About Cell Therapy sector in China
The Cell Therapy sector in China comprises 60 companies, including 47 funded companies having collectively raised $1.59B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 23 are Series A+ funded.
Cell Therapy sector in China has seen 2 acquisitions and 2 IPOs. This represents almost 6.7% of all such companies - which is higher than the 5.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies developing cellular therapies to treat diseases in humans.
Companies developing stem cell and somatic cell based therapies for the treatment of various diseases are included in this sector. Companies developing drugs or therapeutics for animal healthcare
Companies that provide digital solutions like an app, software, web portals for the management/treatment of diseases.
Companies developing non cellular therapies for the treatment of diseases are excluded.
Key Metrics
Total Companies
Top Companies
Total Funding
Funded Companies
Series A+ Companies
Series C+ Companies
IPOs
Acquisitions
Top Cell Therapy Companies in China
There are 60 Cell Therapy startups in China which include Innovative Cellular Therapeutics, Legend Biotechnology, CARsgen, Shize Bio, OriCell Therapeutics. Out of these, 47 startups are funded, with 23 having secured Series A+ funding.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 3 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of Harvard University and Tsinghua University.
Here is the list of top Cell Therapy startups in China
Developer of CAR-T cell therapies for blood cancers and solid tumors. The company has a CoupledCAR technology platform to develop a pipeline of drugs for colorectal, thyroid, pancreatic, and lung cancer.
Key facts about Innovative Cellular Therapeutics
- Founded Year: 2009
- Location: Shanghai (China)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $97.1M
- Investors: ShenZhen GTJA Investment Group, CDH and 5 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Sep 06, 2021, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 60/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 227 of 4,408 Competitors
Developer of cell therapy to treat cancer and infectious diseases. The company focused on developing CAR-T cell therapies for hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and infectious diseases.
Key facts about Legend Biotechnology
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Nanjing (China)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $150M
- Investors: Lilly Asia Ventures, RA Capital Management and 4 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Apr 19, 2023, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 60/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 198 of 3,855 Competitors
3. CARsgen
Developer of CAR-T cell therapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The company's lead product is KJgpc3-001, a glypican-3 (GPC3)-directed CAR-T cell therapy for liver cancer, and is also advancing CAR-T therapies for lung and brain cancers in parallel.
Key facts about CARsgen
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Shanghai (China)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $276M
- Investors: Loayal Valley Capital, DAOL Investment and 8 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Nov 02, 2020, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 59/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 239 of 3,852 Competitors
4. Shize Bio
Developer of stem-cell therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases. By using gene-editing technology, the company has engineered a pluripotent stem cell platform to develop therapeutics for degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.
Key facts about Shize Bio
- Founded Year: 2021
- Location: Minhang (China)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $41.7M
- Investors: Qiming Venture Partners, Yuanhe Holdings and 10 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Oct 23, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 55/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 6 of 75 Competitors
Developer of immuno-therapeutics for cancer treatment. It offers CAR-T- based therapies and antibodies for the treatment of liver cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, cervical cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and others.
Key facts about OriCell Therapeutics
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Pudong (China)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $170M
- Investors: RTW Investments, Qatar Investment Authority and 7 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Feb 28, 2023, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 53/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 511 of 3,855 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Cell Therapy sector in China
12 Cell Therapy startups in China were founded in 2021 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | - |
2023 | - |
2022 | 1 |
2021 | 12 |
2020 | 4 |
2019 | 2 |
2018 | 7 |
2017 | 4 |
Stage-wise distribution of Cell Therapy sector companies in China
Out of the total 60 Cell Therapy companies in China, 47 have secured funding. Among them, 23 have reached Series A or higher, and 13 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 60
Funded - 47
Series A+ - 23
Series B+ - 13
Series C+ - 7
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 60 |
Funded | 47 |
Series A+ | 23 |
Series B+ | 13 |
Series C+ | 7 |
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Funding Trends in the Cell Therapy sector in China
Total funding year-on-year in the Cell Therapy sector in China
The Cell Therapy sector in China saw a total funding of more than $1.58B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2020 at more than $489M.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $57.9M |
2024 | $27.8M |
2023 | $274M |
2022 | $365M |
2021 | $96M |
2020 | $489M |
2019 | $134M |
2018 | $103M |
2017 | $7.5M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Cell Therapy in China
In the year 2025, till October 2025, Cell Therapy companies in China have raised $57.9M in equity funding across 3 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till October 2024), Cell Therapy companies in China had raised $27.8M across 3 rounds.
So, 2025 has seen a 108.09% rise in funding in Cell Therapy companies in China as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Cell Therapy companies in China:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series B | 7038 | Oct 22, 2025 | and 5 more | |
Series A | 5479 | Jul 09, 2025 | - | |
Series A | 4146 | Apr 10, 2025 | and 2 more | |
Series B | 7520 | Oct 23, 2024 | and 5 more | |
Series A | 2519 | Apr 02, 2024 |
Top Investors in Cell Therapy in China
Orbimed is the top investor in Cell Therapy companies in China based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Cell Therapy companies in China:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
New York City (United States) | ||
Hellerup (Denmark) | - | |
Palo Alto (United States) | ||
Menlo Park (United States) | - | |
Singapore (Singapore) | - |
M&A activity in Cell Therapy sector in China
In the year 2023, till December 2023, 1 acquisition happened in Cell Therapy sector in China.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Cell Therapy sector in China:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Dec 26, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jun 13, 2021 |
Acquisition trends in Cell Therapy sector in China
Here are the acquisition trends in Cell Therapy sector in China:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | - |
2023 | 1 |
2022 | - |
2021 | 1 |
2020 | - |
2019 | - |
2018 | - |
2017 | - |
IPOs in Cell Therapy in China
In the year 2021, till June 2021, 2 IPOs happened in Cell Therapy sector in China.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Cell Therapy sector in China:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Jun 18, 2021 | Hong Kong Exchanges (HKG) | |
Jan 08, 2021 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Jun 11, 2020 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) |
Colleges which produce the most Cell Therapy companies in China
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Cell Therapy in China
Most number of Cell Therapy startups in China have been founded by alumni from Harvard University and Tsinghua University.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Harvard University | 1 |
Tsinghua University | 1 |
Top News in Cell Therapy in China
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XellSmart's Spinal Cord Injury Cell Therapy Approved for US FDA Clinical TrialPR Newswire•May 26, 2025•Shize Bio
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FDA lifts hold on North Carolina drug factory one year after maggots foundThe Business Journals•Nov 04, 2024•CARsgen
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Coherus Pharmaceuticals (02171.HK) submitted an application to the FDA to lift the clinical suspensionShareandstocks•Oct 09, 2024•CARsgen
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CARSgen enrols all patients in trial of CAR T-cell therapy for gastric cancerClinical Trials Arena•Aug 20, 2024•CARsgen
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