Canwell Biotech Ltd. raised more than ¥100 million (US$14.8 million) in a series A+ financing. The funds will help accelerate trials for its pipeline of anticancer assets, such as the TLR7 agonist CAN-1012, and preclinical development of other projects too, CEO Henry Yu told BioWorld. The State Development and Investment Corporation Venture Capital Co. Ltd. was the round’s sole investor.
Glubio Therapeutics Inc. has raised $22 million in a series A+ round to support the development of its targeted protein degradation drugs. With the investment, Glubio expects to file INDs for two molecular glue degraders for hematological malignancies in early 2023 in both China and the U.S.
Helixon Ltd. raised ¥500 million (US$75 million) in a series A round for its artificial intelligence (AI) drug development platform. The Beijing-based company is building a next-generation AI computing platform by combining it with self-developed high-throughput experimental technologies, aiming to provide drug developers with an intelligent system for molecular computation, simulation and design.
Tessa Therapeutics Ltd. has a closed a $126 million series A financing round to advance its ongoing clinical development, which includes the initiation of a pivotal trial of autologous CD30-CAR-T therapy (TT-11) and advancement of allogeneic CD30.CAR EBVST therapy (TT-11X) programs.
Meta Pharmaceuticals Inc. has raised $15 million in seed and pre-series A rounds in six months for the pipeline and AI platform development. Shenzhen, China-based Meta Pharma plans to use the new funds to support its three candidates to enter clinical trials, as well as the development of its Meta-map platform for pipeline expansion.
Profoundbio Inc. closed a $70 million series A financing round that will see it advance its two lead antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs to the clinic. The Suzhou, China, and Woodinville, Wash.-based company has raised a total of more than $138 million in the past two years.
Askgene Pharma Inc., which less than two weeks ago reported positive initial data from an ongoing phase I/II trial testing its claudin 18.2-targeting candidate, ASKB-589, added $20 million in a series A round, intended to advance the company’s clinical pipeline and support further development of its Smartkine cytokine drug platform.
SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has launched a central nervous system-focused biotech company called Ignis Therapeutics Ltd. with a $180 million series A round led by 6 Dimensions Capital L.P. The financing of the new Shanghai-based company represents the largest series A investment in China’s biopharma industry in 2021, according to the two founding companies. KB Investment Co. Ltd, WTT investment Ltd., HBM Healthcare Investments AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. also participated in the round.
Aculys Pharma Inc. closed its $60 million series A financing round, with the funds to be used to develop pitolisant (Wakix), a selective histamine H3 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist, in Japan.