ViewGene Completes Tens of Millions RMB Pre-A Financing to Advance Next-Generation Inducible Gene Therapy Platform

Recently, Suzhou Weiyou Gene Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Weiyou Gene”) announced the completion of its Pre-A financing round, raising tens of millions of yuan. The round was solely led by Bilingxing Ventures. The funds raised will be used for preclinical studies of independently developed products, design of novel AAV vectors, construction of pilot-scale production lines, and expansion of the company’s gene therapy product pipeline.

Suzhou Weiyou Gene Biotechnology Co., Ltd., founded in 2021 and headquartered in Suzhou Industrial Park, is a next-generation platform company dedicated to gene therapy, built upon two core technologies: inducible gene therapy and tissue-specific gene therapy. The company’s management team includes veterans from Nobel Prize-winning laboratories, internationally renowned pharmaceutical companies, and leading gene therapy service providers. Founder Wei Jiye brings extensive experience in the industrialization of gene therapy; he previously spearheaded the development of a gene therapy platform at a prominent ophthalmology company and led the global development and application of the first switch-regulated gene therapy technology. With robust R&D capabilities and extensive experience, the team possesses world-leading expertise in AAV vector design and industrialization. The company has established an internationally advanced platform for inducible and tissue-specific gene therapy, leveraging it to build a diverse drug development pipeline targeting indications such as inherited eye diseases, dermatological conditions, blood disorders, and central nervous system diseases.

Weiyou Gene possesses proprietary, original key technologies and has now integrated three core technologies to create a gene therapy drug platform that is controllable in dose-response relationship, safe and non-toxic, highly efficient, and free from rejection reactions.One of the company’s core technologies is the development of an inducible gene therapy platform, a globally leading system that equips AAV gene therapies with a “safety switch.” This platform strictly controls adverse reactions caused by high-dose gene expression and enables timely shutdown of undesirable target gene expression, significantly enhancing safety. The second core technology is the establishment of a tissue-specific viral vector platform for target genes, which involves building a seed library of plasmids with various tissue-specific promoters to provide clinical-grade gene therapy vectors with precision at the cellular level. The third core technology is the creation of an industry-leading dermatological gene therapy platform, characterized by well-defined dose-response relationships, low immunogenicity, a higher biosafety level, and sustained in vivo expression of the target gene.

Suzhou Weiyou Gene Biotechnology Co., Ltd. will continuously advance independent R&D, with a strategic layout in ophthalmology, dermatology, hematology, and central nervous system disorders. Meanwhile, the company will leverage CRISPR-Cas gene-editing technology to develop novel global gene therapies and innovative gene therapy drugs, addressing patient needs across diverse clinical indications and providing high-quality, affordable gene therapy products for patients with rare diseases and chronic conditions worldwide.

Wei Jiye, Chairman and Founder of Weiyou GeneStatement: Weiyou Gene’s ability to secure support from Proxima Ventures, a professional investment institution, in this round of financing is a significant affirmation of the company’s technology and existing achievements. The gratifying progress Weiyou Gene has made to date would not have been possible without the long-term trust and strong support of our investors. Proxima Ventures has strategically invested in a large number of outstanding upstream and downstream enterprises in the life sciences sector. This investment will provide Weiyou Gene with robust support from a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, further driving our independent, disruptive innovation and accelerating the realization of our corporate vision: “to develop next-generation gene therapy drugs that benefit patients worldwide.” For me, entrepreneurship is akin to self-improvement, while also offering an opportunity to rescue families and children suffering from genetic diseases who face despair due to the lack of available treatments. We will continue to refine our AAV gene therapy platform, striving for greater breakthroughs in technological innovation and industrialization, to deliver safe, effective, and affordable therapies to patients.

Li Zhe, Partner at Proxima VenturesStatement: Proxima Ventures continues to closely monitor the application of global innovative technologies in the fields of life sciences and healthcare. Weiyou Gene is a company possessing globally leading tissue-specific and switch-regulated precision gene therapy technologies. As an outstanding Chinese R&D enterprise for gene therapy drugs, it leverages its R&D team’s industry-leading technical background and resources to build a safe and precise next-generation gene therapy drug research platform. We are pleased to see that Weiyou Gene has rapidly assembled a world-class team for gene therapy R&D and industrialization, and has mastered globally leading AAV delivery and industrialization technologies. Proxima Ventures remains firmly optimistic about Weiyou Gene’s pipeline layout and breakthrough innovations in ophthalmology, hematology, and dermatology, and will continue to support its rapid future development.

Proxima Ventures is a specialized investment firm focused on innovative medical technologies and disruptive biotechnologies, dedicated to serving exceptional innovative healthcare technology enterprises with significant growth potential. Managed and operated by a professional team with extensive experience in the medical industry, Proxima Ventures boasts diverse and international expertise, professional backgrounds, and industry networks. The firm currently manages multiple RMB and USD-denominated funds. Proxima Ventures has established a leading healthcare entrepreneurship ecosystem, facilitating access for its portfolio companies to high-quality clinical and industrial resources, achieving remarkable experience and results.