AusperBio Completes $120 Million Series C to Advance AHB-137 Toward Commercialization in Chronic Hepatitis B
核心洞察
AusperBio (搜索) closed a $120 million Series C financing led by a strategic investor with new participation from RA Capital Management (搜索), bringing total capital raised to $360 million since 2024.
Proceeds will advance AHB-137, the company's lead antisense oligonucleotide therapy, through its Phase 3 registrational program and commercialization readiness for chronic hepatitis B (搜索).
The financing will also accelerate AHB-171 (搜索), an investigational HBV siRNA candidate built on the Au-HALO™ targeted delivery platform, and next-generation combination approaches aimed at functional cure.
AusperBio (搜索) Therapeutics, Inc. and Ausper Biopharma Co., Ltd. (collectively "AusperBio"), a near-commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on targeted oligonucleotide therapeutics for chronic hepatitis B (搜索) (CHB), announced on Aug. 27, 2026 the closing of its $120 million Series C financing. The round was led by a leading strategic investor, with participation from new investor RA Capital Management (搜索), L.P., alongside continued support from existing investors including HanKang Capital, Sherpa Capital, InnoPinnacle Fund, Qiming Venture Partners, YuanBio Venture Capital, and CDH Investments. With the completion of the Series C, AusperBio has raised $360 million since 2024.
The financing will support the continued development of AHB-137, AusperBio (搜索)'s lead investigational antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy for CHB, including its Phase 3 registrational program and commercialization readiness. Proceeds will also accelerate the development of AHB-171 (搜索), the company's investigational HBV siRNA candidate built on its proprietary Au-HALO™ targeted delivery platform, advance next-generation combination approaches for CHB, and further expand the company's pipeline of targeted oligonucleotide therapeutics addressing significant unmet medical needs.
"This financing represents an important inflection point for AusperBio (搜索) as we advance AHB-137 toward potential commercialization while developing next-generation therapies for CHB," said Dr. Guofeng Cheng, co-founder and CEO of AusperBio. "We are grateful for the continued confidence of our existing investors and pleased to welcome RA Capital to AusperBio. We look forward to building on this momentum to advance our strategy toward functional cure and unlock new opportunities across our oligonucleotide platforms."
Dr. Chris Yang, co-founder and CSO of AusperBio (搜索), added, "AHB-137 has demonstrated promising clinical activity in patients and has the potential to serve as a backbone therapy for functional cure of CHB. Our Med-Oligo™ ASO, Au-HALO™ targeted delivery and siRNA discovery platforms enable complementary approaches designed to achieve deeper and more durable antiviral responses."
AHB-137: Lead ASO Candidate in Phase 3
AHB-137 is AusperBio (搜索)'s lead investigational unconjugated antisense oligonucleotide therapy for CHB, developed using the company's proprietary Med-Oligo™ ASO platform. The candidate is designed to suppress hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) production, inhibit viral DNA replication, and promote immune reactivation, with the goal of achieving a functional cure for CHB.
AHB-137 has demonstrated promising clinical results and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 trial in China, following completion of a global Phase 1 study and multiple Phase 2 studies. The company is advancing AHB-137 through a coordinated global development strategy toward potential commercialization. AHB-137 is an investigational product candidate and has not been approved by any regulatory authority.
AHB-171: siRNA Candidate on the Au-HALO™ Platform
AHB-171 (搜索) is an investigational hepatocyte-targeted siRNA therapeutic candidate for the treatment of CHB that leverages AusperBio (搜索)'s proprietary Au-HALO™ liver-targeting delivery platform. The candidate is designed to selectively suppress viral gene expression and provide potent and sustained antiviral activity. As the first clinical candidate developed using the Au-HALO™ platform, AHB-171 is advancing the clinical validation of the company's targeted delivery and siRNA capabilities and broadening its differentiated HBV pipeline. AHB-171 is an investigational product candidate and has not been approved by any regulatory authority.
Chronic Hepatitis B: Unmet Medical Need
Chronic hepatitis B (搜索) remains a significant global health burden, affecting an estimated 254 million people worldwide and causing approximately 1.1 million deaths annually, primarily from cirrhosis and liver cancer, according to the World Health Organization. Current therapies can suppress viral replication but rarely achieve a functional cure, leaving many patients requiring long-term treatment.
AusperBio (搜索) is advancing a backbone-based combination strategy for functional cure of CHB while exploring opportunities in additional disease areas with significant unmet medical needs. The company's innovation engine is built on its proprietary Med-Oligo™ ASO and Au-HALO™ targeted delivery platforms, supporting the development of therapies across multiple oligonucleotide modalities.