Singapore T-cell therapist gets China government funding

Other investors include Guangzhou Guoju Investment, a wholly owned private equity fund of state-owned Guangzhou Hi-Tech Investment Group, as well as CSPC Nard Capital Fund, a pharmaceuticals fund incubated by Hong Kong-listed CSPC Pharmaceutical Group and Nard Capital Fund.

Founded in 2015, Lion TCR focuses on T-cell receptor-based therapy (TCR). When traditional methods fail to treat certain forms of cancer, patients can turn to cell therapy. This typically involves using genetically engineered T cells – an important part of the immune system – to attack tumours.

The company raised a USD 20m Series A in 2018 from Yashang Capital and Westlake Ventures among others. It will use the latest investment to develop technology and advance its product pipeline, primarily supporting clinical trials of T-cell therapies for hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is also constructing a factory in China that follows the Good Manufacturing Practice standard, according to a statement.

Lion TCR’s key asset is an innovative therapy that encodes HBV-specific T-cell receptors within patients, enabling the targeted treatment. The company has obtained investigational new drug (IND) approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its international multi-centre phase-1b and phase-2 clinical trials.

The product is touted as the first of its kind to be approved by the FDA and has received Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Designation from the agency.

Elsewhere in the T-cell therapy space, Chinese cell therapy company Neowise raised an extended Series A round of CNY200m (USD 29m) in March. In January, Iaso Biotherapeutics, a Chinese CAR-T developer raised nearly CNY 500m in an extended Series C. Last year, Shanghai-based developer Neukio Biotherapeutics raised USD 50m in the first tranche of a Series A.

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• Topics
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