Eli Lilly Asia leads the investment! Wang Liqun founded NK Cell Therapy and received $40 million in angel round financing

Some insiders believe that CAR-NK is expected to become one of the most anticipated engineered cell therapies after CAR-T.

On July 30, cell therapy start-up Yi Ang Bio announced the completion of a $40 million angel round of financing, which was led by Eli Lilly Asia Fund, followed by IDG Capital and Sherpa Investment.

The press release notes that the funds raised will be used for the construction of its R&D facilities, the general-purpose immune cell technology platform, and the early development of products.

"Xingyi Ang has set off from Shanghai Free Trade No. 1 Life Science Park and is currently assembling a core team with the confidence to make 0 to 1 innovations in the field of general-purpose spot cell therapy." Wang Liqun said.

According to public information, Xingyi Ang Bio is a biotechnology company focusing on the development of general-purpose CAR-NK cell therapy, founded by Dr. Wang Liqun, the former CEO of Fosun Kate, and received its first round of financing less than 3 months after its establishment.

Wang Liqun is currently the Chairman and CEO of Xingyi Ang Biotech, he has rich R&D and management experience in the field of biopharmaceuticals in China and the United States, and he has played an important role in the development of Fosun Kate, serving as CEO of the company for a total of 4 years since the establishment of the company. Previously, he led the technical implementation, clinical trials, construction of production facilities and listing application of Fosun Kate CAR-T Therapy Agilensai Injection. Within more than three years, Agilense Injection was officially approved for listing, becoming the first listed cell therapy product in China.

According to the official press release, Xingyi Ang Bio focuses on the research and development and industrialization of cell therapy, and combines independent research and development and cooperative introduction to develop a series of iPSC-CAR-NK universal spot cell therapies.

Compared with T cells, NK cells are important innate immune cells in the body, killing tumor cells without presensitization. T cells reject allogeneic MHC molecule fragments, and general-purpose CAR-T input into patients triggers receptor tissue GVHD, which is the biggest obstacle to their current development. NK cells can directly recognize and kill tumor cells, and there are far fewer options for HLA, so general-purpose CAR-NK therapy basically does not cause GVHD.

Figure | CAR-NK Preparation Process (Source: Cancer Letter)

Overall, multiple studies have shown the safety and efficacy of CAR-NK cell therapy. CAR-NK has the potential to become a general-purpose spot cell therapy.

Solid tumors, on the other hand, are more sensitive to antigen-dependent NK cells, and CAR-NK may have an advantage in the treatment of solid tumors. At present, the indications of the 6 CAR-T products approved around the world are all blood tumors, solid tumors have yet to be overcome, and CAR-NK can play a better role in the field of solid tumor treatment.

It should be noted that Xingyi Ang Bio chose a PRODUCT FROM IPSC source CAR-NK, which is a stem cell that can proliferate indefinitely, has stronger differentiation ability, and has a smaller immune rejection reaction.