Shanghai-based Oricell Therapeutics Holdings Limited has closed a pre-IPO financing round in excess of USD 110 million to advance its CAR-T cell therapy pipeline targeting solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
The round was co-led by Vivo Capital, Beijing Medical and Health Care Industry Investment Fund, Qiming Venture Partners, and an unnamed global healthcare fund. Additional participants included an international sovereign wealth fund, E-Town Capital, Luxin Venture Capital, NGS Super, Elikon Investment, and Talon Capital. Qiming Venture Partners has been an investor in Oricell since its Pre-A round, the company said. Proceeds are intended to support global clinical development, expansion of manufacturing capabilities, and preparation for capital market milestones. No previous funding totals were disclosed in the announcement.
Oricell's lead asset, Ori-C101, is a GPC3-targeted autologous CAR-T therapy in development for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The program has completed investigator-initiated trials and a registrational Phase I study, with pivotal trials described as the next step. Data from the program have been presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting. The company's second core candidate, the GPRC5D-targeted OriCAR-017, targets multiple myeloma and has received both US FDA Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation. The program holds IND approvals from China's NMPA and the US FDA, and clinical data have been published in The Lancet Haematology and presented at ASCO and the European Hematology Association meeting. Beyond these two programs, Oricell is developing secreted, rapid-production, and in vivo CAR-T modalities.
The company's technology rests on three components: the OriAb antibody screening and engineering platform, the OriArmoring functional enhancement platform, and the OnGo rapid CMC manufacturing system. No information was provided in the source materials regarding university affiliations or academic origins of these platforms.
Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article