UK life sciences investment firm Medicxi has taken the lead in a $62 million Series A+ funding round for D3 Bio, a China-based biotech company focused on developing innovative oncology drugs. The investment, in which Medicxi contributed $40 million, will support the advancement of D3 Bio’s pipeline, including three molecules already in clinical development. Existing investors Matrix Partners China and WuXi AppTec’s Corporate Venture Fund also participated in the round, highlighting continued support for D3 Bio’s potential best- or first-in-class drug candidates.
D3 Bio’s flagship program, D3S-001, a next-generation small-molecule KRAS-G12C inhibitor, is currently in Phase II trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and pancreatic cancer. D3S-001 has shown differentiated properties and is positioned to address significant unmet needs for patients with KRAS G12C-mutated cancers. Additionally, D3S-002, an ERK1/2 kinase inhibitor, and D3L-001, a HER2xCD47 bispecific antibody, are in Phase I development, demonstrating D3 Bio’s commitment to innovation in cancer treatment.
D3 Bio, founded in Shanghai in 2020, has garnered significant financial backing, including a previous $200 million investment led by Boyu Capital, Matrix Partners China, Sequoia Capital China, Temasek, and WuXi AppTec’s Corporate Venture Fund. The company is led by Dr. George Chen, who brings extensive experience from leadership roles at multinational entities, including the US National Institutes of Health, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, BeiGene, and Johnson & Johnson, as well as AstraZeneca, where he served as Chief Medical Officer at BeiGene and head of China R&D and senior vice-president for global oncology R&D at AstraZeneca.
With this latest funding, D3 Bio is well-positioned to continue its mission of developing breakthrough precision medicines that match therapies to the disease biomarkers of individual patients, with the aim of transforming life-threatening cancers into manageable chronic conditions.- Flcube.com
