Exclusive: Zhiyin Biology Completes Tens of Millions in Seed Funding: Betting on Next-Generation Cellular Reprogramming

VCBeat has learned that Beijing Zhiyin Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd. (“Zhiyin Biomedical”) recently completed a seed financing round worth tens of millions of RMB. The round was exclusively led by Shaanxi Growth Enterprise Leading Fund Co., Ltd. (“Shaanxi Growth Fund”). The funds will be primarily invested in preclinical research of core pipelines, IND applications, GMP laboratory construction, and equipment procurement, to accelerate the clinical translation of cell reprogramming technology.

Zhiyin Biology’s differentiation lies in the following: Although gene editing technologies and cell engineering techniques involving exogenous gene introduction have successfully driven the market launch of multiple cell and gene therapies, significant pain points remain, including genomic editing safety risks, insufficient efficacy against solid tumors, high costs of autologous therapies, and lengthy manufacturing cycles. The company’s independently developed AI-enabled cell reprogramming platform, iCellFate, rewires cellular identity and state through epigenetic regulation without altering DNA sequences, establishing a dual-engine strategy comprising “high-premium oncology immunotherapy” and “high-frequency consumer-oriented regenerative medicine.”

Cell Therapy Reaches a New Technological Inflection Point: A Paradigm Shift from “Gene Editing” to “Cellular Identity and State Reprogramming,” Opening Up a New Dimension Beyond Genetic Intervention.

Zhiyin Bio’s technological expertise stems from its team’s years of deep specialization in cellular reprogramming, epigenetics, and AI-driven drug screening. On the research front, core members, affiliated with the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Capital Medical University, have long focused on regulating cell fate and designing small molecules and peptides. Benchmarking against leading international reprogramming companies such as Mogrify and LifeBio, they have conducted extensive foundational exploration in the areas of identity reprogramming and state reprogramming. On the industrial front, core members previously held positions at leading cell therapy companies such as Legend Biotech, mastering CMC processes and clinical development for both universal and autologous cell therapies, and successfully advancing cell therapy drugs into pivotal Phase II/III clinical trials.

The interdisciplinary team has continuously refined foundational technologies, including AI-driven molecular design, small molecule/RNA reprogramming, and genome-wide high-throughput screening. It has completed key technical validations such as universal target discovery and the circRNA-iPSC induction system, and established the world’s first chemical reprogramming-based NKaT cell transdifferentiation platform, accumulating extensive raw data from in vitro and animal studies.

In 2026, Zhiyin Biotech was officially established in Beijing, bringing together talent from research, industry, clinical medicine, and drug registration to advance laboratory breakthroughs in cellular reprogramming toward drug development. The company built the iCellFate Cell Fate Programming Operating System platform and simultaneously initiated parallel development across multiple pipelines, including tumor immunology and regenerative medicine, marking its formal entry into a new phase of industrialization.

The global cell therapy market is in a period of rapid growth, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.06% from 2025 to 2033. Meanwhile, existing mainstream technological approaches face ongoing challenges in certain application scenarios, making the ceiling of the current technical paradigm increasingly apparent.

Gene editing technologies represented by CRISPR and cell engineering techniques involving the introduction of exogenous genes follow a modification logic of "exogenous augmentation and gene tailoring." These approaches have achieved breakthrough clinical progress in fields such as hematologic malignancies and monogenic genetic disorders, validating the value of precise intervention at the genetic level. Meanwhile, the pathways of gene editing and cell engineering still face numerous urgent challenges: CRISPR-Cas9 induces DNA double-strand breaks, posing risks of chromosomal abnormalities and off-target mutations, with approximately 60–70% of the human population harboring pre-existing antibodies against Cas9. Furthermore, autologous cell therapies involve lengthy manufacturing cycles and high per-dose treatment costs, while the treatment of solid tumors is constrained by tumor heterogeneity and HLA molecular restrictions, severely hindering the large-scale adoption of cell-based therapeutics.

A New Frontier Is Emerging in the Industry: The “Cellular Reprogramming” Approach, Which Rewrites Cellular Identity and Functional States by Reshaping Epigenetics Without Altering DNA Sequences, Is Becoming a Core Breakthrough for Next-Generation Cell Therapies. Zhiyin Bio is targeting this emerging industrial direction and has embarked on AI-driven exploration of cellular reprogramming.

“Cellular reprogramming encompasses two major directions: identity reprogramming aims to achieve the conversion of cell types, while state reprogramming focuses on restoring the functional status of senescent and exhausted cells.” The team at Zhiyin Biology introduced that overseas benchmark companies such as Mogrify and LifeBio have validated the clinical feasibility of this track—Mogrify relies on AI to predict transcription factors for direct transdifferentiation of somatic cells; LifeBio achieves cellular rejuvenation through partial epigenetic reprogramming, with its pipeline advanced to Phase I clinical trials.

GeneKnow Bio's Self-Developed iCellFate Cell Fate Programming Operating System, Integrates the three major sub-platforms—Chemical Programming-induced Cellular Reprogramming (CPiCR), RNA-induced Cellular Reprogramming (RNAiCR), and In Vivo Reprogramming (CRISPRiCR, without DNA sequence cleavage)—to simultaneously cover both identity reprogramming and state reprogramming.

The platform possesses four differentiated technological capabilities:

1. AI-driven chemical reprogramming technology. Based on AI-driven virtual screening using electron density, leveraging a physical library of over 20,000 small molecules and ultra-peptides, and integrating single-cell and epigenomic sequencing data from thousands of real-world clinical patient samples, this approach breaks through traditional trial-and-error screening models. It precisely identifies chemical switches that trigger cell identity transitions, thereby achieving in vitro reprogramming of somatic cells.

Second, the circRNA-iPSC transdifferentiation system. Leveraging the advantages of circular RNA, including sustained expression and no risk of genomic integration, somatic cells are induced into iPSCs and then directed to differentiate into functional cells such as corneal and hair follicle cells. This process is stable and controllable, effectively alleviating the shortage of cell sources in the field of regenerative medicine.

Third, nanocarrier-mediated in vivo reprogramming using dCas9. dCas9 (nuclease-inactivated Cas9) does not cleave DNA; it only activates or inhibits the transcription of endogenous genes. Delivered to target cells in vivo via nanocarriers, it enables in situ cellular reprogramming directly within the body, thereby eliminating complex ex vivo cell preparation processes and significantly reducing production costs. This lays the technological foundation for developing novel off-the-shelf universal products.

Fourth, high-throughput screening to identify universal key genes in cells. Industry-standard approaches often involve knocking out multiple immune rejection-related genes, which impairs the intrinsic functions of the cells. In contrast, Zhiyin Biology achieves universal allogeneic compatibility by editing only a minimal number of differential gene loci identified through genome-wide CRISPR library screening. This approach results in less interference with cellular function and a simpler manufacturing process.

In addition, the company has built a proprietary molecular instruction set, integrating generative adversarial networks, large language models, geometric deep learning, and molecular dynamics simulations to perform de novo design of small molecules, RNA sequences, and cell-penetrating peptides, while balancing synthesizability and druggability.

“Zhiyin Bio’s vision is to build a tripartite capability for cellular regulation: converting T cells into anti-tumor super immune cells through identity reprogramming, transdifferentiating somatic cells into target functional cells, and reversing cellular exhaustion and aging through state reprogramming to restore their function and youthful vitality,” stated the Zhiyin Bio team.

The ultimate value of a technology platform lies in pipeline validation. Zhiyin Bio adopts a dual-engine pipeline strategy of “high-premium tumor immunotherapy + high-frequency consumer regenerative medicine.” Its oncology pipeline targets the substantial unmet clinical needs in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, aiming for long-term, high-value returns. Meanwhile, its regenerative medicine portfolio covers both essential clinical applications and the medical aesthetics consumer sector, enabling rapid cash flow recovery through product sales and technology licensing, thereby offsetting the pain points of long development cycles and high risks associated with innovative drug R&D.

In the field of tumor immunology, the company is developing a globally first-in-class NKaT therapy based on identity reprogramming technology. NKaT cells combine the antigen specificity of T cells with the innate cytotoxic activity of NK cells, demonstrating potential applications in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Unlike traditional CAR-T therapies, which face challenges such as poor infiltration and an immunosuppressive microenvironment in solid tumors, reprogrammed NKaT cells are expected to exhibit differentiated anti-tumor mechanisms. The company is also developing universal allogeneic NKaT cells, utilizing key single-gene editing to reduce immune rejection, aiming to address the high customization costs and lengthy preparation cycles associated with autologous cell therapies. Currently, this pipeline is in the preclinical stage, with a focus on advancing development for solid tumor indications including lung cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer.

In the field of regenerative medicine, the company leverages its circRNA-iPSC transdifferentiation platform to develop a diversified pipeline. Addressing critical clinical needs, it is advancing innovative drug candidates for applications such as corneal cell repair. In the consumer healthcare sector, it is targeting high-demand aesthetic indications—including hair follicle regeneration and skin rejuvenation—to capture a share of the vast consumer medical market.