Yuanyin Bio

About Yuanyin Bio

Yuanyin Bio, also known as Therorna, is a biotechnology company established in April 2021 by Professor Wei Wensheng of Peking University. The company is headquartered in Beijing, China, with an additional office in Shanghai. Yuanyin Bio specializes in the research and application of circular RNA (circRNA) technology to develop innovative drugs, vaccines, and therapies. The company's business model is centered on creating a pipeline of prophylactic and therapeutic drugs to address unmet clinical needs, particularly in the fields of infectious diseases and oncology.

Professor Wei Wensheng's laboratory at Peking University was the first research group globally to apply circRNA technology to vaccine development, notably reporting results for a circRNA vaccine against COVID-19 and its variants in early 2021. This foundational research underpins the company's core technology. The circRNA platform offers advantages over linear mRNA, such as enhanced stability and prolonged protein expression, which are beneficial for therapeutic applications. The company's pipeline includes novel treatments for SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, as well as therapies for rare diseases and cancer.

The company's operations are financed through venture capital. Yuanyin Bio has successfully raised significant capital to fund its research and development activities. In November 2021, it secured over CNY 100 million in a Pre-A financing round led by Quan Capital and followed by Cenova Capital. This was followed by a substantial Series A round of USD 42 million in June 2022, co-led by MSA Capital and with participation from Sherpa Healthcare Partners, 3H Health Investment, and existing investors. These funds are allocated to advance the product pipeline, support preclinical and clinical research, and facilitate international collaborations.