Capital injection: China backs AI drug makers in self-reliance drive



Hangzhou-based METiS TechBio, founded in 2020, raised 400 million yuan (US$57.9 million) in series D financing in August last year, led by the Beijing Medical and Health Industry Investment Fund and the Daxing Industrial Investment Fund – both government-linked vehicles – according to the company’s website.

Using a proprietary AI platform focused on optimising drug delivery, the company has developed MTS-004, an oral treatment for neurological disorders that has completed Phase III trials, making it China’s first AI-designed drug candidate to reach that stage.

The company plans to seek regulatory approval in China this year.

In earlier funding rounds totalling about US$150 million in 2022, METiS attracted a broad mix of domestic investors, including state-linked insurers PICC Capital and China Life Private Equity, as well as venture firm HongShan, formerly known as Sequoia China before splitting from its US parent in 2023.

METiS is also considering a Hong Kong initial public offering that could raise about US$200 million, according to a Bloomberg report published last May.

  • Related Posts

    Opinion | What Hong Kong’s conservative stablecoin licence roll-out reveals

    The most revealing fact about Hong Kong’s stablecoin launch is not that licences were issued. It is who got them, and who did not. By handing the first approvals to…

    Continue reading
    Asian, emerging-market funds rotate into mainland China and Taiwan stocks: HSBC

    Fund managers investing in Asian and emerging markets added mainland Chinese and Taiwanese stocks to their portfolios in February and March, while cutting their exposure to South Korean equities, according…

    Continue reading

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *