Wuhan YZY Biopharma Secures RMB 200 Million in Pre-C Round to Advance Bispecific Antibodies and COVID-19 Vaccine Development
VCBeat News has learned that Wuhan Youzhiyou Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Youzhiyou Biopharma” or the “Company”) recently completed a RMB 200 million Pre-C financing round. The round was jointly invested by Wuhan Hi-Tech, Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Investment Group, and Optics Valley Financial Holdings. The proceeds will be used to support the clinical development of its product pipeline, including bispecific antibodies and COVID-19 vaccines, and to accelerate the commercialization of its products.
Signing Ceremony:On July 1, Wuhan Hi-Tech Group, Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Investment Group, Optics Valley Financial Holdings Group, and Youzhiyou Biopharmaceutical held an investment signing ceremony. Feng Li, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of East Lake High-tech Development Zone; Ding Huichen, Deputy Director of the Biological Industry Office; Bao Junhua, Chief Engineer; Gao Shang, Party Secretary and Chairman of Wuhan Hi-Tech Group; Yu Yanfei, Director of the Construction and Financing Division of the Biological Industry Office; and Qin Jun, Vice Chairman and General Manager of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Investment Group, were present as witnesses. Yu Bo, Deputy General Manager of Wuhan Hi-Tech Group; Li Jun, Assistant to the General Manager of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Investment Group and Chairman of Optics Valley Health Investment Company; and Cheng Zhe, Deputy General Manager of Optics Valley Financial Holdings Group, signed the agreement on behalf of the investors respectively.
Wuhan Youzhiyou Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. was co-founded by Dr. Zhou Pengfei, a scientist who returned to China from overseas. Adhering to the mission of “Tracing the Origins of Life, Decoding Cancer,” the company is dedicated to the research, development, and manufacturing of bispecific antibody drugs. Since its establishment, Youzhiyou Bio has invested over RMB 600 million in R&D, building an international first-class R&D team of more than 100 members, a 4,000-square-meter R&D facility, and an 800-square-meter pilot-scale antibody production workshop. The company has overcome critical bottlenecks in bispecific antibody development and independently developed globally leading gene engineering platforms for bispecific antibodies, including YBODY® and CHECKBODY®. It has filed 83 core technology patents, including 14 PCT international patents, and obtained 32 invention patent grants (including 7 U.S. patents). The company has received numerous honors, such as “Hubei Province Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative ‘Little Giant’ Enterprise,” “Hubei Province Listed Company Reserve ‘Golden Seed’ Enterprise,” “2022 National Technology-Based SME,” “Gazelle Enterprise,” and “Hubei Province Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategic Team.”
Currently, Youzhiyou Biopharma has five clinical-stage and multiple preclinical pipeline products under development, covering various disease areas including oncology, ophthalmology, and COVID-19.
M701 is the first antibody drug targeting EpCAM/CD3 to enter clinical trials. It specifically binds to EpCAM-positive tumor cells while simultaneously engaging CD3, a surface antigen on T cells, thereby recruiting and activating T cells to kill tumor cells. Its primary indication is malignant ascites/pleural effusion associated with EpCAM-positive tumors.
The Phase I clinical trial of M701 has been completed, and its interim results have been published on the ESMO official website, demonstrating favorable safety, tolerability, and efficacy. The product is currently undergoing Phase II clinical studies.
M701, a Candidate Drug for Malignant Pleural/Ascitic Effusion
Y2019 is a COVID-19 vaccine developed using the homologous dimer of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This vaccine features a stable antigenic structure and strong immunogenicity. When administered to animals with a traditional aluminum adjuvant, it induces serum that exhibits cross-neutralizing activity against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain as well as the Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants.
Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Jointly Developed by Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Youzhiyou Biopharma)
The Y2019 COVID-19 vaccine integrates the vaccine design research achievements of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the advantages of Wuhan Youzhiyou Biopharmaceutical’s recombinant protein industrialization platform, offering significant benefits in product quality control and scalable manufacturing. The Y2019 vaccine demonstrates excellent stability at both room temperature and 4°C. Its robust manufacturing process does not involve high biosafety risks, eliminating the need for high-level biosafety containment facilities. With high yield and low cost, it enables rapid scale-up of production. Currently, Phase I clinical trials in adult and elderly cohorts are being conducted by the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Preliminary results indicate a favorable safety profile, and Phase II clinical trials will be initiated in the near future.