LONDON – Iksuda Therapeutics Ltd. sealed its transition from technology licensing company to antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development specialist, closing a $47 million series A financing to move the lead program, IKS-03, into the clinic.
Shanghai-based Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. raised $105 million in a series C financing round to move candidates, starting with an anti-CD39 antibody, into clinical studies in the U.S. The funds will also support the company’s efforts in finding new mechanisms for cancer immunotherapy and potential partners, it said.
HONG KONG – Splisense Ltd. has closed a $28.5 million series B financing that it said will support pipeline development including its lead antisense oligonucleotide candidate, SPL84-23, for the potential treatment of cystic fibrosis. The Jerusalem-based company, which develops mRNA-altering therapies for CF and other genetic pulmonary diseases, attracted support for the round from Orbimed, Israel Biotech Fund, Biotel Ltd. and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
HONG KONG – Hummingbird Bioscience Pte. Ltd. has raised $125 million in a series C financing to further investments in its early stage pipeline, as well as support the clinical development of its two lead oncology programs.
TORONTO – Audioptics Medical Inc. has raised a C$1.9 million (US$1.5 million) seed investment round for development of a device that visualizes and assesses the structures of the middle ear to help patients avoid surgery for conductive hearing loss. Audioptics Medical CEO Dan MacDougall told BioWorld the investment marks a major step in his company’s path towards commercial development of its flagship product, the Ossiview Middle Ear Imaging system.
Neuroelectrics Inc. garnered $17.5 million in a series A fundraising round led by the Morningside Group of Hong Kong. The Cambridge, Mass. and Barcelona-based brain stimulation company plans to use the funds primarily to advance its pivotal trial of the Starstim system in refractory focal epilepsy and its at-home feasibility study in refractory major depressive disorder and related infrastructure, Neuroelectrics co-founder and CEO Ana Maiques told BioWorld. Supportive infrastructures for the trials include brain modeling, the platform for remote montage delivery, and clinical and regulatory resources.
Cross-border startup Adcentrx Therapeutics Inc., with operations in San Diego and soon in Shanghai, secured $50 million in a series A financing round led by CBC Group to establish its presence in the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) space.
Genome editing startup Edigene Inc. closed a ¥400 million (US$62 million) series B+ round to expand its operation to more cities and advance its lead product ET-01 into clinical trials. The financing follows the $67 million series B that closed in October 2020.
HONG KONG – Pharmcadd Co. Ltd., a developer of an artificial intelligence (AI) and physics-based drug discovery platform, bagged ₩17.3 billion (US$15.5 million) in its series B funding. This brings the total funds raised since its establishment to $22 million.
HONG KONG – Beijing Stonewise Technology Co. Ltd., a med-tech firm that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in the discovery of small molecule drugs, closed series B and B+ financing rounds that added $100 million to its pocket. The company intends to use the proceeds to upgrade its AI-enabled drug discovery platform.