Jimei Regenerative Medicine Secures $350M in Series C Funding, Stem Cell Therapies Launched in Lecheng Pilot Zone | Exclusive by 36Kr

Text by | Hu Xiangyun

Edited by | Hai Ruojing

36Kr learned that recently, Regend Therapeutics Limited, a company in the field of regenerative medicine, has completed a Series C financing of 350 million RMB. The new investors in this round of financing include seven companies and institutions such as Yuze Capital, Hefei High - tech Investment, Hongtai Fund, Hefei Industrial Investment, and Gongqingcheng Fuhui. Five existing investors, including Fir Brook Capital and Tasly Capital, continued to increase their investments. The raised funds will be used to promote the clinical application of core products such as stem/progenitor cells.

Regend Therapeutics was founded in 2015 and focuses on the field of human organ regenerative medicine using progenitor cells. By developing innovative cell and gene therapy products, it aims to achieve the repair, regeneration, and enhancement of human tissues and organs. The company's founder, Zuo Wei, is a Ph.D. in cell biology from Tsinghua University and a tenured professor at Tongji University School of Medicine/Shanghai East Hospital. The CEO, Zhang Ting, is a Ph.D. in biology from Tsinghua University.

It is reported that progenitor cells are a general term for various cells with regenerative and repair capabilities in adult human organs. They have the differentiation and self - renewal characteristics of stem cells, with clear directional tissue regeneration ability and certain advantages in drug development. Currently, the company's core pipelines, the autologous lung progenitor cell product REGEND001 and the autologous kidney progenitor cell product REGEND003, have both entered the clinical stage. The indications with relatively rapid progress are concentrated in three major fields: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Schematic diagram of Regend Therapeutics' product pipeline

First, taking the lung diseases targeted by REGEND001 as an example, both COPD and IPF are irreversible and continuously damaging diseases, and patients will gradually lose their lung function. However, most existing therapies mainly aim to slow down the progression of the diseases.

"The goal of REGEND001 is to'regenerate' healthy alveoli and improve the patients' lung function. We will extract airway basal stem cells from the relatively healthy parts of the patients themselves, expand them in vitro, and then re - infuse them into the lungs via bronchoscopy," Zhang Ting introduced. "The current clinical trial data show that compared with the control group, patients treated with REGEND001 have shown statistically significant improvements in key efficacy endpoints. In addition to improving lung function and quality of life, REGEND001 can bring an increase of several hundred milliliters in lung volume to the subjects in terms of repairing structural lung damage."

In 2026, Regend Therapeutics will simultaneously initiate Phase 3 clinical trials for REGEND001 in the treatment of COPD and IPF in China to confirm the efficacy with a larger sample size. Currently, it is communicating with the regulatory authorities about the plan. In addition, Pulmovinci, developed based on the optimized process of REGEND001, has been granted the "orphan drug designation" for IPF by the U.S. FDA.

In addition to lung diseases, Regend Therapeutics has also made multiple progresses in the development of drugs for kidney system diseases. REGEND003 for the treatment of type 2 diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has been approved for a Phase 1 clinical trial, and the enrollment of the first dose group has been completed.

DKD is the main subtype of chronic kidney disease (it is estimated that there will be more than one billion patients globally by 2030), accounting for more than 30% of patients. Existing treatment options include drug therapy, dialysis, and kidney transplantation, mainly aiming to slow down the progression of the disease or replace the lost renal function.

"Stem cell therapy products are expected to regenerate nephrons by obtaining kidney progenitor cells. The feature of REGEND003 is that it does not require renal tissue biopsy but uses a non - invasive acquisition technology from urine to non - invasively isolate kidney progenitor cells from the patients' urine," Zhang Ting said. "In pre - clinical studies, REGEND003 has shown certain regenerative activity and improved renal histopathology, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels."

In early 2025, REGEND001 was selected as one of the first batch of stem cell "clinical transformation and application" projects in the Bo'ao Lecheng International Medical Pilot Zone (hereinafter referred to as the "Lecheng Pilot Zone") for three indications: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, and bronchiectasis. The single - treatment price is 150,000 RMB, and more than 140 paid treatments have been completed since the end of May last year.

Zhang Ting believes that the pilot project in the Lecheng Pilot Zone is "of great significance in promoting the compliant development of the stem cell industry, especially in improving the public's understanding of stem cells in the formal medical field." In addition, this project also has high value in determining the pricing of stem cell therapy products and clarifying the commercial implementation process, dispelling the previous market doubts about whether stem cell products can be commercially implemented.

Views from the founder and investors:

Zhang Ting, the CEO of Regend Therapeutics, said that the completion of the Series C financing provides sufficient financial support for the company. The funds will be mainly used for the clinical advancement of core products, international strategic layout, establishment of a commercialization system, and recruitment of strategic talents, accelerating the company's efforts to seize the opportunity in the capital market of the regenerative medicine field. To support the clinical advancement of products and continuously expand production capacity, we will establish at least two regional sub - center production bases across the country to ensure a smooth transition from late - stage clinical products to marketable products.

Yuze Capital, an investor, said that Regend Therapeutics is an innovative company with leading clinical progress and systematic competitive advantages in the domestic regenerative medicine field. The company has achieved clinical transformation and commercial charging for three indications, including COPD, interstitial lung disease, and bronchiectasis, in the Bo'ao Lecheng Pilot Zone, which marks that its technology has taken the lead in entering the commercialization stage. Based on the current development momentum, Regend Therapeutics is expected to continue to lead the development of the organ regeneration treatment field and grow into a globally competitive regenerative medicine company.

Fir Brook Capital, an investor, said that Regend Therapeutics has made breakthroughs in progenitor cell technology, successfully completed Phase II clinical trials for indications such as COPD and IPF, and achieved the regeneration of patients' lung tissue and improvement of lung function, with an exciting therapeutic effect. At the same time, the company's new pipeline, "kidney regeneration and repair cells," has also entered Phase I clinical trials, which marks that the company's globally innovative R - Clone technology platform can be extended to more treatment fields. Based on its clear mechanism of action and verified clinical efficacy, we led the investment in Regend Therapeutics for two consecutive rounds, firmly accompanied the company's growth, and continuously supported it to jointly promote the human regenerative medicine cause to a new stage.