GRITGEN Biotech Secures Hundreds of Millions RMB in Series A Funding to Advance Core Gene Therapy Pipeline

VCBeat learned that on March 2, Suzhou Huayi Lejian Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Huayi Lejian” or the “Company”), a leading enterprise in the research and development of gene therapy drugs, announced the completion of its Series A financing round, amounting to hundreds of millions of RMB. The round was led by HongShan, with participation from Sunshine Insurance, Qingsong Capital, and Beijing Life Science Park Venture Capital Fund. Existing shareholders China Everbright Limited, Guoshi Yingfu, and China Renaissance continued to support the company. China Renaissance served as the exclusive financial advisor for this transaction.

The proceeds from this round of financing will be primarily used to advance the manufacturing, regulatory registration, clinical development, and research of the company’s lead gene therapy product, as well as to accelerate the development of its other products targeting liver and neurological indications.

Huayi Lejian was established in 2019. Guided by the vision of “contributing to China’s prominence and ensuring people’s joy, health, and well-being,” and centered on independent innovation and R&D, the company is committed to becoming a China-based, globally leading biotechnology firm that benefits human health. Focusing on liver-targeted gene delivery, Huayi Lejian has independently developed a world-leading high-efficiency vector platform. Its lead product targets hemophilia A, a broad area with significant unmet medical needs. The product is at an advanced stage of development, being the first in China to enter exploratory clinical trials, and has initially demonstrated favorable safety and efficacy data. In the future, leveraging the founders’ and team’s extensive scientific expertise, the company will expand into therapeutic products for neurological diseases, achieving a balanced pipeline of treatments for both rare and common diseases, while steadily advancing its clinical trial programs.

Currently, the company has commenced construction of an 8,600-square-meter cGMP manufacturing base in Suzhou Industrial Park. This facility serves as a comprehensive experimental platform for new drug research and development (R&D) and production, integrating R&D, manufacturing, and quality control capabilities for plasmids, viruses, and other modalities. Meanwhile, the company operates a 1,600-square-meter R&D center in the Changping Life Science Park in Beijing, equipped with complete biochemical laboratories and animal facilities, primarily dedicated to early-stage independent drug R&D.

Wu Fenglan, COO of Huayi Lejianstated: “We currently possess a robust AAV gene therapy platform, and products with independent intellectual property rights selected through this platform have already entered investigator-initiated clinical trials. We are delighted that Huayi Lejian has gained recognition from investors such as HongShan, enabling us to accelerate the development of innovative therapies with high safety, strong efficacy, and good compliance to address unmet clinical needs.”

Gu Cuiping, Managing Director of HongShanstated: “The industrialization of gene therapy is one of our key focus areas, particularly in the treatment of rare diseases and neurodegenerative disorders, where gene therapy holds promise for delivering more effective and durable solutions. The founding team of Huayi Lejian possesses innovative R&D capabilities and strong execution excellence. We look forward to partnering with Huayi Lejian to jointly advance the global development of gene therapy drugs and bring safer and more effective treatment options to patients as soon as possible.”

Wang Wei, Investment Director and Project Lead at China Everbright Limited“Gene therapy technology is the crown jewel of life sciences, and the research and development (R&D) of gene therapy drugs in China is still in its early stages. Huayi Lejian is a high-tech biopharmaceutical company focused on the R&D of gene therapy drugs, characterized by its forward-looking and innovative approach. Since we participated in its pre-A round of financing in early 2021, the company has developed at an impressive pace, with its key pipeline R&D progress leading domestically. China Everbright Limited has long attached great importance to its investment layout in the life sciences sector, with key investments in innovative drugs, medical devices, and diagnostic services. It is precisely due to our optimism about the company’s future development prospects that China Everbright Limited, as an existing shareholder, has chosen to increase its investment. We wish the company vigorous growth in the future, the timely completion of pipeline R&D and product commercialization, bringing benefits to more patients and contributing to humanity’s fight against diseases and social progress.”

Xie Yijing, Managing Director of China Renaissance and Head of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Group“The success of gene therapy will yield substantial clinical benefits, significantly improving patients’ quality of life while alleviating the long-term, heavy healthcare burden on both patients and society. In a gene therapy landscape characterized by diverse innovation and vigorous competition, Huayi Lejian has emerged as one of the industry’s leading enterprises, distinguished by its industry-leading innovative capabilities and highly efficient execution. We are honored to have assisted Huayi Lejian in completing this round of financing, and we look forward to seeing the company leverage support from more renowned investment institutions to soar to new heights, becoming a distinctive benchmark enterprise in the gene therapy sector.”