Cellenkos® Inc. Secures $15 Million Series A Financing to Accelerate the Development of Transformation Cell-Based Therapies

HOUSTON and SHANGHAI, Nov. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellenkos® Inc. ("Cellenkos"), a biotech company focused on developing transformative novel T regulatory (Treg) cell therapies to treat autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced the close of $15 million Series A financing led by BVCF Management Ltd ("BVCF"). Proceeds from this financing will be used to further its development on the Treg cell therapy platform to address high unmet needs in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

Cellenkos is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and was founded by Simrit Parmar, MD. of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Golden Meditech Holdings Limited.  Dr. Parmar is a Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Lymphoma Myeloma as well as Experimental Therapeutics at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is also the principal investigator of a research laboratory focused on umbilical cord blood-derived Treg cells including their isolation and ex-vivo expansion for generating clinically relevant doses for their application in autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders.  

The company's lead products include CK0802, a novel allogeneic cell therapy product consisting of lung homing Treg cells from umbilical cord blood units, for the treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and CK0804, novel bone marrow homing allogenic Treg subpopulation, for the treatment of Myelofibrosis.  Cellenkos' cord blood-derived Treg cell therapeutic platform is licensed from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

"We feel fortunate to welcome BVCF as a new investor. As I look ahead, we are committed to bringing our novel Treg cell therapies to patients in need around the world," said Dr. Parmar. 

"Cellenkos' innovative and transformative Treg cell therapy platform to address autoimmune and inflammatory disorders has the potential to significantly serve unmet patient needs. We are proud to lead the financing and support their groundbreaking efforts," said Dr. Zhi Yang, Managing Partner at BVCF.

About Cellenkos
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Cellenkos is a clinical stage biotech company focused on the development and commercialization of transformative novel allogeneic Treg cell therapies to treat autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Cellenkos' proprietary CRANE™ platform, allows to generate tissue directed, activated and enriched Treg cells that leverage cellular intelligence to seek, localize, proliferate and resolve tissue inflammation.

Cellenkos' in-house cGMP facility allows for large-scale manufacturing where multiple doses can be generated from a single umbilical cord blood unit. These off-the-shelf allogeneic cell products are cryopreserved and are available on-demand for infusion at the point of care. 

Cellenkos' rich product pipeline addresses unmet needs in the field of inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases.

The safety and early efficacy data of CK0801 for the treatment of aplastic anemia and other cytopenias (NCT03773393), will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) on December 13, 2021.

Cellenkos has completed a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial of CK0802 for the treatment of moderate to severe COVID19 ARDS patients who are mechanically ventilated (NCT04468971). The results will be presented during an oral presentation at the annual meeting of the ASH on December 13, 2021.

Cellenkos plans to launch a phase 1b trial of add on therapy with CK0804, for treatment of myelofibrosis patients, with suboptimal response to Ruxolitinib (Jakafi®), in collaboration with Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ: INCY); and a phase 1b trial of CK0803, a novel neuro-homing, allogeneic Treg subpopulation for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

For more information, please visit www.cellenkosinc.com.

About BVCF Management Ltd
BVCF Management Ltd ("BVCF") is a healthcare investment company that invests in growth-stage healthcare companies from around the world, with a particular focus on innovative solutions that address unmet health needs in China. BVCF actively assists business owners and entrepreneurs build their companies into world-class enterprises. To date, BVCF has raised five funds. It is headquartered in Shanghai, China with offices in Beijing and Hong Kong SAR.  To learn more, please visit www.BVCF.com.    

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SOURCE BVCF Management Ltd.