The Venture Codex

Participated · Series A · Mar 2021

OnQuality Pharmaceuticals develops targeted cancer supportive care therapies intended to address toxicities from cancer treatments. The company is based in Seattle, WA and Shanghai, China. Its lead candidate, OQL011, is a topical ointment designed to treat moderate to severe hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR) and is being evaluated in a multicenter, randomized Phase II trial in the U.S. Two additional onco-dermatology agents, OQL023 (for EGFR-inhibitor-induced skin rash) and OQL033 (for chemotherapy-induced hand-foot syndrome), are in IND-enabling preclinical studies and are expected to enter clinical trials in 8–12 months. OnQuality is also developing targeted supportive-care agents for gastrointestinal and bone marrow toxicities related to chemotherapies, HER2/EGFR-targeted therapies, and immuno-oncology agents, with multiple programs anticipated to enter clinical development over the next 18 months. The company has raised a total of $35M across its Series A and A+ financings to support these development programs. 岸阔医药 focuses on supportive treatments in oncology that address unmet clinical needs and aim to improve cancer patients' quality of life. The company has built a pipeline covering six indications and maintains R&D teams in both Shanghai and Seattle. Founded less than two years ago, it has advanced programs spanning clinical and preclinical stages. The recent financing will support a U.S. multi-center Phase II clinical trial, clinical filings and early clinical studies for two follow-on products, and early research across multiple preclinical projects. The article does not disclose revenue or user metrics. Company leadership states the funding will accelerate pipeline progress and help address high-incidence treatment side effects.

Participated · Series B · Feb 2021

WuXi Diagnostics builds an open-access innovation enabling platform for integrated diagnostics centered on multi-omics clinical data and multidisciplinary technologies. The platform is designed to continuously launch diagnostic services and products and to empower healthcare innovators to accelerate technology translation from R&D to application. The company leverages Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise in integrated medicine and maintains an R&D center at Mayo Clinic headquarters in Rochester, U.S. It operates a headquarters and a CAP-accredited independent clinical laboratory in Shanghai and an ISO13485-certified production facility in Suzhou. Led by CEO Dr. Jason Liu and established in 2018, WuXi Diagnostics completed a US$150M Series B to strengthen its platform, advance its integrated diagnostics R&D pipeline, and accelerate global market penetration. The company aims to build a new ecosystem for next-generation diagnostics through its open-access enabling platform.

Participated · Series C · Nov 2020

CARsgen Therapeutics focuses on the innovation and development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapeutics. Its pipeline includes CT053, a fully human CAR-BCMA T-cell therapy that has received RMAT, PRIME and orphan designations in the US and EU, and CT041, a CAR‑Claudin18.2 T-cell therapy that received IND clearance and orphan drug designation from the U.S. FDA and is the first CAR‑Claudin18.2 therapy targeting solid tumors to enter clinical trials. CARsgen’s China entity received IND clearance from the NMPA for four CAR T programs, including CAR-GPC3, CAR-Claudin18.2, CAR-BCMA and CAR-CD19. The company intends to use new funding to accelerate ongoing clinical trials in China, the United States and Europe and to expand its commercial manufacturing facilities. Dr. Zonghai Li leads the company as Founder, President, CEO and CSO. Financially, CARsgen completed a USD186M Series C equity financing. CARsgen Therapeutics develops CAR-T cell therapies. The company has accumulated experience in target screening and validation, antibody screening and optimization, next-generation CAR-T technologies, and CMC process development, and has reported favorable clinical data. It signed a $60 million Pre-C financing framework agreement to support multiple CAR-T product IND filings and registration-enabling clinical advancement domestically and abroad. Management said 2018 would be a key year of accelerated development with planned filings in China and the United States. The company expects the financing and a corporate restructuring to lay a solid foundation for a future IPO. Guangliang Capital's founding partner Wang Wei publicly praised the company's technical capabilities and clinical progress. CARsgen Therapeutics is a Shanghai-based developer of CAR-T-based autologous immunotherapies focused on treating solid tumors. Its lead programs target EGFR for glioblastoma and GPC3 for hepatocellular carcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma. The company is enrolling patients in Phase 1 clinical studies in China for both programs, with results expected in December 2016. CARsgen plans to complete preclinical testing and file Investigational New Drug applications with the U.S. FDA for its anti-EGFR and anti-GPC3 programs by the second quarter of 2017. Led by president and CEO Zonghai Li, M.D., Ph.D., the private, venture-backed company intends to advance its CAR-T programs internationally. In January 2016 CARsgen completed a $30 million Series B to fund and advance its clinical development programs. CARsgen is a Shanghai-based immunotherapy company focused on developing chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapies for liver, lung, stomach and brain cancers. Its lead program, KJgpc3-001, is a GPC3-directed CAR-T that modifies patients' T cells to target glypican-3, a protein overexpressed in most hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. In preclinical studies KJgpc3-001 eradicated HCC cells, and the company plans to initiate clinical studies in collaboration with Shanghai Cancer Institute and Shanghai Renji Hospital. CARsgen is advancing CAR-T candidates for lung and brain cancers in parallel. Led by CEO Li Zonghai, M.D., Ph.D., the company emphasizes expertise in cancer biology, cancer immunology and cellular therapy technology. CARsgen recently completed a Series A financing led by BVCF, with the amount undisclosed.

Participated · Series B · Jan 2017

Ascentage Pharma (亚盛医药) is a pharmaceutical company. On June 20, 2024 the company completed an equity investment transaction with Takeda Pharmaceutical. The transaction funds have been received and the deal was formally closed. Under the agreement Ascentage allotted 24,307,322 subscription shares to Takeda at HKD24.09850 per share (approximately USD3.08549 per share). The investment amount reported in the article is USD75 million. The article does not provide operating metrics, past rounds, or specific use of proceeds. Ascentage Pharma is a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on designing small-molecule therapies that inhibit protein-protein interactions to restore apoptosis. Its pipeline comprises seven clinical candidates, including APG-1252, a highly potent Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor, plus programs aimed at IAP and MDM2-p53 pathways and next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The company’s technology is based on work from the University of Michigan and it is led by Dr. Dajun Yang, Chairman and CEO. Ascentage completed an approximately $150M Series C that brought total funding to around $240M. The company intends to use the proceeds to support its broad apoptosis-targeted pipeline and to build out R&D centers and manufacturing facilities. Ascentage positions itself as a globally-focused developer advancing multiple clinical-stage candidates for cancer and other diseases. Ascentage Pharma discovers and develops small-molecule targeted therapeutics for cancers, hepatitis B and age-related diseases using proprietary protein–protein interaction drug discovery technologies. The company holds over 80 international patents and currently has six small-molecule drugs in Phase I–II trials in the US, Australia and China, with additional programs in preclinical stages. Its R&D pipeline includes inhibitors of IAP, Bcl-2/Bcl-xL and MDM2–p53, second- and third-generation kinase inhibitors to overcome mutant resistance, and inhibitors of epigenetics. On December 22, 2016 Ascentage obtained FDA IND approval for APG-1252, a novel Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor. The company intends to use new capital to further accelerate its pipeline of apoptosis-targeted small molecules. Ascentage is led by co-founder, chairman and CEO Dajun Yang, MD, Ph.D. Ascentage Pharma focuses on discovery and development of targeted small-molecule cancer therapies, with programs spanning preclinical to mid-stage clinical trials. Its pipeline includes a pan Bcl-2 inhibitor in Phase II trials in China and the US and a small-molecule IAP antagonist in Phase I trials in China and Australia. The company has one drug submitted for IND approval, two additional drugs slated for IND filing in 2015, and several preclinical discovery programs targeting key oncogenic drivers. Ascentage has raised financing to support clinical development, CMC upgrades and manufacturing expansion. The company previously received a US$3M strategic investment from 3SBio to advance its programs and infrastructure. Operations are oriented toward advancing multiple candidate drugs through IND and clinical milestones.