Rejuvo Therapeutics Secures Angel Funding Led by Dongpingheng Capital to Advance First-in-Class Anti-Aging Drug Development

Ruichu Pharmaceuticals was founded in June 2021. Centered on unmet clinical needs, the company is dedicated to developing “First-in-class” drugs targeting aging mechanisms from a unique perspective, with the aim of preventing, treating, and reversing aging and age-related diseases. The founding team possesses over a decade of research experience in the field of aging and decades of experience in new drug R&D management within the Chinese and U.S. pharmaceutical industries. They have core competencies in scientific direction decision-making, accelerating R&D, and facilitating product translation. Since its establishment, Ruichu Pharmaceuticals has attracted the participation of Nobel Laureate and neuroscience expert Thomas Südhof, as well as senior experts in innovative drug R&D. It has also garnered support from leading industry players such as Simcere Pharmaceutical (02096) and Ningdan New Drug, a leading innovative drug R&D company in the CNS field. This support has enabled the company to rapidly translate anti-aging theories into new drug projects and advance them quickly. The company now has data for multiple PCC and Lead candidates, has filed several patent applications, and has initiated clinical trial applications for its core projects.

Aging refers to the irreversible, gradual decline in physiological functions that occurs as the body grows older. It is a major risk factor for numerous chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. With advances in medical technology and improvements in living conditions, average life expectancy has increased significantly, leading societies progressively toward an aging demographic. Consequently, the incidence of age-related degenerative diseases has risen year by year, posing serious threats to the health and well-being of the elderly and imposing substantial socioeconomic burdens and healthcare challenges on countries worldwide. The pursuit of longevity is no longer limited to extending lifespan; greater emphasis is now placed on achieving healthy aging. As a result, anti-aging research has become a prominent global field of study.

Over the past few decades, as research into the mechanisms of aging has deepened, approaches to extending lifespan and alleviating age-related diseases through pharmacological, lifestyle, and genetic interventions have been validated in various biological models. This has laid a solid theoretical and practical foundation for the development of anti-aging therapeutics. The industry has gradually entered a phase of commercial translation, with several anti-aging R&D companies established both domestically and internationally, including Ruichu Pharma. UNITY Biotechnology (Nasdaq: UBX), a leader in anti-aging research, is currently conducting Phase II clinical trials for its investigational anti-aging drug UBX1325, which treats macular diseases by targeting the clearance of senescent cells, demonstrating significant efficacy advantages. In the past two years, the anti-aging sector has attracted substantial capital attention and investment. ALTOS, founded in 2021, has secured $3 billion in financing, while Retro, also founded in 2021, has raised $180 million. Ruichu Pharma has pioneered anti-aging research in China, leading innovative industrial development.

Dr. Ji Yin, Founder of Ruichu Pharmastated, “We are deeply honored to have gained the recognition and support of numerous investment partners, and we extend our sincere gratitude to our team for their innovation and execution capabilities. Over the past year, we have efficiently completed a series of platform constructions and strategically laid out our R&D pipeline. The name ‘Ruichu’ is derived from the phonetic approximation of the initial letters of ‘Rejuvenation,’ reflecting our mission to uncover the secrets of rejuvenation and restore health. In the emerging field of anti-aging, we aim to collaborate with industry veterans and investment partners to pioneer forward-looking perspectives in new drug discovery and seize blue-ocean opportunities.”

Yuan Mengmeng, Investment Director of the Biopharmaceutical Division at Dongpingheng CapitalVCBeat stated: The development of anti-aging drugs is accelerating to become a global hotspot. VCBeat Capital is closely monitoring developments in this field and is committed to identifying startup projects with capabilities in innovative drug development and international market expansion. Ruichu Pharma focuses on indications with significant unmet clinical needs in the field of aging, developing various drugs that target aging mechanisms. The founding team members have long been dedicated to the anti-aging sector, while also possessing extensive experience in new drug R&D, management, and business development (BD) within both the Chinese and U.S. pharmaceutical industries. We have observed that since its establishment in June 2021, the company has efficiently built a series of R&D platforms, with multiple pipelines and projects currently in the development stage. We eagerly anticipate Ruichu Pharma announcing more exciting research data and advancing its clinical programs.