Zhongguancun Development Group-Backed Gracell Biotechnologies Receives IND Approval for GT101 TIL Therapy in First-Line Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer

Recently,ZhongguancunDevelopment Group Invested EnterprisesTumor-infiltrating lymphocytes independently developed by Beijing Grit Biotherapeutics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Grit Biotherapeutics")（Tumor-lnfiltrating Lymphocyte，TIL）Therapeutic product GT101, obtainedCenter for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration: Investigational New Drug (IND) Application Implied Permission), intended to be combined with PD-1 monoclonal antibody for the first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

It is understood that,GT101 is a globally leading TIL cell therapy product and the first TIL therapy approved to conduct clinical trials in China.Currently, the therapy’s treatment for cervical cancer has entered Phase II pivotal clinical trials. The approval of this new indication for clinical trials marks a new stage in the clinical development of GT101 in the field of solid tumor cell therapy, expanding exploration beyond cervical cancer indications. This further demonstrates Grit Biotherapeutics’ robust R&D capabilities and sustained progress in TIL therapy and next-generation solid tumor immunotherapy.

Grit Biotherapeutics, founded in 2019, is an innovation-driven, late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company dedicated to pioneering next-generation immunotherapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases worldwide. The company has established multiple proprietary technology platforms and a diversified R&D pipeline in China and the United States.

Leveraging professional industry analysis, Zhongguancun Capital under the Group precisely identified the core competitiveness of enterprises, atJuly 2025Investing in Grit Biotherapeutics to inject capital momentum into its innovative R&D. Furthermore, Zhongguancun Capital has provided comprehensive post-investment services to the company, actively connecting it with platform resources such as investment institutions and the Zhongguancun Forum, deeply empowering corporate growth and accelerating the translation and implementation of scientific research achievements.

In recent years, Zhongguancun Capital has consistently adhered to the strategy of “investing early, investing in small enterprises, making long-term investments, and investing in hard technologies,” providing multi-tiered, sequential “patient capital” services. It focuses on high-end, cutting-edge projects in fields such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, new energy, and new materials, while building a full-lifecycle industrial fund system that includes Scientist Funds, Angel Funds, Venture Capital (VC) Funds, Private Equity (PE) Funds, Strategic Funds, M&A Funds, Equity-Debt Linkage Funds, Fund of Funds (FOF), and Secondary (S) Funds.

To date, the fund-backed investment portfolio comprises over 4,200 companies, among which 202 have completed initial public offerings (IPOs), with nearly 600 receiving direct investment. Cumulatively, it has invested in more than 1,800 National High-Tech Enterprises, over 1,300 “Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative” (SRDI) enterprises, more than 100 unicorn companies, 18 hidden champion enterprises, nearly 200 companies operating in critical technological areas prone to foreign chokeholds, and over 200 projects aligned with national strategic scientific and technological capabilities.