monopolized by foreign companies.

The founding team of Leadopharma has been deeply engaged for many years in basic research on ion channels and drug development,The company has established a comprehensive and technologically advanced ion channel drug discovery platform.Addressing R&D challenges, Leadopharma possesses unique insights and core competencies in target selection, high-throughput assay development, drug design strategies, and development models, significantly enhancing the success rate of drug development.

Leadopharma’s product pipeline focuses on various refractory diseases associated with ion channels, with priority indications including fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis pain, and inflammatory bowel disease.Fibromyalgia is a common chronic diffuse pain syndrome. The analgesic efficacy of existing medications varies significantly among individuals, creating an urgent need for differentiated therapies targeting novel mechanisms and new targets.Leadopharma’s LDS tablets establish a novel multimodal analgesic mechanism centered on transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and are currently undergoing Phase I clinical trials.Trial data demonstrate that LDS tablets are rapidly absorbed following oral administration in humans and have a long half-life, enabling once-daily dosing and significantly improving patient medication adherence.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a syndrome of chronic immune-mediated gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders, affects approximately 6 to 8 million patients worldwide, representing a substantial unmet clinical need.LD09163 is a novel ion channel drug developed by Leadopharma for the treatment of IBD,Following oral administration, it can be highly selectively enriched in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby increasing drug concentration in target tissues and reducing systemic toxic side effects; it has demonstrated superior efficacy compared to clinically used therapeutic agents across various pharmacodynamic models.Currently in the IND-enabling stage for dual filings in China and the United States.

▲Leadopharma Laboratory Platform

Dr. Wang Youxin, Founder and CEO of Leadopharma“Many thanks to the Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Innovation and Translation Fund and the investors in this round for their recognition and support! The proceeds from this financing round will be used to accelerate the advancement of our clinical pipeline, pursue dual regulatory filings in China and the United States for our preclinical pipeline, and strengthen our team. Leadopharma has consistently adhered to independent innovation, focused on its core areas of technical expertise, and committed to conducting differentiated R&D with genuine clinical value. Moving forward, with the continued support of both new and existing investors, Leadopharma will remain dedicated to its mission of addressing patient needs and creating greater value for patients.”

Guo Qiushan, President of the Shanghai Biomedical Innovation and Translation Fund“It is widely acknowledged that the barrier to entry for ion channel drug development is exceptionally high. Most currently available ion channel-targeted therapeutics were launched prior to the millennium, and progress in this field has been sluggish over the past decade, creating an urgent need for innovative development strategies. Leadopharma’s ion channel product pipeline features unique mechanisms of action and leverages cutting-edge technologies, including the company’s proprietary high-throughput ion channel screening platform and a medicinal chemistry platform dedicated to drug repurposing. We believe that, building on the Leadopharma team’s extensive expertise in ion channel drug discovery, the company is well-positioned to achieve breakthroughs in the treatment of major refractory conditions such as chronic pain.”

Mr. Yu Xiaoyong, Founding Partner of Zhangke LingyiIt was stated that the field of chronic pain has long lacked effective therapeutic agents. Leadopharma has accumulated extensive expertise in ion channel drug development and has selected novel therapeutic targets with well-elucidated analgesic mechanisms. We anticipate that the company’s R&D pipeline will demonstrate outstanding performance in clinical trials, becoming a preferred treatment option for patients suffering from pain. We are also confident that, under the leadership of its team, Leadopharma will emerge as a key player in China’s chronic pain treatment sector.

Mr. Lou Guoqiang, Founding Partner of Hongfeng InvestmentLeadopharma’s innovative and differentiated approach to developing novel targets and mechanisms, aimed at advancing therapies for conditions with significant unmet clinical needs, as well as its courage and resolve in confronting the substantial challenges inherent in R&D and clinical development, align closely with Hongfeng Capital’s investment philosophy. The Leadopharma team is grounded, pragmatic, experienced, and highly effective in execution. We are optimistic about Leadopharma’s prospects and are honored to have the opportunity to participate in the company’s growth, believing that Leadopharma will undoubtedly create broader opportunities for the industry.

Wang Wenjun, Partner at Hongke Baishi Private Equity Fund ManagementStatement: It is a great honor to have the opportunity to participate in this round of financing. Leveraging high-throughput screening technology and a unique design philosophy, Leadopharma has developed a series of innovative pain management therapeutics tailored to the differentiated clinical needs of chronic pain conditions. This sector offers substantial market potential and presents high technical barriers to drug development. We believe that the Leadopharma team, with its profound insights into relevant diseases and exceptional execution capabilities, will rise to the challenge and ultimately achieve breakthrough progress in the field of chronic pain management.

Pure Heart, Clear Mission: Medicine for the People! Leadopharma is a novel drug R&D company guided by unmet clinical needs, focusing on ion channel targets, and committed to creating value for global patients through independent innovation and differentiated mechanisms of action. The company’s R&D pipeline targets various refractory diseases, establishing a tiered development system with chronic pain as the primary indication, followed by multiple other indications. Currently, it has two assets in Phase I clinical trials and one IND-enabling asset filed in both China and the United States.

Leadopharma has established a systematic and technologically advanced ion channel drug discovery platform capable of detecting and evaluating all ligand-gated and voltage-gated ion channels. Leadopharma is recognized as a National High-Tech Enterprise, one of Shanghai’s Top 50 Most Investable Startups, a Key Incubated Startup in Shanghai, a “Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative” Enterprise in Minhang District, and an Emerging Sci-Tech Entrepreneurial Enterprise in Minhang District. To date, the company has filed 31 invention patent applications, with 11 patents granted, and has successfully entered national and regional phases in Europe, the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and other jurisdictions through PCT international applications.

The Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Innovation and Commercialization Fund is an early-stage fund under the Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Fund, focusing on investment opportunities in the “0 to 1” stage of the biopharmaceutical industry. Jointly initiated by Shanghai Industrial Holdings (SIIC), Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, Guofang Capital, and the Shanghai Angel Investment Guidance Fund, the fund prioritizes the successful translation and application of original scientific research achievements and cutting-edge innovative technologies. With the goal of building an innovation and commercialization platform that is “focused on Shanghai, linked with the Yangtze River Delta and the Greater Bay Area, and oriented toward the global market,” it invests in and supports original technologies with international leading standards. By connecting various types of innovators and service providers within the innovation ecosystem, the fund aims to create a “innovation + industry + capital” platform with distinct Shanghai characteristics. (For more information, please visit the official website of the Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Fund at https://www.siicshc.com/)

Zhangke Lingyi was established in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, in 2015. It primarily invests in early- to mid-stage projects in the fields of biopharmaceuticals and innovative medical devices. Its portfolio includes ImuneOnco, Newpulse Medical, Yinuo Pharmaceutical, Zhuowai Medical, Luoqi Biologics, Jiewei Biologics, Lingnuo Pharmaceuticals, Lingtai Biologics, Xinjite Medical, and Xuanren Technology, among others. The management team of Zhangke Lingyi has deep roots in Zhangjiang and possesses extensive industry, project, and information resources. By integrating various development factors essential for corporate growth—such as capital, talent, expansion space, corporate collaborations, and policy information—the firm works closely with entrepreneurs to drive the rapid development of startups.

Hongfeng Investment serves as the supporting fund manager for BioVillage, the Ningbo Hangzhou Bay Life Science Park. Located in the core plot of the high-end industrial zone in Ningbo Qianwan New Area, BioVillage covers an area of 100 mu, with a total gross floor area of approximately 85,000 square meters, comprising facilities such as biopharmaceutical incubation buildings and standalone enterprise headquarters. Hongfeng Investment focuses on the life and health sector, particularly early-stage innovative biopharmaceutical R&D enterprises.

Hongke Baishi Private Equity Fund Management (Hainan) Co., Ltd. ("Hongke Baishi") is a professional private equity fund management firm. Its team members possess extensive experience in equity investment, value discovery and resource integration, as well as fund operation and management, with a focus on investments in the biopharmaceutical and new energy/new materials sectors. Hongke Baishi specializes in selecting start-up and growth-stage enterprises with industrialization potential, while also incubating high-tech companies at the laboratory stage that align with national strategic guidance, establishing long-term, in-depth, and close partnerships with them.