CORE Biomedicine Secures $21 Million Series A and Eisai Licensing Deal to Advance Lineage-Based Precision Oncology Pipeline
核心洞察
CORE Biomedicine (搜索) completed a $21 million Series A financing co-led by UTokyo Innovation Platform and Elikon Venture (搜索) to advance lineage-based precision oncology therapeutics.
The company's Japanese subsidiary received a competitive AMED grant under the Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem to support R&D activities.
CORE signed an exclusive global licensing agreement with Eisai for multiple preclinical oncology programs targeting key molecular drivers across various cancers.
CORE Biomedicine (搜索), a biotechnology company pioneering lineage-based precision oncology therapeutics, announced today the completion of a $21 million Series A financing alongside an exclusive global licensing agreement with Eisai Co., Ltd. for multiple preclinical oncology programs. The dual announcements mark a significant acceleration for the Boston-, Tokyo-, and Suzhou-based company as it builds a next-generation precision medicine pipeline targeting core oncology drivers.
The Series A round is co-led by UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. (搜索) and Elikon Venture (搜索), with participation from InnoPinnacle Fund, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd., Suzhou Capital Group Co., Ltd., CD Capital, YuanBio Venture Capital, Vision Incubate Co., Ltd., and Root Venture Partners.
AMED Grant Strengthens Japanese R&D Footprint
In parallel with the venture financing, CORE Biomedicine (搜索) Japan, a wholly owned subsidiary, has been awarded a grant under the Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem, a highly competitive initiative run by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) (搜索). The grant is designed to accelerate innovative biotech companies and support Japan's biopharma ecosystem, funding CORE's research and development activities while strengthening collaborations through partnerships with Japanese universities, hospitals, and the broader biopharma community.
Eisai Licensing Agreement Builds Pipeline Foundation
CORE also announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Eisai, granting the company global rights to develop and commercialize multiple preclinical oncology programs originally discovered through research activities conducted by Eisai and its affiliates. The licensed portfolio includes programs spanning distinct targets and biological pathways that target key molecular drivers of various cancers.
Dr. Douglas McMillin, Co-Founder and Head of Business Development of CORE Biomedicine (搜索), stated: "CORE was created to advance an exceptional portfolio of oncology programs grounded in deep cancer biology, precision medicine and lineage therapeutics. We believe these programs have tremendous potential to address significant unmet medical needs across multiple cancers, and we are committed to advancing them efficiently toward the clinic and ultimately to patients."
Lineage-Based Approach Targets Core Oncology Drivers
CORE Biomedicine (搜索)'s lineage-based approach is designed to identify and target core oncology drivers with precision while expanding the potential patient populations that may benefit from these novel therapies. The company focuses on translating deep cancer biology into transformative therapies, leveraging expertise in cancer biology, precision medicine, and drug development across its operations in the United States, Japan, and China.
"This venture financing and AMED's support represent a major milestone for CORE Biomedicine (搜索) and validate our vision for a new generation of oncology medicines," said Dr. Ping Zhu, Co-Founder and CEO of CORE Biomedicine. "We are grateful to our investors and partners as we advance our programs toward the clinic with the goal of bringing transformative therapies to patients globally."
Makoto (Mark) Ohori, PhD, Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Life Sciences at UTokyo Innovation Platform, commented: "CORE Biomedicine (搜索)'s lineage-based approach addresses a fundamental challenge in cancer biology that genomics alone cannot solve. We are proud to co-lead this financing and look forward to supporting the CORE Biomedicine team as they advance their programs toward the clinic."
Elikon Venture (搜索) added: "We highly recognize the CORE Biomedicine (搜索) team for their distinctive insights and extensive R&D experience in oncology area. We are delighted to witness the company's fast-growing trajectory. We look forward to collaborating with CORE Biomedicine to advance its cutting-edge drug pipeline and address unmet medical needs for global patients by delivering better clinical benefits."
The combined resources from the Series A financing, AMED grant, and Eisai licensing portfolio will advance CORE's lead programs through discovery and early clinical development, positioning the company to build an innovative precision medicine enterprise within the rapidly evolving global biotech ecosystem.