CCOA Therapeutics Successfully Completes Pre-A Financing to Advance Global First-in-Class Drug CA1001 for Ischemic Stroke

CCOA Therapeutics (Hangzhou) Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“CCOA”) recently announced the successful completion of its Pre-A financing round. The round was led by Puhua Capital, a well-known domestic investment institution. This marks another round of financing for the CCOA Group following its angel round in 2019. The proceeds will be used to accelerate the preclinical development of CA1001, the company’s global first-in-class novel drug for the treatment of ischemic stroke, as well as to support clinical trial applications in China and North America. Including the angel round, CCOA has secured nearly RMB 100 million in early-stage financing to date.

CCOA Therapeutics, a Canadian company founded in March 2016 by Professor Heyu Ni, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, is an innovative drug R&D enterprise focused on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cancer metastasis, rare diseases, and hemorrhagic disorders. The company boasts a pipeline of more than ten independently developed innovative products with competitive differentiation advantages. It operates an internationally leading R&D center in Toronto, equipped with 18 advanced platform technologies and live animal models for over 20 diseases, which are extensively applied to large-scale preclinical pharmacological, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological evaluations of its products under development. CCOA (Hangzhou) Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. was jointly established and introduced in December 2021 by Puhua Capital and Hangzhou Bay Area Digital Innovation Technology, serving as the Group’s operating entity in the Asia-Pacific region and its China headquarters.

The core team members hail from renowned domestic and international institutions, multinational corporations, and pharmaceutical R&D enterprises, covering all aspects of preclinical drug development, clinical trials, corporate management, operations, and finance. Additionally, the company boasts a team of scientific advisors from prestigious research institutions at home and abroad, who possess extensive experience in scientific research and clinical practice. The founder and chairman, Dr. Ni Heyu, is an Academician of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Professor at the University of Toronto, and a Senior Scientist at Canadian Blood Services. Dr. Ni graduated from the Department of Medicine at Anhui Medical University, earned his Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Manitoba in Canada, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Pathology at Harvard University. Professor Ni and his team have dedicated decades to clinical and basic research in thrombotic diseases, rare diseases, and hematological disorders. Their scientific prowess in elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and early-stage drug discovery, particularly in the biology of innovative targets, ranks among the world’s leading levels. They maintain R&D collaborations with several new drug development companies and multinational pharmaceutical firms.

Academician Ni Heyu“We are deeply honored to have gained the recognition and support of a renowned domestic investment institution. With China’s accelerating population aging and over 260 million people aged 60 and above, the research and development of drugs for stroke and cardiovascular-cerebrovascular diseases serves as a crucial pillar supporting the well-being of the elderly. This round of financing will vigorously advance the R&D progress of our company’s global first-in-class novel drug, particularly by completing the preclinical development of our core project, CA1001, and accelerating its dual clinical trial applications in China and Canada. ‘Ten years of sharpening a sword’—extensive prior animal experimental results have demonstrated that CA1001 has a rapid onset of action and an excellent safety profile. When used in combination with tPA and mechanical thrombectomy, it exhibits synergistic effects, significantly enhancing the efficacy of tPA thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy, reducing the required tPA dosage, preventing intracranial hemorrhage, extending the therapeutic time window, inhibiting reinfarction, treating reperfusion injury, and lowering mortality through multidimensional mechanisms. In non-human primate studies, CA1001 demonstrated an outstanding therapeutic safety window, offering unique preclinical and clinical advantages, and holds promise for filling an international gap in stroke treatment. Furthermore, CA1001 has substantial potential for indication expansion, including treatments for coronary heart disease and rare diseases, and is expected to bring significant benefits to stroke and cardiovascular-cerebrovascular patients in China and worldwide.”

Mr. Zhou Mi, Managing Partner of Healthcare at Puhua Capitalstated: “Puhua Capital has been committed to introducing internationally leading pharmaceutical technologies and top scientists into China. Academician Ni Heyu is a highly respected expert in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis, having achieved remarkable scientific accomplishments at both the University of Toronto and Harvard University. We believe that CCOA will leverage its comprehensive domestic and international advantages to contribute to breakthrough advancements in new drugs for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.”

CCOA Therapeutics Inc., a Canadian biopharmaceutical R&D company, is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of next-generation cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (including acute stroke and acute myocardial infarction), cancer, rare diseases, hemorrhagic disorders, and COVID-19. Founded in 2016, the company is registered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Puhua Capital, established in 2004, has adhered to its vision of “Upholding a Heart of Universal Benevolence, Pursuing Substantive Excellence” since its inception. It continuously identifies early-stage startups with value-driven potential and high growth prospects in the fields of frontier technology, healthcare, mass consumption, and new energy, providing patient cultivation and empowerment for their growth. After nearly two decades of dedication, Puhua Capital has supported more than 400 startups, facilitating over 70 companies to achieve IPOs or mergers and acquisitions, thereby emerging as leaders in their respective niche industries.