JW Therapeutics Unveils Shanghai R&D Center to Advance Cell Immunotherapy Innovation

On December 12, JW Therapeutics, a joint venture between WuXi AppTec and JUNO Therapeutics, announced the official inauguration of its R&D center located in Zhangjiang, Pudong, Shanghai. Mr. Hu Zhengguo, Co-founder of JW Therapeutics; Mr. Li Yiping, CEO of JW Therapeutics; Mr. Yang Chao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce; and other leaders from relevant municipal and district functional departments attended the inauguration ceremony.

JW Therapeutics was jointly established by U.S.-based JUNO Therapeutics and WuXi AppTec Group in 2016, and completed a $90 million Series A financing round this March. JW Therapeutics is an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on cellular immunotherapy. By collaborating with domestic and international partners, the company is committed to building an integrated cell therapy technology platform in China that encompasses research and development, manufacturing, and commercialization.

JW Therapeutics’ R&D Center is dedicated to innovative and practical research in cell therapy, striving to address challenges in the development, manufacturing, and quality management of cellular immunotherapies. Meanwhile, the company conducts scientific research focused on cancer types with high incidence in China, seeks high-quality partners globally, and introduces the most advanced and promising products and technologies into the Chinese market with localization strategies to better meet the needs of Chinese patients. The center commenced operations in November and will accelerate the industrialization of the company’s product pipeline.

  JW Therapeutics R&D Center Inauguration and Launch Ceremony

China accounts for approximately 22% of the global incidence of malignant tumors, ranking first worldwide in the number of new cases. Traditional treatment modalities, ranging from chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery to later-developed small-molecule targeted therapies, have enabled some patients with malignant tumors to achieve survival with the disease. However, a substantial number of patients with advanced-stage or refractory cancers still await novel therapies to help them emerge from the shadow of a “terminal diagnosis.” Cellular immunotherapy has brought new hope to cancer patients, becoming a groundbreaking tool in humanity’s fight against cancer.

Although China’s cell therapy sector did not start early, its clinical research has closely followed that of the United States. CARsgen Therapeutics, founded in 2014, is developing CAR-T therapies for various malignant solid tumors, with its most advanced candidate having reached the New Drug Application (NDA) stage. Shanghai Hengrun Dasheng Biopharmaceutical has established a robust pipeline of CAR-T products primarily targeting multiple myeloma, adult and pediatric B-cell leukemia, and B-cell lymphoma, with its leading candidates advancing to registrational clinical trials. In June this year, JW Therapeutics’ investigational product JWCAR029 became China’s first approved CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy, positioning the company at the forefront of CAR-T clinical research in China.

Mr. Li Yiping, CEO of JW Therapeutics, stated: “The completion of our R&D center marks a significant milestone in the development of JW Therapeutics China. It will further empower us to expand our research and development pipeline, leveraging cutting-edge international cellular immunotherapy technologies and high-quality products to benefit patients in China and worldwide. As we accelerate industrialization, we will continue to collaborate with high-quality partners both domestically and internationally, engaging in multifaceted cooperation to establish JW Therapeutics as an internationally leading innovation platform for cellular immunotherapy technologies, thereby driving the comprehensive advancement of cellular immunotherapy in China.”

Mr. Hu Zhengguo, Co-founder of JW Therapeutics, stated, “As an investor and one of the strategic partners, WuXi AppTec is delighted to witness the inauguration of JW Therapeutics’ R&D Center. We believe that with the establishment of this center, JW Therapeutics will expedite the introduction and localization of cutting-edge, high-potential products and technologies into the Chinese market, thereby truly benefiting patients in China.”

References

1. W. Chen, R. Zheng, & P. D. Baade, Cancer Statistics in China 2015, Jan 2016, A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, vol 66, number 2, retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.3322/caac.21338