Westlake Biotherapeutics Completes Over RMB 100 Million in New Financing Round and Files IPO Prospectus

Westlake Therapeutics Announces Completion of Over RMB 100 Million in New Financing RoundRecently, Westlake Therapeutics (hereinafter referred to as “Westlake Therapeutics” or the “Company”) announced the completion of a new financing round exceeding RMB 100 million. It is reported that this round was co-led by the Shijingshan District Modern Innovation Industry Development Fund of Beijing and the Ruili Synthetic Biology Fund, with existing shareholders such as Yifeng Capital, Huafang Capital, and Sequoia China continuing to increase their investments, alongside participation from prominent industrial investors.

Westlake Therapeutics, established in 2019, is the first biotechnology innovation enterprise spun off from scientific research achievements at Westlake University, focusing on the research, development, and industrialization of engineered red blood cell (RBC)-based therapeutics. Leveraging RBC-mediated immune modulation mechanisms, the company has built REDx, the world’s first adult RBC–drug conjugation technology platform. This platform enables stable conjugation of various therapeutic payloads, including antibodies, mRNA, and other biological macromolecules, to red blood cells. To date, Westlake Therapeutics has developed multiple innovative pipelines targeting cancer, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic disorders.

Schematic Diagram of REDx Next-Generation Red Blood Cell Engineering Technology

In terms of its core pipeline, WTX-212 is the world’s first red blood cell (RBC)–anti-PD-1 antibody conjugate. Addressing the common issue of resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with solid tumors, WTX-212 leverages the natural homing property of RBCs to the spleen to remodel the immune microenvironment within the spleen, promote the expansion of tumor-specific T cells, and thereby overcome immune resistance at the fundamental mechanistic level. In the investigator-initiated first-in-human clinical study, the drug demonstrated a favorable safety profile in patients with advanced pan-solid tumors who had previously developed resistance to immunotherapy, achieving the world’s first complete response in a solid tumor patient treated with an RBC-based therapy and showing sustained survival benefits. Currently, WTX-212 is planned for submission of Investigational New Drug (IND) applications in both China and the United States in 2026, and clinical exploration of an allogeneic RBC version has already been launched.

In addition to tumor immunotherapy, Westlake Therapeutics has developed an erythrocyte-mediated nucleic acid delivery pipeline. Its representative product, WTX-101, is an erythrocyte–mRNA-LNP conjugate therapeutic. While traditional LNP delivery systems carry risks of hepatic exposure and systemic inflammatory responses, WTX-101 leverages the natural interaction mechanism between erythrocytes and the splenic immune system to reshape the in vivo distribution pathway of mRNA drugs, thereby achieving highly efficient targeted delivery to the spleen and myeloid immune cells. Based on this platform, the company has achieved in vivo generation of CAR-immune cells, providing a new technological approach for the treatment of tumors and autoimmune diseases.

On the production front, Westlake Therapeutics has established a fully automated, closed, and standardized system for the preparation of red blood cell-based therapeutics, which supports stable supply during clinical stages and lays the foundation for subsequent large-scale manufacturing and industrialization.

Regarding the use of proceeds from this round of financing, Westlake Therapeutics stated that the funds raised will be primarily used to advance the pipeline development of its red blood cell drug platform in therapeutic areas such as oncology and autoimmune diseases, and to accelerate the clinical validation and regulatory filing processes for its core products. Meanwhile, the company will further strengthen its R&D and industrialization capabilities, striving to bring its global first-in-class red blood cell therapeutics to market as soon as possible.

The “Last Mile” Bottlenecks and Breakthroughs in the Industrialization of CGT in China

A Grade A tertiary hospital has established a Cell and Gene Therapy Center, with a planned area exceeding 1,200 square meters, focusing on CAR-T, stem cells, DC vaccines, and other fields.

New Clinical Breakthrough in AAV Gene Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease in China

Exosome Pioneer Zhiheng Biologics Completes Pre-A Financing Round

Southwest China’s First Gene Therapy Production Base Compliant with Chinese and U.S. GMP Standards Begins Operations, with an Annual Capacity of 100,000 Units

Approval Rate Below 10%! First-Month Filing Data for the “818 Regulations” Released

Launch of the National Science and Technology Major Project “Development and Clinical Translation of Novel In Vivo CAR-T Therapeutics”

The First In-Hospital Cell Therapy “Super Factory” in Western China Fully Operational

Declaration:ReferenceInternalRongComeSourced from official media/online news, etc., this publicOfficial AccountAimed atKnowledge Sharing: Maintain neutrality regarding the content, statements, and viewpoints in reposts or shares; related content is for readers' reference only.