YuceOne Biotech Secures Hundreds of Millions in Series B Funding Led by IDG Capital to Strengthen Leadership in Tumor Immunotherapy Diagnostics

On December 10, 2018, VCBeat learned that Shenzhen Yuce Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yuce Bio”), a leading domestic enterprise in precision immuno-oncology diagnostics and therapeutics, announced the completion of its Series B financing round, amounting to hundreds of millions of yuan.

This round of investment was led by IDG Capital. The funds raised will help the company consolidate its leading position in tumor immune diagnostics for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 drugs, expand collaborations with clinical institutions and pharmaceutical companies, and rapidly advance high-quality neoantigen detection and validation services, thereby providing “off-the-shelf” high-quality neoantigen targets for personalized immunotherapy.

Yuce Biotech is China’s first biotechnology high-tech enterprise centered on precision immuno-diagnosis and therapy for cancer, dedicated to making cancer immunotherapy more effective.

Focusing on genetic testing services for precision immuno-oncology therapy, the company has“Gene”+“Immunity”With its dual wings, it organically integrates tumor genomics and the immune microenvironment, serving as a pioneer and trailblazer in genetic testing for precision immuno-oncology therapy.

Yuce Bio is deeply rooted in the field of tumor immuno-diagnosis and treatment, which holds the greatest promise for curing patients. Centering on high-quality neoantigen detection, Yuce Bio aims to enable cancer patients to achieve more effective therapeutic outcomes through precise immuno-diagnosis and treatment, thereby realizing the goal of enhancing the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy.

Dr. Gao Zhibo, Founder and CEO of Yuce Bio, stated that cancer immunotherapy represents a Nobel Prize-level breakthrough that has fundamentally transformed the paradigm of oncology diagnosis and treatment. “With Opdivo and Keytruda successively launched in China, the future prospects are highly promising,” said Dr. Gao.

Neoantigens are the key link between “genes” and “immunity,” and Yuce Bio is a leading authority in neoantigen testing in China. The company collaborates with the world’s most advanced neoantigen research institutions to jointly establish standards for high-quality neoantigen detection. Building on its neoantigen technology, Yuce Bio has developed advanced tumor immunodiagnostic products as well as efficient solutions for personalized vaccines and cell therapy targets.

Under the guidance of Academician Zhan Qimin, Director of Peking University Health Science Center, and with the support of numerous clinical oncology experts, Yuce Bio has launched the “Ladder Project,” a real-world study on cancer treatment in China. This initiative has established the largest domestic database of immuno-oncology (I-O) clinical data in China, which will yield a series of high-quality clinical research outcomes and promote the robust development of precision immunotherapy in China.

“Because Yuce Biotechnology has remained committed to developing neoantigens, clinicians and pharmaceutical companies have placed greater expectations on us in the field of immuno-diagnosis and therapy. We are deeply honored and proud to have secured strategic investment from IDG Capital in this financing round, marking a significant step forward for Yuce Biotechnology toward its goal of becoming China’s leading brand in precision immuno-diagnosis and therapy,” he added.

Yang Fei, a partner at IDG Capital—which has invested in a series of well-known enterprises such as Tencent, Baidu, Ctrip, and Xunlei—believes that life and health represent the ultimate goal of medicine, with cancer being the leading threat to human health.

“In the past, cancer was a source of great fear, and traditional treatments rarely offered a cure for tumors,” said Yang Fei. “However, tumor immunotherapy has made this possibility a reality. Whether it is anti-PD-1 drugs or CAR-T therapy, both carry the hope of ‘curing cancer.’”

He believes that, leveraging Dr. Gao Zhibo’s industry insights and clear understanding of the immuno-diagnosis and treatment sector, Yuce Bio will continue to consolidate its leadership position in China’s tumor immuno-diagnosis and treatment field. “With the continued support of IDG, the company is poised for a new phase of growth,” he added. The IDG healthcare team has long focused on developments in tumor precision medicine and tumor immunotherapy; investing in Yuce Bio represents a critical component of its strategic layout in the precision medicine sector.

Zhou Mi, Managing Partner at Puhua Medical Management, and Director Li Yang stated that precision medicine and oncology are “twin brothers,” with genetic testing playing a foundational role in the precise treatment of cancer. Tumor immunodiagnostics is an emerging field that has garnered widespread attention and achieved numerous breakthroughs since 2017. Tumor immunodiagnostics requires consideration of factors at both the genetic and immune levels. Yuce Bio’s key neoantigen detection technology is on par with leading international enterprises, consistently steering the direction of industry development.

Wang Xuegang, Founding Partner of Beike She, stated, “The Ladder Initiative launched by Yuce Bio is China’s first real-world study focused on tumor immunotherapy. We look forward to the Ladder Initiative’s 3D (genomic, immune, and clinical) database, comprising data from 10,000 individuals, providing more diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets suitable for the Chinese population in clinical practice.”

Over the past year, the product pipeline in tumor immunotherapy surged by 67%, with R&D pipelines targeting tumor neoantigens and cell therapy projects achieving triple-digit growth. Guo Qiushan, Managing Partner at Miracle Light Fund, stated that Yuce Bio has always stood at the forefront of technological development, focusing on doing one thing well with strong execution capabilities. “We are confident that Yuce Bio will emerge as an internationally influential brand in tumor immunodiagnosis and treatment,” he added.