China-based XellSmart has raised RMB 500 million (USD 73 million) in a Series C/C+ financing round to accelerate the clinical development of its allogeneic, off-the-shelf induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural cell therapies. The round was co-led by China Reform Holdings and Su Investment, with participation from other state-backed and private investment firms including Haitong, Hejun Capital, Frees Fund, Zhongyin Capital, Huajin Capital, Sincere Capital, Yuyao Industrial Investment, Minhang Jintou, Suzhou Angel FOF, and Qisheng Capital. The funds will be used to advance multiple programs into pivotal clinical trials and to scale up manufacturing capabilities.

The company's pipeline includes candidates for Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), several of which are designated as first-in-class in China or globally. XellSmart has secured nine investigational new drug (IND) approvals from regulators in both China and the US. Its lead program for primary Parkinson's disease is in Phase II trials in China and Phase I in the US. The company has built a fully integrated platform, including a grade A and B GMP manufacturing facility, to support the development and production of its clinical-stage cell therapies.

PharmCube's NextBiopharm® database lists nine active projects in XellSmart's portfolio, covering different indications across modalities such as neural stem cells, stem cell thearpy, and NK cell therapy. Click here to request a free trial for NextBiopharm®.