Regenephro Inc. (Headquarters: Kyoto City, CEO: Shofumi Morinaka) has recently completed a Series B round of funding, raising funds through third-party allotments to DCI Partners Inc., JIC Venture Growth Investments Inc., Nippon Venture Capital Co., Ltd., Tohoku University Venture Partners Inc., Golden Asia Fund Ventures Ltd., Mitsui Chemicals Inc., Global Brain Inc., Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd., JAFCO Group Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd., QB2 Partners Limited Liability Partnership, Asahi Kasei Corporation, and others (as listed in the attached table).
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The total amount raised in this series was 2.5 billion yen, with the initial deposit amount being 2.25 billion yen. This brings the total amount raised since the Company’s founding to 4.4 billion yen.
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With this funding, the Company will accelerate its efforts to complete domestic early phase II clinical trials of its development product RN-014, prepare for clinical trials overseas, and complete non-clinical trials of RN-032.
Comments from investors:
DCI Partners Co., Ltd.
As the lead investor in this round, our Daiwa Japan-Taiwan Bio Venture Fund No. 2 has invested. We will fully support Regenephro’s growth.
JIC Venture Growth Investments Co., Ltd.
We believe that the company is conducting advanced drug discovery research based on Professor Osafune’s discoveries and can provide new treatment solutions for intractable kidney diseases.
Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd.
We are pleased that Regenephro, which we have supported since before its founding, has finally entered the clinical phase. We hope that this funding will accelerate clinical trials and bring new therapeutic drugs to patients sooner.
JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.
We hope that this funding will further accelerate Regenephro’s research and development into iPS drug discovery and provide new treatment options to patients suffering from diseases with limited treatment options.
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd.
We are pleased to make an additional investment in Regenepro, which has made remarkable progress since our Series A investment. We will continue to support Regenepro’s efforts to put Professor Osafune’s innovative iPS cell technology into practical use in society.
About Rege nephro Inc.
Regenephro is a clinical-stage drug discovery startup founded in 2019 that utilizes technology based on the research seeds of Professor Kenji Osafune of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University. We are developing drugs to treat diseases related to the liver and pancreas, with a focus on the kidneys.
About RN-014
A candidate drug for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). It is a retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonist, and is expected to suppress cyst formation and improve renal function. A phase II clinical trial will begin in December 2023.
The phase II clinical trial consists of a PK phase and a randomized phase, and subjects for the randomized phase are currently being recruited. Since this is the first clinical trial to administer tamibarotene to ADPKD patients, various safety measures have been set, such as gradual recruitment of subjects, regular third-party safety monitoring by the efficacy and safety evaluation committee, criteria for reducing and discontinuing the investigational drug, and criteria for discontinuing the entire clinical trial. No major problems have occurred to date.
About RN-032
A cell therapy for chronic kidney disease (CKD) using nephron progenitor cells derived from human iPS cells. When nephron progenitor cells (iNPCs) made from human iPS cells are transplanted under the renal capsule, it has been shown in multiple mouse model experiments that they improve impaired renal function.
Nephron progenitor cells are the cells that are the origin of nephrons, the smallest unit of renal function, discovered by our scientific advisor, Professor Osafune, and have the ability to improve renal function.
