Zelun Bio Announces $560M Series B+ Financing Led by Qiming Venture Partners to Advance AI- and Structural Biology-Driven Drug Candidates into Pivotal Phase III Trials
Zenitar
Innovative Drug R&D and Industrialization Service Provider
Recently, ChengduZenitarZenitar announced the completion of nearlyRMB 400 million financing。
This round of financing was led byQiming Venture CapitalLeading investment,HighRong Venture Capital, Ji Feng Capital, Qi Ji Investment, Five Source CapitalAndZhongyuan InvestmentCo-investment, Sichuan Biomedical Industry GroupContinuous Investment.
The funds from this round of financing will be mainly used to advance multiple innovative drugs into pivotal Phase III clinical trials and support the continuous expansion of new R&D pipelines.
At the same time, Zenitar will strengthen its three core technology platforms——“Structural Biology Platform", "AI-Driven Drug Design Platform" as well as"Organoid-PDX Dual-Validation Platform"。
Relying on the aforementioned technology platform, Zenitar is accelerating the layout of an innovative drug pipeline with differentiated molecular scaffolds and novel targets, committed to addressing unmet clinical needs.
Zenitar Clinical Research Products ZL-82, PM, FM, ZL-85FA (from left to right) Display
Zenitar was founded in 2019, byWest China University of MedicineDerived from the transformation of scientific research achievements, it is a company thatStructural Biology and AI-Driven Innovative Drug Discovery Company。
Zenitar focuses on significant unmet medical needs in clinical settings, specializing in key therapeutic areas such as oncology, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, and neurological disorders. It is committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing first-in-class (FIC) and best-in-class (BIC) innovative drugs.
The company has built a comprehensive innovation platform covering the entire life cycle of new drug research and development, withAI Molecular Design, Structural Biology, Organoid-Based High-Throughput Screening, PDX Model Construction, CMC Research,Comprehensive capabilities in clinical strategy formulation and execution, as well as new drug registration and application, continuously empower the efficient transformation of innovative research into clinical value.
Currently, Zenitar has independently developed7 ModelsA globally differentiated and internationally competitive product with worldwide rights, building a pipeline covering multiple major disease areas. Among these, one indication has entered the pivotal Phase III clinical trial, and five indications have entered Phase II clinical trials. The company's core product, Purinostat Mesylate (PM), is the world’s first highly selective HDAC inhibitor for monotherapy in clinical trials for relapsed/refractory lymphoma.
Currently, the monotherapy of Poziotinib Mesylate has completed the Phase I clinical trial for treating hematological tumors and the Phase IIa/IIb clinical trial for relapsed/refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (r/r DLBCL) in a multi-center clinical trial across China. Simultaneously, Phase I/II clinical trials for T-cell lymphoma, solid tumors, and breast cancer are also underway.
In the Phase IIa study of r/r DLBCL, the objective response rate (ORR) reached 69.0%, which is non-inferior or even superior to the effects of bispecific antibodies and ADC drug combination therapies (ORR approximately 50%-65%). Currently, the product has successfully entered the pivotal Phase III clinical study.
Another blockbuster product, Flonoltinib Maleate (FM), is a highly selective JAK2/FLT3/CDK6 triple-target inhibitor with FIC potential, demonstrating significant and breakthrough efficacy in the clinical development of Myelofibrosis (MF). In the primary endpoint (24-week spleen volume response rate assessed by IRC), the proportion of patients in the FM treatment group achieving a ≥35% reduction in spleen volume (SVR35) exceeded 80%.
Significant reduction in bone marrow fibrosis (assessed through serial bone marrow biopsy pathology) was observed in some patients receiving FM treatment, with some cases showing signs of histological reversal. Furotinib maleate has the potential to become an important treatment option for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, advancing the evolution of the treatment landscape in this disease area.
Its unique, globally first-in-class mechanism of action, along with the currently observed clinical benefits, positions it as a potential advantageous therapy for the significantly unmet medical needs in myelofibrosis, and it is about to enter a pivotal Phase III clinical trial.
Currently, Zenitar has accumulated34 Invention PatentsIncluding 17 international invention patents; and another 45 international and domestic patents are currently being applied for. The company has obtained a total of 19 clinical approvals from the Chinese National Medical Products Administration and the U.S. FDA.
By deeply integrating the three core technology platforms of "Structural Biology Analysis," "AI-Driven Drug Design," and "Organoid-PDX Dual-Track Validation," Zenitar has successfully built a unique "end-to-end" innovative engine for new drug development. This engine seamlessly spans the entire R&D process from target validation, molecular design, and molecular optimization to in vivo validation, continuously accelerating the clinical development of original drugs with novel target mechanisms and differentiated molecular structures to address significant unmet medical needs worldwide.
Small Molecule New Drug Platform Based on Structural Biology and AI
To address the molecular design and optimization bottlenecks in small molecule innovative drug development, Zenitar has independently developed multiple original AI drug design algorithm modules: Local Structure-Directed Compound generation algorithm (LSDC) — significantly enhancing molecular scaffold diversity and efficiently exploring novel chemical space; Multi-dimensional Coarse-Grained Data Fusion molecular generation algorithm (CMD-GEN) — improving molecular generation efficiency and precision while optimizing design pathways; Physics-Guided Brain Penetration Prediction algorithm (CMD-FGKp,uu) — accurately predicting drug brain delivery potential (Kp,uu) to accelerate central nervous system drug development. The AI matrix formed by these innovative algorithms greatly enhances the innovativeness of molecular design, the accuracy of drug-likeness prediction, and overall R&D efficiency.
High-Throughput Organoid Screening Platform and PDX Pharmacodynamics Evaluation Platform
In the construction of preclinical research systems, Zenitar relies on the abundant industry-university-research integrated resources of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, to build an organoid drug screening platform covering major and difficult-to-treat cancers such as liver cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and glioblastoma. This platform highly simulates the actual tumor microenvironment of patients, significantly shortens the early drug screening cycle, and enhances the reliability of preclinical predictions and the success rate of clinical translation.
The company has systematically built a PDX model platform covering various gene mutations and drug resistance in hematological tumors such as B-cell lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, and leukemia. It has also simultaneously established PDX models for various solid tumors including breast cancer, gastric cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
To meet customized R&D needs for specific targets and mechanisms, the company can also precisely develop primary mouse models through retrovirus-mediated and bone marrow transplantation technologies, providing full-chain support for innovative drugs from molecular design to in vivo validation.
Recently, ChengduZenitarZenitar announced the completion of nearlyRMB 400 million financing。
This round of financing was led byQiming Venture CapitalLeading investment,HighRong Venture Capital, Ji Feng Capital, Qi Ji Investment, Five Source CapitalAndZhongyuan InvestmentCo-investment, Sichuan Biomedical Industry GroupContinuous Investment.
The funds from this round of financing will be mainly used to advance multiple innovative drugs into pivotal Phase III clinical trials and support the continuous expansion of new R&D pipelines.
At the same time, Zenitar will strengthen its three core technology platforms——“Structural Biology Platform", "AI-Driven Drug Design Platform" as well as"Organoid-PDX Dual-Validation Platform"。
Relying on the aforementioned technology platform, Zenitar is accelerating the layout of an innovative drug pipeline with differentiated molecular scaffolds and novel targets, committed to addressing unmet clinical needs.
Zenitar Clinical Research Products ZL-82, PM, FM, ZL-85FA (from left to right) Display
Zenitar was founded in 2019, byWest China University of MedicineDerived from the transformation of scientific research achievements, it is a company thatStructural Biology and AI-Driven Innovative Drug Discovery Company。
Zenitar focuses on significant unmet medical needs in clinical settings, specializing in key therapeutic areas such as oncology, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, and neurological disorders. It is committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing first-in-class (FIC) and best-in-class (BIC) innovative drugs.
The company has built a comprehensive innovation platform covering the entire life cycle of new drug research and development, withAI Molecular Design, Structural Biology, Organoid-Based High-Throughput Screening, PDX Model Construction, CMC Research,Comprehensive capabilities in clinical strategy formulation and execution, as well as new drug registration and application, continuously empower the efficient transformation of innovative research into clinical value.
Currently, Zenitar has independently developed7 ModelsA globally differentiated and internationally competitive product with worldwide rights, building a pipeline covering multiple major disease areas. Among these, one indication has entered the pivotal Phase III clinical trial, and five indications have entered Phase II clinical trials. The company's core product, Purinostat Mesylate (PM), is the world’s first highly selective HDAC inhibitor for monotherapy in clinical trials for relapsed/refractory lymphoma.
Currently, the monotherapy of Poziotinib Mesylate has completed the Phase I clinical trial for treating hematological tumors and the Phase IIa/IIb clinical trial for relapsed/refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (r/r DLBCL) in a multi-center clinical trial across China. Simultaneously, Phase I/II clinical trials for T-cell lymphoma, solid tumors, and breast cancer are also underway.
In the Phase IIa study of r/r DLBCL, the objective response rate (ORR) reached 69.0%, which is non-inferior or even superior to the effects of bispecific antibodies and ADC drug combination therapies (ORR approximately 50%-65%). Currently, the product has successfully entered the pivotal Phase III clinical study.
Another blockbuster product, Flonoltinib Maleate (FM), is a highly selective JAK2/FLT3/CDK6 triple-target inhibitor with FIC potential, demonstrating significant and breakthrough efficacy in the clinical development of Myelofibrosis (MF). In the primary endpoint (24-week spleen volume response rate assessed by IRC), the proportion of patients in the FM treatment group achieving a ≥35% reduction in spleen volume (SVR35) exceeded 80%.
Significant reduction in bone marrow fibrosis (assessed through serial bone marrow biopsy pathology) was observed in some patients receiving FM treatment, with some cases showing signs of histological reversal. Furotinib maleate has the potential to become an important treatment option for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, advancing the evolution of the treatment landscape in this disease area.
Its unique, globally first-in-class mechanism of action, along with the currently observed clinical benefits, positions it as a potential advantageous therapy for the significantly unmet medical needs in myelofibrosis, and it is about to enter a pivotal Phase III clinical trial.
Currently, Zenitar has accumulated34 Invention PatentsIncluding 17 international invention patents; and another 45 international and domestic patents are currently being applied for. The company has obtained a total of 19 clinical approvals from the Chinese National Medical Products Administration and the U.S. FDA.
By deeply integrating the three core technology platforms of "Structural Biology Analysis," "AI-Driven Drug Design," and "Organoid-PDX Dual-Track Validation," Zenitar has successfully built a unique "end-to-end" innovative engine for new drug development. This engine seamlessly spans the entire R&D process from target validation, molecular design, and molecular optimization to in vivo validation, continuously accelerating the clinical development of original drugs with novel target mechanisms and differentiated molecular structures to address significant unmet medical needs worldwide.
Small Molecule New Drug Platform Based on Structural Biology and AI
To address the molecular design and optimization bottlenecks in small molecule innovative drug development, Zenitar has independently developed multiple original AI drug design algorithm modules: Local Structure-Directed Compound generation algorithm (LSDC) — significantly enhancing molecular scaffold diversity and efficiently exploring novel chemical space; Multi-dimensional Coarse-Grained Data Fusion molecular generation algorithm (CMD-GEN) — improving molecular generation efficiency and precision while optimizing design pathways; Physics-Guided Brain Penetration Prediction algorithm (CMD-FGKp,uu) — accurately predicting drug brain delivery potential (Kp,uu) to accelerate central nervous system drug development. The AI matrix formed by these innovative algorithms greatly enhances the innovativeness of molecular design, the accuracy of drug-likeness prediction, and overall R&D efficiency.
High-Throughput Organoid Screening Platform and PDX Pharmacodynamics Evaluation Platform
In the construction of preclinical research systems, Zenitar relies on the abundant industry-university-research integrated resources of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, to build an organoid drug screening platform covering major and difficult-to-treat cancers such as liver cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and glioblastoma. This platform highly simulates the actual tumor microenvironment of patients, significantly shortens the early drug screening cycle, and enhances the reliability of preclinical predictions and the success rate of clinical translation.
The company has systematically built a PDX model platform covering various gene mutations and drug resistance in hematological tumors such as B-cell lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, and leukemia. It has also simultaneously established PDX models for various solid tumors including breast cancer, gastric cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
To meet customized R&D needs for specific targets and mechanisms, the company can also precisely develop primary mouse models through retrovirus-mediated and bone marrow transplantation technologies, providing full-chain support for innovative drugs from molecular design to in vivo validation.
