Accro Bioscience Secures $50M Series C to Advance RIPK2 Inhibitor AC-101 for Ulcerative Colitis
核心洞察
Accro Bioscience (搜索) raised $50 million in Series C funding led by OrbiMed (搜索) to accelerate clinical development of immune-mediated disease treatments.
The funding will advance AC-101, a selective RIPK2 (搜索) inhibitor, into Phase IIb trials for moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (搜索) patients.
AC-101 has completed Phase I trials in Australia and China, plus Phase Ib and IIa studies in Chinese patients, demonstrating good safety and pharmacokinetics.
Accro Bioscience (搜索), a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Suzhou, China, has secured $50 million in Series C funding to accelerate its clinical development programs for immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases. The round was led by OrbiMed (搜索), a global healthcare investment firm managing over $19 billion in assets, with participation from TCG Crossover (搜索), LAV (搜索), Cenova Capital (搜索), and existing investors Shenzhen Capital Group (搜索) and Oriza Holdings (搜索).
The funding will primarily support the advancement of AC-101, the company's lead candidate, into Phase IIb clinical trials for patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (搜索). AC-101 is a selective RIPK2 (搜索) inhibitor that targets the RIPK2 pathway, which plays a crucial role in immune signaling and is often associated with inflammation and autoimmune diseases (搜索) when dysregulated.
Clinical Development Progress
AC-101 has demonstrated promising clinical progress across multiple trial phases. The drug has successfully completed Phase I trials in healthy volunteers in both Australia and China, showing good safety and pharmacokinetics profiles. Additionally, the company has conducted Phase Ib and Phase IIa trials with Chinese patients, with results supporting further clinical development.
The company has also received IND clearance from the U.S. FDA, marking a significant milestone for its global expansion strategy. This regulatory approval enables Accro Bioscience (搜索) to proceed with clinical trials in the United States as part of its international development program.
Targeting Unmet Medical Need in Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis (搜索) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (搜索) that causes long-term inflammation of the colon, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. Current treatment options for patients with moderate to severe disease are limited, with many existing therapies either lacking sufficient efficacy or presenting safety risks that complicate patient management.
AC-101's mechanism of action focuses on targeting specific molecular pathways rather than broadly suppressing the immune system. By selectively inhibiting RIPK2 (搜索), the drug aims to reduce inflammation at its source while potentially minimizing side effects associated with less targeted approaches.
Proprietary Drug Discovery Platform
Under the leadership of CEO Dr. Xiaohu Jason Zhang, Accro Bioscience (搜索) has developed a proprietary drug discovery platform designed to create both first-in-class and best-in-class compounds. The platform specifically targets diseases where current treatment options are inadequate, focusing on oral drugs for immune-mediated diseases that target molecular mechanisms tied to regulatory cell death.
The company is expanding its pipeline beyond AC-101, working on additional drugs for inflammatory and immune-related diseases to address a broader range of conditions.
Investor Confidence and Market Opportunity
OrbiMed (搜索) Partner Steven Wang highlighted the strength of Accro Bioscience (搜索)'s scientific platform, noting the company's execution capabilities, innovative pipeline, and potential in global clinical development. The continued participation of existing investors reflects confidence in the company's long-term research strategy.
The investor group recognizes strong potential in therapies targeting immune system regulation, as chronic inflammatory diseases represent a large and growing global market where improved treatment options remain a key unmet medical need.
Global Expansion Strategy
Accro Bioscience (搜索) is advancing multiple clinical programs across regions, having completed early-stage trials in both Asia and Australia. These studies support the company's transition into larger Phase II trials and its preparation for global clinical trials across multiple countries.
Dr. Zhang emphasized the company's commitment to finding new solutions for people with immune-related diseases and the importance of investor backing in advancing clinical programs. He noted that research represents a long-term commitment for Accro Bioscience (搜索), reflecting the company's sustained approach to drug development.
The company is experiencing growth in both regulatory and clinical operations as it prepares to launch international trials, with the FDA clearance enabling advancement of its U.S. clinical program.