Aelp Biosciences Secures Tens of Millions RMB in Series A Funding to Advance Cardiac Regenerative Therapy

On May 5, 2019, Nanjing HELP Therapeutics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “HELP Therapeutics”) announced the completion of its Series A financing round, raising tens of millions of RMB. The round was led by Yongchuang Capital, with participation from Nanjing Gaoke, Ziniu Fund, Lingfu Capital, and other investors. Prior to this, HELP Therapeutics had secured angel and Pre-A round investments from Legend Star.

HELP Therapeutics, established in May 2016, is a leading biotechnology company in China specializing in the treatment of refractory degenerative diseases using stem cell and regenerative medicine technologies. The company’s core technology leverages induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to reprogram somatic cells into iPSCs, which are similar to embryonic stem cells, thereby enabling the regeneration of human cells, tissues, and organs. iPSC technology was discovered in 2006 by Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this breakthrough. The industry believes that iPSC technology will revolutionize regenerative medicine and next-generation cell therapies. Patients with heart failure and neurodegenerative diseases are particularly expected to benefit from iPSC technology.

Currently, there is a vast number of patients with heart failure in China and worldwide. Existing medications can only slow the progression of heart failure but cannot fundamentally treat or reverse the condition. Relying solely on current drugs or therapies falls far short of meeting clinical needs.

Dr. Wang Jiaxian, Founder and President of the Company, stated, “The original intention behind establishing the Company was to leverage innovative technologies in regenerative medicine to develop revolutionary cell-based therapies for degenerative diseases that are currently difficult to treat clinically.” The ex vivo regeneration of healthy human cardiomyocytes represents the only effective medical approach for treating heart failure.

Wu Yunxiao, Founding Partner of Yongchuang Capital, stated, “HELP Therapeutics boasts the most cohesive technical and management teams in China, with extensive experience accumulated across all stages, from cell manufacturing to clinical translation. In terms of development progress for its heart failure cell therapy project, HELP Therapeutics ranks first in China and holds a leading position globally. The establishment of a clinical-grade iPSC cell bank by HELP Therapeutics is of significant strategic importance, which is one of the key reasons for our investment.” She believes that, leveraging this clinical-grade iPSC cell bank and directed differentiation technology of stem cells, HELP Therapeutics’ R&D team can regenerate various types of human cells as needed, holding the potential to develop more pioneering products in the future.

Leng Yan, Partner at Legend Star, shared the two primary reasons for investing in HELP Therapeutics: “HELP’s research on iPSC technology has made it possible to apply stem cell technology in clinical treatment. Secondly, significant challenges remain before stem cell therapies can become standardized clinical products or treatment regimens. Therefore, for startups in this field, leading biotechnology, abundant clinical medical resources, and reliable commercialization capabilities are all indispensable; HELP is a company with strong comprehensive capabilities in these areas. The team leadership and resource consolidation demonstrated by Dr. Wang Jiaxian also give us great expectations for the company’s future.”

Yu Bo, Head of Healthcare at Purple Bull Capital, stated, “We remain firmly optimistic about the prospects of applying iPSC stem cells to the treatment of degenerative diseases, as well as the future clinical scalability of the underlying stem cell technology platform. Since its inception, HELP Therapeutics has demonstrated exceptional capability in translating technology into commercial products, which is why we have continued to increase our investment in this team during this funding round.”

Wang Jiaxian revealed that the completion of the Series A financing marks the company’s entry into a new phase of development, with its future focus shifting to clinical research. It is understood that the funds will be used to advance clinical studies for the company’s heart failure project, as well as to support the research and development of its other product pipelines.