Juvensis Therapeutics Secures Tens of Millions in Angel Funding Led by Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Innovation Translation Fund

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Zhejiang Yufang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“Yufang Biotech”) recently announced the completion of its angel financing round, amounting to tens of millions of yuan. The round was led by the Shanghai Biomedical Innovation Translation Fund, with participation from Jinpu XinChao Fund. Previously, Yufang Biotech secured seed-stage investment from Lanwan Science and Technology Innovation Group.

Yufang Biopharma, established in 2021, is a gene therapy drug development company focused on targeting telomere mechanisms. Leveraging the team’s prior pioneering research at Stanford University, Yufang Biopharma has built an internationally leading next-generation platform for precise telomere regulation, dedicated to addressing unmet clinical needs such as heart failure. Current first-line clinical treatments for heart failure primarily include renin-angiotensin system blockers, beta-blockers, aldosterone receptor antagonists, and SGLT-2 inhibitors. These therapies mainly mitigate systemic side effects caused by cardiac functional compensation by modulating the neuroendocrine system, but they fail to halt the progressive nature of heart failure. Telomere dysfunction is a critical driver in the progression of heart failure, ultimately leading to reduced mitochondrial biogenesis and apoptosis. Based on an innovative mechanism involving energy metabolism regulation, Yufang Biopharma has developed telomere-protective proteins that can interrupt the vicious cycle of telomere damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby promoting the recovery of myocardial function.

Image source: Chakravarti D et al. Cell (2021)

Data from multiple preclinical animal models of Yufang Bio demonstrate that the company’s candidate drug can significantly improve left ventricular ejection fraction, inhibit myocardial fibrosis, and reverse ventricular remodeling. Yufang Bio’s telomere regulation platform is poised to expand into indications associated with apoptosis of non-regenerative, terminally differentiated cells, such as kidney diseases and neurological disorders. Its underlying telomere protection mechanism holds promise for delivering breakthrough advances in the treatment of these degenerative diseases.

Dr. Xu Xiao, Founder and CEO of Yufang Biotechstated: “We are deeply grateful to the Shanghai Bio-medicine Innovation and Translation Fund and GP Capital’s Xinchao Fund for their recognition and support! Over the past year, our company has achieved rapid growth, efficiently advancing the R&D of our heart failure pipeline and completing proof-of-concept (POC) validation in multiple animal models. This financing will enable us to advance IND-enabling studies for our lead pipeline and lay the groundwork for early-stage development of other candidates. Yufang Biotech will continue to build its proprietary platform for precise regulation of telomeres and telomerase, approaching disease from the perspective of aging, and is committed to becoming a global leader in heart failure drug development.”

Professor Zhang Jiayu, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Yufang BioHe stated, “The name Juvensis Therapeutics carries a dual meaning: ‘Juven’ signifies youthfulness, while the Chinese name ‘Yufang’ is derived from the renowned physician Sun Simiao’s maxim, ‘Be bold in courage yet meticulous in care; be comprehensive in wisdom yet principled in action.’ At Juvensis Therapeutics, our mission and guiding principle is to combat degenerative diseases through innovation. Leveraging our profound understanding of disease mechanisms from the perspective of aging, we have established a multi-pipeline portfolio targeting degenerative diseases on our proprietary platform for precise regulation of telomeres and telomerase. Currently, our heart failure pipeline has demonstrated exceptional efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo animal models. We are confident and eager to advance into clinical trials as soon as possible, delivering truly innovative therapies that provide tangible clinical benefits to patients with heart failure.”

Guo Qiushan, President of the Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Innovation and Transformation Fund“It was stated that epidemiological statistics from 2020 indicated approximately 13.9 million heart failure patients worldwide. Current pharmacotherapies are primarily symptomatic and aimed at preventing complications, but they fail to halt cardiomyocyte apoptosis and disease progression, which ultimately lead to sudden cardiac death. In 2019, the FDA issued specific guidelines encouraging the development of novel drugs for heart failure, underscoring the strong demand for new therapeutic agents. Heart failure is fundamentally a disorder of energy metabolism. We believe that Yufang Bio, leveraging its extensive expertise in telomere regulation platforms, will design and develop innovative therapies oriented toward modulating energy metabolism, thereby offering new hope for addressing the critical clinical needs of heart failure patients.”

Zhang Hua, Partner at GP Capital New Trend Fund“The team stated, ‘We have observed that Yufang Biotech, led by Dr. Xu Xiao and Professor Zhang Jiayu, has accomplished the three most critical milestones of its startup phase within just one year and under limited funding: building a team of substantial initial scale, completing proof-of-concept (POC) validation for its proprietary gene therapy drug, and establishing a fully functional early-stage R&D laboratory. This demonstrates the founding team’s exceptional operational efficiency. Leveraging its unique technology platform, Yufang Biotech has pursued differentiated strategies in therapeutic areas such as cardiac, renal, and neurological indications, showing strong potential for international expansion. We look forward to seeing the Yufang team achieve even greater success in the future!’”

Deng Jianxin, Chairman of Lanwan Science and Technology Innovation GroupLanwan Investment stated: “Over the past year since investing in Yufang Biotech, we have witnessed the Yufang team overcome numerous challenges to rapidly translate an original scientific achievement into practical application, completing critical preclinical validation. As a seed-round investor, Lanwan is highly optimistic about Yufang’s future development. We welcome and appreciate the support provided to Yufang Biotech by the Shanghai Bio-medicine Innovation Transformation Fund and Jinpu XinChao Fund!”