Synthetica Pioneering Closes a Series A Funding Round to Support Development of Oncolytic Bacterial Therapy for Solid Tumors

SHENZHEN, China, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd. (Synthetica), a biotech startup specializing in synthetic biology for engineering novel living bacterial therapeutics, has recently closed a Series A funding round, led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Temasek, with additional participation from Lenovo Capital, Fosun Health Capital and ATLATL Summer Fund. The funding will be used to fast-track Synthetica's oncolytic bacterial pipelines into clinical trials.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Synthetica is a biotech company founded in 2023, specializing in genetic circuit engineering and precise control of genes and payloads to treat various diseases. Synthetica is currently focused on developing oncolytic bacterial therapies for treating solid tumors. With a deep understanding of biological mechanisms and advanced synthetic biology techniques, Synthetica is aiming to create innovative bacterial treatments that are safe, effective, versatile, and minimally invasive to fight cancer.

Synthetica's CEO, Yingke He stated: "Securing this funding marks a pivotal moment for our young company as we advance the frontier of cancer treatment. Our innovative synthetic biology approach to developing oncolytic bacteria offers new hope for more effective and targeted therapies. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our technology contributors and financial investors for their trust and support. Together we will drive this breakthrough science forward, and make significant advancements in the fight against cancer, bringing us closer to transforming patients' lives worldwide."

Dr. Mia Hu, Investment Director, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, commented: "Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) is committed to invest in innovative therapeutics that address unmet patient needs. Oncolytic bacterial therapy remains a key strategic focus for the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund. The Synthetica team, with its years of expertise in quantitative synthetic biology, is pioneering the development of innovative bacterial therapies for various indications. We are thrilled to support Synthetica in their ongoing efforts to advance next-generation bacterial therapies for the treatment of solid tumors, with the ultimate goal of transforming the lives of more people living with cancer."

About Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd.

Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd., a spin-off from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is a biotech company that harnesses synthetic biology techniques to engineer novel living bacterial therapeutics, addressing unmet medical needs across a range of diseases. Current lead programs focus on therapies for solid tumors.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

Created in 2010, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (invests in ground-breaking companies to drive innovation in biomedical research. It is searching for significant enhancements in patient care through pioneering science and its clinical translation by building long-term relationships with scientists and entrepreneurs. The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund's focus is to target unprecedented concepts addressing high unmet patient needs in immuno-oncology, regenerative medicine, infectious diseases and digital health. For more information, please visit: www.boehringer-ingelheim-venture.com.

About Temasek

Temasek is a global investment company headquartered in Singapore, with a net portfolio value of S$389 billion as at 31 March 2024. Marking its unlisted assets to market would provide S$31 billion of value uplift and bring its mark to market net portfolio value to S$420 billion. Temasek's Purpose "So Every Generation Prospers" guides it to make a difference for today's and future generations. Operating on commercial principles, Temasek seeks to deliver sustainable returns over the long term. It has 13 offices in 9 countries around the world: Beijing, Hanoi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore in Asia; and Brussels, London, Mexico City, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Washington, DC outside Asia. For more information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg. 

About Lenovo Capital

Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group, as Lenovo's global technology industry fund, aims to leverage Lenovo's global resources to invest in and incubate future technology developments.
Lenovo Capital focuses on technology industry investments, aligning with Lenovo's "end-edge-cloud-network-intelligence" new IT architecture, supporting Lenovo Group's service-oriented transformation and technology-driven innovation strategy. They have invested in over 250 portfolio companies, with 18 of them have been successfully listed, more than 40 becoming industry leaders, and over 100 have been rated as national and provincial level Specialized, Refined, Differential and Innovational Enterprises. Around 90% of the portfolios are centered around core technologies, including artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips, smart manufacturing, robotics, and mixed reality, among others.

About Fosun Health Capital

Shanghai Fosun Health Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd, known as "Fosun Health Capital (FHC)," is the core CVC investment platform initiated and established by Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (Fosun Pharma), which leverages Fosun Pharma's 30-year accumulation in the pharmaceutical field and its profound experience in cooperating with world-class partners. FHC, embodying a strategic dedication to healthcare investment, manages 11 funds with AUM over 10 billion RMB. FHC has covered investments from early-stage ventures to mature enterprises, spanning multiple areas including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostics. Fosun Health Capital focuses on a comprehensive strategy that combines investment and industry expertise, offering support that spans from scientific research to operational guidance, to empower its portfolio companies throughout their entire lifecycle and drive their sustainable growth. FHC upholds the tenets of value investing, becoming a discoverer, connector, and long-term strategic partner of worldwide top-tier investment prospects.

About ATLATL Summer fund

ATLATL Summer Fund was jointly established by ATLATL Innovation Group and Summer Capital in 2023. The fund is focused on early innovation value discovery and consolidates the resources of both parties, striving to achieve ecological empowerment and accelerated incubation for the portfolio companies and innovation ecosystem. Through the "Investment + infrastructure" model, the aim is to build integrated value chain of innovation services based on the infrastructure of ATLATL, supplemented by early venture capital platform of Summer Capital, promoting the continuous acceleration of life science innovation.

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SOURCE Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd.