Immune Ark Completes Tens of Millions RMB Seed Financing to Advance Innovative Antibody Therapeutics into Clinical Trials

VCBeat learned at the earliest opportunity,Beijing Immune Ark Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Immune Ark”) has recently completed a seed funding round worth tens of millions of yuan,Exclusively invested by Saiying Capital. It is reported that the funds from this round of financing will primarily be used to advance certain of the company’s products under development into the clinical research stage.

Immune Ark, established in 2017, is aA biotech company specializing in the development of agonistic antibodies for cancer immunotherapy.In its early stages, the company collaborated with U.S. universities to introduce a cell function-based high-throughput screening platform for the development of agonistic antibodies. As research deepened, it gradually established an R&D team with extensive expertise in both basic and applied research in tumor immunology. Its initial core business focused on the de novo discovery and proof-of-concept validation of therapeutic antibodies.

Within just four years, the company has established a 1,000 m² conventional laboratory and an animal laboratory with operational permits, equipped with instruments and equipment worth tens of millions of yuan along with a dedicated team. Capabilities spanning from upstream molecular design to pharmacological and efficacy studies are all available in-house, providing robust support for the efficient early-stage proof of concept of innovative drugs.

A High-Throughput Reporter Cell Screening Platform Based on a Proprietary System for Simulating Immune Cell Responses,Immune Ark has significantly improved the efficiency of developing agonistic antibodies, making them suitable for high-throughput functional screening in vitro. Meanwhile, its independently developedXFab® Bispecific Antibody Construction Patent PlatformThe capability to assemble multispecific antibody molecules targeting multiple antigens provides a powerful tool for the development of multi-specific antibodies for oncology and other indications. Based on this platform, the company has developed several bispecific antibodies as well as trispecific antibodies with CAR-T-like functionalities. Furthermore, the company’s proprietary HEK293-based antibody display library is primarily used for screening target-specific antibody molecules.

Dr. Gao Xin, Founder and CEO of Immune ArkThe company stated that, leveraging its comprehensive molecular design platform, platforms for cytology and experimental animal imaging analysis, and pharmacological and efficacy research platforms such as CD3-humanized mice (with the CD3-humanized mouse model licensed to CrownBio for global commercial development), it looks forward to collaborating with peers interested in developing innovative multispecific antibody drugs to meet the diverse needs of clinical patients.

As is well known, the current market for PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody drugs has become a fiercely competitive “red ocean,” leaving companies with virtually no opportunity to stand out by relying solely on these agents. Fully aware of this reality, Beijing Immune Ark Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. has never intended to chase hot trends since its inception. Instead, it has carefully selected targets based on its in-depth research into signaling pathways, established differentiated product advantages, and pursued a global strategy aimed at the international market.

Starting with immune agonist antibodies, Immune Ark has developed a pipeline of monoclonal and polyclonal antibody products designed to activate the immune system.Among these, the fastest-progressing candidate is the company’s developed 4-1BB monoclonal antibody (a CD137 agonist antibody). Dr. Gao Xin stated that the rights to this product in China have been transferred to a startup biotechnology company (Immune Ark retains overseas rights and continued development rights). Currently, the project is undergoing Phase I clinical trials, with several patients already dosed.

In the development of bispecific agonist antibodies,Immune Ark has completed the design and preparation of multiple candidate molecules, as well as partial efficacy validation, one of which is based onXFab®The 4-1BB antibody bispecific molecule has completed pilot-scale process development and entered the stages of pilot-scale production and preclinical studies.In the development of trispecific antibody molecules,Immune Ark has completed molecular design, preliminarily identified the target molecule, and finished pharmacological and efficacy studies, and is about to initiate pilot-scale production process research.

Regarding the company’s future development, Dr. Gao Xin stated, “In the future, Immune Ark will continue to deepen its expertise in the development of multispecific antibody drugs, focusing on tumor immunology and autoimmune diseases based on human pathophysiological mechanisms. We will also expand the application potential of multispecific antibodies in areas such as cancer vaccines, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and antibody-nucleic acid conjugates. Furthermore, we look forward to engaging in in-depth collaborations with numerous domestic and international partners to spark greater innovation.”

Saiying Capital was jointly established in 2016 by Saisheng Pharmaceutical (SZ:300485), Yizhuang State-owned Investment, and Yizhuang Biopharmaceutical Park. Headquartered in Beijing Yizhuang, the fund focuses on investments in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and life sciences sectors. It currently serves as a vice-chairman unit of the Biopharmaceutical Professional Committee of the Beijing Venture Capital Alliance.

Saiying Capital’s fund management team possesses a strong background in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, along with extensive venture capital experience. Since registering as a private equity fund manager in 2016, it has managed three funds: the Beijing Yizhuang Biopharmaceutical Investment Fund (Phase I), the Beijing Yizhuang Biopharmaceutical Investment Fund (Phase II), and the Beijing Yizhuang SME Biopharmaceutical Investment Fund, with total assets under management exceeding RMB 2 billion. Adhering to the philosophy of “leveraging capital to drive the development of the healthcare industry,” Saiying Capital has deeply cultivated the domestic pharmaceutical market, gained profound insights into the trends of medical technology development, and completed investments and mergers and acquisitions in more than ten healthcare projects.