How China Inc. Aims To Take Over Cell Therapy Dominance

Speed, Partnerships Shine for Small CAR-T Players

Just three years after its founding, Chinese cell therapy developer IASO Bio already has two assets in clinical development and the Nanjing firm has recently attracted $60m in financing. In an exclusive interview, its R&D head told Scrip that speed and partnerships are propelling Chinese developers on a trajectory to quickly catch up with the west in the emerging cell-therapy arena.

Nanjing, China
NANJING-BASED IASO, SET UP IN 2017, AIMS TO FILE ITS CAR-T THERAPY NEXT YEAR IN CHINA • Source: Shutterstock

Despite no products having gained approval and the field being scattered with smaller players, China is poised to take a leading position in the fast-growing cancer treatment field of cell therapy. Among the many little-known players striving for the spotlight is IASO Bio, a Nanjing-based chimeric antigen T (CAR-T) cell therapy developer.

Founded in March 2017, IASO came into the spotlight after it garnered a respectable $60m in financing from Hillhouse Capital in March, when its lead asset, the BCMA-targeting CAR-T therapy...

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