Neoantigen Biosciences Completes Tens of Millions of RMB Series A Financing to Accelerate Neoantigen-Based Pipeline Development

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) recently learned that Hangzhou Newanjin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Newanjin Biotech”) has announced the completion of its Series A financing round, amounting to tens of millions of yuan.Led by Beta Pharma Bio-Industry Fund, with follow-on investment from Fortune CapitalThe proceeds from this round of financing will be used to support the Investigational New Drug (IND) application and subsequent clinical trials for the company’s personalized tumor neoantigen peptide vaccine product, iNeo-Vac-P01, as well as to advance regulatory submissions for other pipeline candidates.

Regarding the completion of this round of financing,Professor Shuqing Chen, Founder/Chairman of Newanjin BiotechnologyIn response, they stated: “We extend our sincere gratitude to the Beta Biopharmaceutical Industry Fund and Fortune Capital for their support and recognition of Hangzhou Newanjin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The capital market’s assessment of technological prospects plays a significant role in shaping the future trajectory of China’s scientific and technological development. This round of financing will facilitate the Investigational New Drug (IND) application and clinical translation of our iNeo-Vac-P01, as well as accelerate the advancement of our other pipeline candidates. We are confident that these personalized neoantigen immunotherapies for tumors, based on our iNeo technology, will achieve success in both clinical trials and commercialization, thereby benefiting a broad population of cancer patients.”

Professor Shuqing Chen, Founder of Newanjin Biotechnology

Professor Chen Shuqing, founder of Newanjin Biotechnology, currently serves as a doctoral supervisor at the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University. He also holds positions as a member of the Professional Committee on Biochemical and Biotechnological Drugs under the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, and as Honorary Chairman of the Zhejiang Pharmaceutical Association. Previously, he served as an independent director and technical advisor to the president for multiple publicly listed pharmaceutical companies. Professor Chen has long been dedicated to research in personalized medicine and precision oncology. He has led dozens of projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Major Special Project for Significant New Drug Development, and the Key Special Project on “Precision Medicine Research” under the National Key R&D Program. His research findings have been published in top-tier international journals such as Cell and Advanced Materials. Professor Chen previously co-founded two biopharmaceutical companies, both of which were subsequently acquired by publicly listed enterprises. Reportedly, he transferred two ADC technology patents to a listed pharmaceutical company for tens of millions of yuan.

iNeo-Vac-P01 is the most advanced personalized tumor neoantigen peptide vaccine product pipeline under Hangzhou Newanjin Biotechnology, and has currently completed non-registration clinical trials.Poised to Become the First Personalized Peptide Vaccine Product in China to Receive Investigational New Drug (IND) Approval for Clinical Trials, the company is about to submit an IND application for this product.

Hangzhou Newanjin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was established in 2016 as a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the research and development of personalized immunotherapy technologies based on tumor neoantigens. The company is committed to leveraging advanced artificial intelligence analytics to screen for tumor cell neoantigens, developing novel neoantigen-based cancer immunotherapies, and providing integrated, personalized precision immuno-diagnostic and therapeutic services for cancer patients. Its team comprises highly skilled professionals from both domestic and international backgrounds.One of the world's earliest teams engaged in the clinical translation research of neoantigens。

It is reported that Newanjin Biotechnology has established three core, independently developed technology platforms: intelligent bio-computational analysis, personalized vaccine formulation, and precision immune response monitoring.Possesses advantages in data control and accumulation across the entire industry chain and full workflow, enabling continuous iteration of algorithmic models,Improve the accuracy of neoantigen prediction and prioritization. Leveraging these technology platforms enables the customization of personalized peptide vaccines for each patient. Meanwhile, the company has also strategically positioned itself inNeoantigen-specific T-cell products, personalized mRNA vaccines, peptide self-assembling vaccines, and a series of universal vaccinesWaiting for Pipeline, are all in the IND preparation stage, with plans to submit IND applications sequentially starting in 2022. Meanwhile, the company has signed a new round of supporting subsidy agreements with the government worth over RMB 100 million and has moved into the Beta Dream Factory site for GMP workshop construction, expecting to commence production by the end of 2022.

Tumor neoantigens, generated by genetic mutations in tumor cells, possess absolute tumor specificity and strong immunogenicity, making them the optimal targets for cancer immunotherapy. Consequently, therapeutic strategies targeting tumor neoantigens can activate the patient’s immune cells to precisely kill tumor cells without causing any severe toxic side effects.

Newanjin Biotechnology has disclosed the clinical data from its investigator-initiated trial (IIT) of iNeo-Vac-P01, the company’s first independently developed personalized vaccine based on tumor neoantigens. Dr. Mo Fan, Co-founder and CEO of Newanjin Biotechnology, stated, “To date, we have conducted six IIT clinical studies,”The safety and efficacy of the iNeo-Vac-P01 peptide vaccine have been demonstrated., tumor tissue samples from patients after treatment alsoIt has been demonstrated that iNeo-Vac-P01 can significantly improve the tumor immune microenvironment, converting "cold" tumors into "hot" tumors.Therefore, iNeo-Vac-P01 is also expected to enhance patients’ response rates to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Currently, the longest follow-up duration among patients treated with iNeo-Vac-P01 has reached 41 months, with stable disease status and ongoing treatment.”

Since 2017, Hangzhou Newanjin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. has conducted scientific and clinical research in multiple Grade A tertiary hospitals, completing neoantigen prioritization analysis and in vitro experimental validation on more than 200 real-world clinical samples, as well as personalized tumor neoantigen peptide vaccine treatment and follow-up trials in nearly 70 patients, thereby preliminarily verifying safety and efficacy.The clinical study results were published in the top international medical journals *Clinical Cancer Research* and *Frontiers in Immunology* in September 2020 and July 2021, respectively.。

It is reported that Newanjin BiotechnologyCombination therapy with iNeo-Vac-P01 and PD-1 inhibitors is underway, as well as investigator-initiated trials (IITs) for the prevention of postoperative recurrence.Meanwhile, the team is also rapidly advancing its pipeline of neoantigen-specific T-cell products, personalized mRNA vaccines, peptide self-assembling vaccines, and a series of universal vaccines.. The company has alsoCollected nearly 2,000 follow-up data points on peptide vaccine-specific immune responses and established China's largest clinical trial follow-up database for neoantigens., providing rich data for the optimization of algorithms used in neoantigen vaccine design. Furthermore, the company has established a series of cell and animal models to rapidly complete non-clinical functional validation of various neoantigen products, thereby accelerating pipeline R&D progress.

Regarding the investment in Newanjin Biotechnology,Dr. Ding Lieming, Founder of the Betta Pharmaceuticals Biomedical Industry Fund“The statement read: ‘As a biomedical industry fund dedicated to technological innovation and the industrialization of scientific research achievements, we have always believed in the transformation and opportunities that digitalization and intelligence bring to human healthcare, and we continue to explore new means of creating greater value for the medical industry. Hangzhou Newanjin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is one of the few companies in China specializing in the research of tumor neoantigen vaccines and capable of translating them into clinical treatments. This research direction is also at the forefront globally. Therefore, we look forward to working with Hangzhou Newanjin Biotechnology to provide more effective treatment options for the nation, society, and cancer patients, thereby creating greater value for the country and society.’”

Qi Shen, Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of Healthcare at Fortune CapitalIt also acknowledged: “The development of neoantigen-based personalized cancer immunotherapies spans the ‘BT+IT’ (biotechnology + information technology) domains, featuring prominent interdisciplinary translational characteristics. Under the leadership of Professor Chen Shuqing and Dr. Mo Fan, Newanjin has established a rare end-to-end R&D technology platform within the industry. The company has initiated, is currently conducting, and plans to launch investigator-initiated clinical trials that comprehensively cover various tumor types and treatment regimens, yielding robust original clinical data. Leveraging its independently owned intellectual property rights for this end-to-end neoantigen R&D platform, the company can continuously develop suitable personalized cancer immunotherapy drugs tailored to the pharmaceutical properties of different drug carriers (such as peptides, nucleic acids, and cells). Fortune Venture Capital is honored to participate in this round of financing and will remain firmly committed to supporting the company’s future growth.”

The Beta Pharma Biomedical Industry Fund is an equity investment fund primarily initiated by Dr. Ding Lieming, Chairman and CEO of Beta Pharma Inc., with Hangzhou Beijia Investment Management Co., Ltd. serving as the fund manager. The fund focuses on the broader healthcare sector, with key investments in biopharmaceuticals, in vitro diagnostics, and innovative medical devices. Centered around top-tier industry experts and leading figures in the pharmaceutical sector, the fund leverages its core team’s extensive experience and resources in R&D and commercialization to provide comprehensive support to portfolio companies at all stages of development.

Fortune Capital is one of the most influential venture capital firms in China. With its outstanding performance, Fortune Capital has consistently ranked among the top in evaluations conducted by authoritative institutions such as the China Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA), Zero2IPO Group, CVSource, and Financing China. It has been named to Zero2IPO’s “Top 50 Best Venture Capital Firms in China” for 20 consecutive years, ranking first in 2012 and 2015, and has remained among the top three domestic venture capital firms for the past decade.