Umedcell Completes Hundreds of Millions RMB Series C Financing to Accelerate Global CGT Expansion and Integrated CDMO Platform Development

Recently, IMMUNE CELL Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “IMMUNE CELL”) completed a Series C financing round amounting to hundreds of millions of RMB.This funding round was co-led by the National Strategic Transformation and Upgrading Fund and Jinshi Health Fund, both under Goldstone Investment, together with Lion Capital’s flagship U.S. dollar fund for the China market. It was followed by investments from BGI Win-Win, Xingtou Capital, Wenzhou Investment, Yuanchuang Capital, and others, while existing shareholders Huagai Capital, Fangfu Capital, and IDG Capital further increased their stakes. This financing marks another milestone in IMMUNE CELL’s steady and rapid advancement, reflecting strong confidence and high recognition from investors in the company’s achievements, future development strategy, and vision in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) CDMO sector.

This round of financing will further accelerate IMMUNE CELL’s global expansion, expedite the establishment of its CMC R&D centers in the United States and Canada, and continuously advance the development and innovation of CGT vector technologies and processes. By strengthening its leading position as a one-stop CDMO service provider in the CGT field, IMMUNE CELL will comprehensively enhance production capacity for GMP-grade AAV, plasmids, lentiviruses, adenoviruses, CAR-T, and iPSC products, thereby powerfully enabling the development and industrial translation of novel CGT therapeutics both domestically and internationally.

IMMUNE CELL is dedicated to providing one-stop CDMO services for cell and gene therapy (CGT), with a strong focus on developing GMP-compliant manufacturing facilities in China. Since commencing operations in March 2022, IMMUNE CELL’s Suzhou CDMO facility has maintained stable operations and established multiple strategic collaborations with numerous clients.The Suzhou facility covers an area of 9,000 m² and features state-of-the-art process development and production workshops, dozens of GMP-compliant production lines, and eukaryotic cell culture capacities ranging from 50 L to 200 L, 500 L, and 2,000 L.Prokaryotic fermentation scale: 10 L–50 L–200 L, while being equipped with advanced purification processes to fully safeguard gene therapy companies.

Dr. Sun Xiulian, Chairman and CTO of IMMUNE CELL

Dr. Sun Xiulian, Chairman and CTO of IMMUNE CELLStatement: We extend our sincere gratitude to the new investors for their recognition and support, as well as to our existing shareholders for their continued trust and backing. We also thank our team members for their relentless efforts and hard work, and our partners for their long-term support and trust. The cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry has entered a golden age of industrialization. Leveraging an exceptional talent pool, extensive industrialization experience, unique technological advantages, and comprehensive manufacturing facilities and service systems, IMMUNE CELL has achieved leading results in collaboration with its partners. Among our collaborative projects, two gene therapy Investigational New Drug (IND) applications have successfully received approval from the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) and entered clinical trials, while another IND application has been accepted by the CDE. Moving forward, we will continue to refine our corporate management system. Relying on our CMC R&D centers in the United States and Canada, we will incubate more specialized technology platforms and optimize our five core platforms: plasmid preparation, viral vector preparation, cell therapy drug manufacturing, process development, and quality control. We aim to enhance our market expansion capabilities both domestically and internationally, providing high-quality CDMO services to global customers, contributing to healthier lives and a better world.

Mr. Hu Baifeng, Deputy General Manager of Jinshi Investment and Head of Leon CapitalIt indicates that the development of cell and gene therapy (CGT) in China has entered a fast lane. As a leading CGT CDMO enterprise in China, IMMUNE CELL has established a one-stop, large-scale GMP manufacturing system serving gene therapy companies, focusing on viral vector R&D and large-scale process development. This has accelerated basic research, drug discovery, clinical trials, and commercialization in the field of gene therapy, thereby driving the rapid development of China’s gene therapy industry.

Ms. Wan Xuan, Head of the Healthcare Investment Team at Jinshi InvestmentIt is indicated that cell and gene therapy (CGT) represents a frontier track in next-generation biotechnology, with the potential to offer curative opportunities for patients. However, due to the significant challenges in manufacturing processes and high susceptibility to geopolitical constraints, accelerating the improvement of domestic process development and manufacturing (CDMO) capabilities is a critical breakthrough for achieving the commercialization of CGT drugs in China, holding substantial strategic significance for public health in the country.

Entrusted by government-guided funds such as the National Transformation and Upgrading Fund, Jinshi Investment continues to seek out the most outstanding entrepreneurial teams in this field. It is hoped that the IMMUNE CELL team will continue to leverage its years of accumulated technical advantages in the CGT CDMO industry, strengthen China’s technological barriers and supply chain security in this sector, accelerate the market launch of downstream clients’ drug products, and work with the entire industry to bring benefits to patients in China.

Mr. Zhang Yi, Managing Partner of Huagai Medical’s Yangtze River Delta FundIt stated that cell therapy and gene therapy represent the most promising niche sectors in the future of biopharmaceuticals, with CDMO enterprises playing a strategic supporting role in this specialized industry. Huagai Capital has consistently focused on the commercialization of the cell and gene therapy sectors, recognizing the critical importance of the production stage. As an outstanding domestic startup in this field, IMMUNE CELL boasts an internationally standardized production system and a pragmatic, enterprising management team, offering significant potential for growth. Huagai Capital will work alongside IMMUNE CELL to fully support its development into an influential one-stop R&D and manufacturing CDMO platform for gene therapies both domestically and internationally, thereby contributing to the advancement of China’s cell and gene therapy industrial chain.

Jinshi Investment was established in October 2007 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Securities, serving as its domestic private equity investment platform. Jinshi Investment covers key industries including industrial energy, high-end manufacturing, TMT, new materials, healthcare, and defense, and has achieved outstanding historical investment performance since its inception. Currently, Jinshi Investment consolidates the management of over 30 funds with assets under management exceeding RMB 240 billion, making it one of China’s leading private equity fund management institutions.

Established in 1995, CLSA Capital is the sole and wholly-owned US dollar private equity investment platform of CITIC Securities. Its flagship China-focused US dollar private equity fund, the China Growth Fund, leverages CITIC Securities’ strong domestic advantages and primary market resources to provide global clients with one-stop access to China’s primary market. The fund invests primarily in strategic emerging industries such as healthcare, TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecom), intelligent manufacturing, and new energy. By rigorously selecting high-quality projects, it delivers superior investment returns to global investors.

IMMUNE CELL, built by an internationally renowned team of experts, specializes in the development and manufacturing of clinical-grade viral vectors. Its CDMO services cover GMP-compliant AAV, plasmids, adenoviruses, lentiviruses, CAR-T, iPSCs, and IND submission documentation. The company comprehensively meets customer needs for early-stage drug development, clinical trials, and large-scale commercial production, providing one-stop CDMO solutions for cell and gene therapy developers. Since 2019, the company has undertaken/delivered over 60 batches of IND and IIT products in China. In 2022, two gene therapy IND projects among its collaborative initiatives successfully received approval from the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) and entered clinical trials, while another IND application was accepted by the CDE, establishing a differentiated competitive advantage in the large-scale preparation of AAV vectors and within the industry.