Ribo Life Science Secures RMB 270 Million Series B Financing Led by SDIC Innovation

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat), March 17.Ribo Life Sciences Announces Completion of RMB 270 Million (Approximately USD 40 Million) Series B FinancingRibo Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company, announced the completion of its RMB 270 million (approximately USD 40 million) Series B financing round. The round was led by SDIC Innovation, with participation from China Resources Group, Zhenghe Yuantong Capital, and Tuschold Venture Capital, among others. Existing investors from the previous round, including Legend Capital, GGV Capital, and Panlin Capital, also followed on with additional investments.

According to official website information, Ribo Life Science was founded in 2007 and is headquartered at the Kunshan Oligonucleotide Base. It is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development, and manufacturing of novel oligonucleotide drugs, possessing a comprehensive siRNA (small nucleic acid) technology and drug R&D platform.

According to VCBeat, small nucleic acid drugs are a novel class of therapeutic molecules that achieve disease treatment by targeting and silencing the messenger RNA (mRNA) associated with disease-related proteins. Small nucleic acid therapeutics represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in the frontier of biopharmaceuticals over the past 15 years. Currently a forefront and hot topic in the biomedical sector, they are widely regarded as having high potential to bring revolutionary changes to the pharmaceutical industry within the next decade.

Small Nucleic Acid Drugs Achieve Therapeutic Effects by Blocking Viral RNA Transcription

Previously, on September 28, 2015, Ribo Life Science secured RMB 125 million (approximately USD 20 million) in Series A financing, led by Legend Capital, with participation from GGV Capital, Panlin Capital, Kunshan Institute of Small Nucleic Acids, and Legend Star. The stated purpose of the financing at that time was to further advance research and development and expand its small nucleic acid drug pipeline, as well as to strengthen the industrialization capabilities of its production facilities.

In December of the same year, Ribo Life Sciences and its U.S. partner, Quark Pharmaceuticals, obtained clinical approval for QPI-1007, the first siRNA drug in China. Meanwhile, Ribo has filed multiple domestic and international invention patents related to small nucleic acid technology and its applications, and has established Asia’s largest pipeline of preclinical and clinical-stage small nucleic acid drug candidates through independent research and development as well as high-end international collaborations.

Ribo Life Sciences has successfully established a vertically integrated drug R&D system through independent innovation and international collaboration, building a robust pipeline of innovative nucleic acid therapeutics. Leveraging its internationally advanced nucleic acid drug development platform, the company not only conducts in-house R&D but also actively partners with leading global companies in the nucleic acid therapeutics field through equity investments, technology transfers, collaborative development, and licensing agreements, thereby significantly accelerating the clinical development and market launch of its novel small nucleic acid drugs.

Ribo Life Sciences’ core team brings together top-tier technical experts and corporate management talent from both China and abroad in the fields of nucleic acids and small-molecule pharmaceuticals. The company has strategically established technical platforms and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facilities that cover the entire nucleic acid drug development value chain and are tailored to the specific requirements of nucleic acid therapeutics R&D. It plans to submit regulatory filings and initiate clinical trials for 3–4 pipeline candidates within the next two years. Its product portfolio under development spans multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, optic nerve injury, viral infections, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Zhang Hongyan, General Manager of Ribo Life Science, stated, “We are pleased to see the recently issued ‘13th Five-Year Plan’ for the Development of the Bioindustry, which explicitly lists nucleic acid therapeutics as a key area for development. We are even more encouraged that Ribo Life Science’s achievements and development potential in the research and development of nucleic acid therapeutics and technologies have received further recognition from professional investment institutions represented by SDIC Innovation.”

Dr. Yin Zheng, Executive Director of SDIC Innovation, stated, “In the pharmaceutical industry, SDIC Innovation pays particular attention to the development trends and industrialization prospects of cutting-edge technologies. We are committed to identifying equity investment opportunities in companies that possess core technologies and lead industrial development, thereby leveraging capital to facilitate the industrialization of technological innovations. The small nucleic acid therapeutics sector holds immense growth potential within the pharmaceutical industry. As a flagship enterprise in China’s small nucleic acid therapeutics sector, Ribo Life Science has gathered many of the nation’s top talents in this field and stands out as a leader in the industrialization of this innovative medical technology.”

Professor Liang Zicai, Chairman of Ribo Life Science, stated, “We are currently in the golden era for the development of innovative drugs in China. The encouraging and supportive policies implemented by the national and local governments have provided fertile ground for the establishment and growth of innovative pharmaceutical sectors, such as oligonucleotide therapeutics. Furthermore, a large cohort of high-caliber venture capital firms has injected strong momentum into the accelerated development of innovative pharmaceutical companies like Ribo. We will continue to focus on technological innovation and drug development in the field of oligonucleotides, striving to make the world’s most advanced oligonucleotide-based innovative medicines accessible to patients at the earliest possible time.”