Oricell Therapeutics Raises $70M Series C1 to Advance GPC3-Targeted CAR-T Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Key Insights
Oricell Therapeutics (search) completed a $70 million Series C1 financing round led by Beijing Medical and Health Industry Investment Fund (search), Qiming Venture Partners (search), and other global investors.
The company's lead candidate Ori-C101, a GPC3 (search)-targeted CAR-T (search) therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (search), has completed Phase I trials and is entering pivotal Phase II studies.
Oricell's innovative platform includes secretory CAR-T (search) technology and dual-target in vivo CAR-T products that generate CAR-T cells directly in patients' bodies.
Oricell Therapeutics (search) Holdings Limited, a clinical-stage biotech company developing next-generation CAR-T (search) cell therapies, announced the completion of a $70 million Series C1 financing round to accelerate global development of its innovative cancer (search) immunotherapies. The round was led by Beijing Medical and Health Industry Investment Fund (search), Qiming Venture Partners (search), and a globally leading medical fund, with participation from an international sovereign fund, NGS (Australian pension fund), Yizhuang Guotou, Lichen Investment, Ruifeng Capital, and other institutions.
Lead Program Shows Promise in Liver Cancer
Oricell's flagship product, Ori-C101, represents a potentially groundbreaking advancement in CAR-T (search) therapy for solid tumors (search). The autologous CAR-T drug targets GPC3 (search) for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (search) (HCC) and has completed both Phase I investigator-initiated clinical studies and registration Phase I clinical trials. The company is now preparing to commence pivotal Phase II clinical trials.
Clinical data released from these studies have demonstrated excellent efficacy and safety profiles, with results presented multiple times at top international academic conferences including ASCO. According to the company, this product is expected to become the world's first approved CAR-T (search) drug for hepatocellular carcinoma (search), addressing a significant unmet medical need in oncology.
Innovative Platform Technologies
Oricell has developed three proprietary platforms that underpin its differentiated pipeline approach. The Ori®Ab antibody screening and engineering platform, Ori®Armoring structure platform, and OnGo(Fast) CMC process expertise enable the company to develop CAR-T (search) therapies with global clinical value across multiple targets and mechanisms.
The company's innovative secretory CAR-T (search) product, OriC902 (search), has achieved breakthrough efficacy in patients with end-stage solid tumors (search). Additionally, Oricell's self-developed dual-target in vivo CAR-T product has initiated exploratory clinical studies, validating the technical potential of "off-the-shelf CAR-T" technology that generates CAR-T cells directly in patients' bodies, significantly enhancing the accessibility of cell-based therapies.
Strategic Vision and Market Position
Dr. Yang Huanfeng, Chairman and CEO of Oricell Biotech, emphasized the company's commitment to global advancement: "We are very grateful for the investors' recognition of the company. The company will continue to focus on the global clinical advancement of its core pipelines, the research and development of in vivo products and cutting-edge technologies."
The funding will enable Oricell to strengthen its technical capabilities in cell therapy and enhance the value of its industrialization pipelines. With offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New Jersey, the company has generated proof-of-concept clinical data across multiple pipeline CAR-T (search) products.
Investor Confidence in Cell Therapy Innovation
Mr. Ren Peng, Chairman and General Manager of Beijing Shunxi Private Fund Management Co., Ltd., highlighted the significance of the investment: "We believe that cell therapy is an important direction for conquering solid tumors (search). The clinical progress of Oricell Biotech's GPC3 (search) CAR-T (search) in the treatment of liver cancer (search) has greatly surprised us."
Qiming Venture Partners (search)' managing partner, Xubo Hu, noted the company's evolution: "As an early investor in Oricell, we've witnessed the company's evolution from a promising startup to a technology powerhouse – from advancing autologous CAR-Ts to secreting CAR-Ts, to pioneering a three-day rapid manufacturing process, and now to exploring in vivo CAR-T (search) in the clinic."
This latest financing follows previous successful funding rounds, including a $125 million Series B round in July 2022 and a $45 million extension round in February 2023, demonstrating sustained investor confidence in the company's innovative approach to cell therapy development.