Domestic Cell and Gene Therapy Sector Secures Over RMB 2.5 Billion in Q1 2026, Entering Critical Phase of Industrialization

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry Dynamics】Industry insiders have indicated that by 2026, cell and gene therapy will no longer be just a repeatedly anticipated future or a high-frequency buzzword within the industry; it is gradually moving into a more realistic phase. Statistics show that in the first quarter of 2026, over 20 cell and gene therapy-related companies in China completed new rounds of financing, with a total amount exceeding 2.5 billion yuan. In March alone, multiple pharmaceutical companies announced the completion of their financings.
 

Shanghai Bendao Gene Technology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of a strategic financing round worth hundreds of millions of RMB. Data shows that the core competitiveness of Bendao Gene lies in its two self-developed platform delivery technologies: the clinically validated virus-like carrier BD-VLP platform and the next-generation lentiviral vector BD-Lenti platform. Based on these two delivery platforms, the company has established a "2+8+N" gene drug development system (two delivery platforms, eight therapeutic mechanisms, covering N disease areas), forming a sustainable development matrix encompassing more than ten pipelines, expanding the treatment areas from rare diseases to glaucoma, viral infections, cancer vaccines, CNS, and other chronic and common diseases with significant unmet clinical needs. Currently, the CRISPR antiviral gene-editing drug BD111 has entered Phase II clinical trials; the BD211 project is accelerating its transformation; the BD312 project for glaucoma and the BD115 project for genital herpes have initiated IND (Investigational New Drug) applications. This round of financing will provide a solid guarantee for subsequent R&D and production capacity construction.
 

Leman Biotech Completes Nearly 200 Million Yuan in Series A Additional FinancingLeman Biotech has completed nearly 200 million yuan in Series A additional financing. The funds raised in this round will primarily support the Phase I clinical trial registration of its CAR-T cell therapy, expedite the development and validation of automated production processes, and initiate the clinical translation of metabolism-enhanced solid tumor cell therapies. It is reported that Leman focuses on the R&D of innovative cancer immunotherapy pipelines and has developed and continuously upgraded two major AI + metabolic reprogramming technology platforms: Meta10 and Meta10-AI. Currently, the company has multiple pipelines entering the IIT (Investigator-Initiated Trial) stage, with indications covering malignant hematological tumors, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases. In the field of solid tumors, the IIT clinical study of the company's metabolism-enhanced tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte injection (Meta10-TILs) has been initiated, and several CAR-T pipelines targeting solid tumor indications such as cervical cancer, liver cancer, and bile duct cancer are entering the IIT clinical research stage.
 

ImmuOnco Completes Nearly 200 Million RMB in Pre-IPO Financing. The funds will be mainly used to advance the clinical trials of its autologous CD7 CAR-T cell therapy product EMF-001, optimize core process platforms, and build the team. It is reported that ImmuOnco focuses on the clinical needs in the field of solid tumor treatment. To address the current challenges of CAR-T therapies for solid tumors, the company has developed a next-generation CAR-T technology platform, including SNR, Peri Cruiser®, T-Booster, and SolidGuard. These platforms aim to solve issues such as antigen heterogeneity, on-target off-tumor toxicity, T-cell exhaustion, insufficient tumor tissue infiltration, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, providing technical support for the continuous expansion of its CAR-T product pipeline for solid tumors. Meanwhile, to tackle the long production cycle and high cost of autologous CAR-T products, the company has developed the FOCO CAR production process, which effectively shortens the production cycle and significantly reduces costs, improving the accessibility of autologous CAR-T products. In addition, while steadily advancing the clinical development of its autologous CAR-T projects, ImmuOnco is also exploring cutting-edge in vivo CAR-T technologies, having built an independent iMAGIC in vivo CAR-T platform. This platform is based on a novel lentiviral vector capable of specifically recognizing and transducing resident T cells. It uses AI-optimized design of detargeted MxV glycoprotein (MxV-G) and combines proprietary T-cell targeting modules to selectively activate and transduce T cells in vivo while minimizing the risk of non-T-cell off-target gene delivery.
 

AI-Driven iPSC Cell Therapy Drug Developer Accure Bio Completes Over 100 Million Yuan in Series A3 Funding. This round of financing will focus on accelerating the advancement of multiple novel allogeneic iPSC-derived cell therapies, developed through an AI-driven R&D system, into clinical stages. It will also expedite the strategic layout of the company’s two major technological platforms: iPSC cell therapy and iPSC organoids, providing resource support for the clinical advancement of core products. This marks a critical validation phase for the company's AI-driven cell therapy and drug screening platform development model. According to reports, Accure Bio, relying on its self-developed AI-driven predictive modeling system, has established a systematic iPSC cell drug R&D pathway, covering innovative directions such as neurological diseases like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.
 

The financing boom in the cell and gene therapy sector in the first quarter of 2026 reflects capital focusing on companies' technical strength, pipeline progress, and industrialization capabilities. From breakthroughs in delivery technology to tackling solid tumor treatments, from AI-empowered research to optimizing production processes, China’s cell and gene therapy companies are making efforts across multiple fronts. With increased policy support and continuous breakthroughs in core technologies, 2026 will mark the entry into an industrialization-focused phase for cell and gene therapy. Industry experts note that cell and gene therapy in China is beginning to take on a more industry-like form: diverse and expanding technological approaches at the front end, gradually strengthening R&D and translational capabilities in the middle, and increasingly clear product expectations and commercial benchmarks at the back end.
 

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