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.

Suzhou-based Intocare Medical Technology Co. Ltd. raised up to ¥100 million (US$15.66 million) in a series D funding round led by Qiming Venture Partners. Oriza Holdings, Oriza FOFs and Yuanbio Venture Capital also participated in the round. The company said the proceeds would be used for product R&D, clinical research, marketing promotion, and the launch of new offices and production sites.

Stemirna Therapeutics Co. Ltd., which specializes in mRNA technology, said it raised nearly $200 million to speed up the clinical study of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, SW-0123. It is in phase I study in China and preclinical data have been published in Nature.

Although 2020 is the highest money-making year on record for the biopharma industry, a direct comparison of the first five months indicates that the amount raised so far in 2021 is 22% ahead of last year, while the number of financings climbed 26%.

Synchron Inc. landed $40 million in new funding through a series B fundraising round led by Khosla Ventures. This round brings the total amount raised by the company to $59 million since its founding in 2016. Other participants in the round included Forepont Capital Partners, ID8 Investments, Shanda Group, General Advance, Subversive Capital, and Re.mind Capital as well as Arani Bose and Thomas Reardon. Returning investors included Neurotechnology Investors, Metis Innovative, and the University of Melbourne.