Seven Innovative Biopharma Companies Secure New Funding, Four from China

▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Report

According to public information, last week (April 7th ~ April 13th),Globally, there isAt least 7iRegene, a rising company dedicated to innovative drug development, announces the completion of a new round of financing, in which4HomeFrom China. After sorting out, the products being developed by these new companies that have gained capital favor includeSmall molecules, antibodies, siRNA drugs, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) therapiesand other types, covering the disease areas targeted atCancer, Cardiometabolic Diseases, Immunological Diseases, Ophthalmic Diseases, Rare Diseasesetc.

iRegene

Financing Round: B+ Round

Financing Amount: Undisclosed

On April 11, iRegene announced the completion of its B+ round of financing. This round of financing was led by Fengchuan Capital, with participation from Hotang Venture Capital. According to the press release, the company rapidly completed two rounds of financing exceeding 100 million yuan in just a few months, with a total financing amount of over 200 million yuan. iRegene is a...An innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on regenerative medicine, specializing in small-molecule chemical transcriptional regulation-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to develop universal chemically induced cell therapy drugs.NouvNeu001 Injection is a research product of the company.Chemically-induced functional human dopaminergic neuron precursor cells, is expected to officially commence Phase 2 clinical trials in the near future, targeting Parkinson's disease. The company is also developing treatments forEarly-Onset Parkinson's DiseaseThe second product, NouvNeu003, andiPSC-Derived Universal Cell Therapy Ophthalmic ProductNouvSight001。

Zhongsheng Traceability

Financing Round: Series B

Financing Amount: 235 million yuan

On April 10, Zhongsheng Suyuan announced that it had received tens of millions of yuan in additional funding in its Series B round. With this, Zhongsheng Suyuan’s Series B round has concluded, with a total financing amount reaching 235 million yuan. The additional funding was jointly participated by well-known investment institutions Guangyao Capital, Kejin Holdings, Hefei Industrial Investment, and Hanyuan Assets. The funds will mainly be used to accelerate the development of multiple clinical pipelines in the iPSC-derived cell therapy field and the subsequent commercialization of products by Zhongsheng Suyuan. Since its establishment in 2016,Focus on developing widely accessible human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cell therapy products. The company inRegenerative Medicine, Anti-inflammatory Repair, Tumor ImmunologyThese three major fields have multiple product pipelines布局了多个细胞种类和适应症的产品管线, five of which have been approved for registration clinical trials., including iMSC and iNK cell therapy products, as well as gene-modified iMSC productsCurrently, the product pipelines for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, two hematological tumor indications, graft-versus-host disease, and interstitial lung disease are respectively in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trial stages.

Imbria Pharmaceuticals

Financing Round: Series B

Financing Amount: 57.5 Million US Dollars

On April 10, Imbria Pharmaceuticals announced the successful completion of a $57.5 million Series B financing round, led by new investor Deep Track Capital. Other new investors participating in the financing include AN Ventures, Catalio Capital Management, and Cytokinetics. Existing investors RA Capital Management and SV Health Investors also contributed to the financing. Imbria is a clinical-stage company dedicated to developing new therapies for patients with life-altering cardiometabolic diseases. The company's clinical pipelineAimed at restoring or improving the ability of cells to produce energy in cardiometabolic diseases, where this dysfunction is a fundamental factor in the pathogenesis, symptoms, and functional impairments of the disease.. The company's ninerafaxstat is aA novel cardiac mitochondrial and partial fatty acid oxidation (pFOX) inhibitor that shifts the heart’s preference from fatty acids to glucose. This metabolic shift can generate energy more efficiently and has the potential to improve cardiac function at rest and during exercise.. The proceeds from this round of financing will be used to advance ninerafaxstat inNon-obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (nHCM)A Phase 2b randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in subjects, the company plans to initiate this trial in the second quarter of 2025 and obtain topline data by the end of 2026.

Solu Therapeutics

Financing Round: Series A

Financing Amount: 41 Million US Dollars

On April 9, Solu Therapeutics announced the completion of a $41 million Series A financing round, which included the participation of five new investors—Eli Lilly and Company, Biovision Ventures, Pappas Capital, Hengdian Group Capital (HgC), and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program—as well as continued support from existing investors. Solu is a biotechnology company co-founded by Longwood Fund.The company is committed to developing a class of innovative therapeutic drugs that uniquely pair small molecules with monoclonal antibodies to eliminate disease-driving cells in the fields of oncology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas.. The company also announced the launch of its research project at the same time.STX-0712The first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of this product in patients with refractory/relapsed chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and other hematologic malignancies.STX-0712 is designed to selectively eliminate G protein-coupled receptor CCR2-positive malignant monocytes in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies.`, is expected to offer more precise and effective treatment options for drug-resistant/refractory hematological tumors.`

Merida Biosciences

Financing Round: Series A

Financing Amount: 121 Million US Dollars

On April 8, Merida Biosciences announced the completion of a $121 million Series A financing round. The financing was co-led by Bain Capital Life Sciences, BVF Partners, and Third Rock Ventures, with participation from GV and Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Funds (PXV Funds). Merida has developed a new platform,Can generate unique Fc therapies designed to selectively recognize and bind to specific antibodies, leveraging the body's natural mechanisms for clearing antibody complexes to rapidly and completely eliminate them. Such therapies have the potential to drive deep and lasting depletion of pathogenic antibodies without causing broad immunosuppression and resulting toxicity.。These therapies also target B cells that produce pathogenic antibodies, aiming to eliminate their source. Additionally, Merida's treatment approach exhibits antibody-like properties, offering sustained pharmacological effects, which is expected to provide patients with more convenient dosing regimens.The company is currently developing innovative projects for Graves' disease, allergies, and primary membranous nephropathy (a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the kidneys).

Xuanjing Biotech

Financing Round: Pre-A Round

Financing Amount: Undisclosed

On April 7, Xuanjing Bio announced the completion of the first closing of its Pre-A round financing. The first phase of this round's fundraising was invested by Jinyifu New and others. This market-oriented financing will be used to rapidly advance the clinical research of its core product RG002C0106, as well as the continued development of extrahepatic delivery technology and drug pipelines.Xuanjing Biotech focuses on the research and development and industrialization of small nucleic acid drugs.The company's first pipeline, RG002C0106, is asiRNA drug targeting complement factor C3, intended for the treatment of primary or secondary glomerular diseases mediated by complement.. The product is currently undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials and will soon initiate Phase 2 clinical trials. In addition, Xuanjing Biotechnology has established relevant delivery technologies for various extrahepatic tissues including kidneys, skeletal muscles, adipose tissue, heart, central nervous system, lungs, and eyes, and has laid out drug pipelines targeting the liver and extrahepatic tissues.

Saiyun Biotech

Financing Round: Angel+ Round

Financing Amount: Tens of Millions of Yuan

On April 7, Saiyun Biotechnology (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. ("Saiyun Bio") announced the completion of an angel+ round of financing worth tens of millions. This round of financing was exclusively invested by Zhongke Chuangxing, and the funds raised will be mainly used to accelerate the development process of the company's self-developed pipeline.Saiyun Bio is a company focused on the research and development of targeted delivery technologies and innovative drug therapies, with multiple R&D pipelines laid out in areas such as targeted cancer treatment and cell and gene therapy.Previously, the company had received tens of millions of yuan in angel round funding from several well-known investment institutions, including CDH/SDIC Venture Capital, IDG Capital, and INNO Angel.

Looking forward to more cutting-edge therapies and technologies benefiting patients faster with the support of capital.。

References:

[1]Official websites of various companies and publicly available information