Changchun High-Tech Industry (Group) Co., Ltd.

Changchun GeneScience Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (GenSci) has registered a Phase I clinical trial of GenSci148, a multispecific fusion protein targeting VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The trial is listed as not yet recruiting, with an estimated start date of September 2026 at Shanghai General Hospital. The open-label, dose-escalation study (NCT07817615) is structured in two parts and plans to enroll up to 60 participants. Part 1 evaluates single ascending intravitreal doses — 1 mg, 3 mg, 7 mg, and 10 mg per eye — in nAMD patients. Part 2 moves to multiple ascending doses across all three indications, with dose levels described as low, medium, and high. Participants meeting retreatment criteria during follow-up may receive additional injections. The primary completion date is listed as June 2028, with full study completion expected by October 2028. GenSci148 is designed to simultaneously block three VEGF isoforms (VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D) and Ang-2, a combination that, according to a GenSci press release, is intended to suppress pathological angiogenesis, reduce vascular permeability, and improve vascular stability. The molecule's broader target profile distinguishes it from faricimab (Vabysmo), Roche's approved dual VEGF-A/Ang-2 bispecific antibody, which does not address VEGF-C or VEGF-D. Whether the broader VEGF blockade translates into clinically meaningful differences in durability or anatomical outcomes remains to be established in human studies. The molecule's development involved an AI-guided protein engineering collaboration with Shanghai Matwings Technology Co., Ltd. (Matwings). According to a Matwings press release, four iterative AI–wet lab cycles evaluated 222 protein variants, with reported preclinical improvements including up to approximately 10-fold improved VEGF-A binding affinity, up to approximately 3-fold improved VEGF-A/C/D functional blockade, and inhibitory activity maintained 84 days after dosing in an evaluated nonclinical retinal model. Under the specific experimental conditions tested, the optimized molecule also showed greater inhibition than aflibercept and faricimab. Matwings explicitly noted these findings are preclinical and do not establish comparative clinical efficacy or safety. GenSci said it received clinical trial clearance from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in August 2026. Faricimab, approved by the US FDA in January 2022 for nAMD and DME, demonstrated non-inferior visual acuity gains versus aflibercept and achieved up to 16-week dosing intervals in Phase III trials. China-based Kexing Biopharm's GB10, a bispecific antibody employing a structurally distinct VEGF-Trap fused to an anti-Ang-2 single-domain VHH antibody, dosed its first subject in a Phase I trial in China in mid-2026. GenSci148 is differentiated by its explicit simultaneous targeting of VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and Ang-2, although whether broader VEGF blockade translates into greater durability or clinical efficacy remains unproven. GenSci, a subsidiary of Changchun High-Tech Industries (Group) and headquartered in Changchun, China, has been expanding its ophthalmology pipeline alongside partnerships in other therapeutic areas, including a USD 1.365 billion global ex-China licensing deal for its anti-TSHR antibody GS-098 announced in December 2025. GenSci148 represents the company's ophthalmology lead program and, according to its pipeline page, is listed under the Evomab multispecific antibody platform. Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics data from Part 1 are expected to inform dose selection for Part 2. The key question for progression will be whether the Phase I safety profile supports the dosing intervals GenSci has proposed, and whether preliminary efficacy signals in Part 2 — across nAMD, DME, and RVO — justify the broader development investment that would be required to compete against established agents in each indication. Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article

Connecticut-based Yarrow Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq: YARW) announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 5,769,231 shares of common stock at USD 26.00 per share, raising approximately USD 150 million in gross proceeds to fund research and development expenses for Yarrow's pipeline and general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. The offering, priced at USD 26.00 per share, represents Yarrow's first public equity raise since completing its merger with VYNE Therapeutics and closing approximately USD 200 million in private pre-closing financings in late July 2026. Underwriters hold a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 865,384 shares at the offering price. The offering was expected to close on September 14, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. Yarrow's lead asset, YB-101 (GenSci-098), is an anti-thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) monoclonal antibody being developed for Graves' disease (GD) and thyroid eye disease (TED). The company describes it as a potential first-in-class agent that blocks TSHR, the common autoantibody target in both conditions, with the aim of arresting the underlying disease process rather than managing symptoms. Yarrow holds exclusive global ex-China rights to YB-101 under a licensing agreement with Changchun GeneScience Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (GenSci), which the company said was valued at up to USD 1.37 billion at signing. Yarrow initiated dosing in a Phase II randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial evaluating YB-101 in GD patients with or without concurrent TED following US FDA Fast Track Designation. Phase IIa data are expected in the second half of 2027. GenSci is conducting a separate Phase I single ascending dose and multiple ascending dose trial in TED patients in China, with data also anticipated in the second half of 2027. The combined USD 150 million public raise adds to the prior USD 200 million in private financings completed alongside Yarrow’s July merger with VYNE, which the company previously said would support operations into 2028. Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article

The GenSci148 program illustrates a shift from one-time mutation prediction to iterative protein engineering under real drug-development constraints SHANGHAI, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai Matwings Technology Co., Ltd. ("Matwings") today announced that GenSci148 Injection, an investigational ophthalmic biologic developed by Changchun GeneScience Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("GenSci"), has received clinical trial clearance in China for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Matwings supported the GenSci148 program through four iterative AI–wet lab cycles covering 222 protein variants. Rather than applying AI as a one-time mutation-prediction tool, the teams repeatedly used experimental results to redesign both molecules and optimization objectives. The program progressed from improving biological activity to balancing potency, stability, expression, formulation and other development-relevant properties—illustrating a shift from predicting mutations to engineering therapeutic proteins under real drug-development constraints. Four AI–Wet Lab Cycles, 222 Variants Matwings and GenSci implemented a closed-loop workflow combining AI-guided molecular design, wet-lab testing, experimental feedback and redesign. Across four iterative cycles, the teams evaluated 222 protein variants. The first two rounds assessed 92 and 30 variants, respectively, with an initial focus on biological activity. The next two rounds evaluated 50 variants each, expanding the optimization objectives to include high-concentration formulation viscosity and broader developability requirements. Experimental results from each round were incorporated into subsequent design cycles, allowing not only the molecular designs but also the optimization objectives to evolve as evidence accumulated. The campaign therefore progressed from: activity optimization → broader developability optimization → multi-objective molecular engineering Across the optimization campaign, experimentally tested variants demonstrated improvements or favorable performance across six development-relevant properties: Together, these results reflect optimization across three increasingly demanding dimensions of therapeutic protein development: biological performance, molecular developability and formulation-relevant properties. In the nonclinical retinal model evaluated during the program, the optimized molecule maintained inhibitory activity 84 days after dosing. Under the specific experimental conditions tested, it also showed greater inhibition than aflibercept and faricimab. These findings are preclinical and do not establish comparative clinical efficacy or safety. Beyond Mutation Prediction: Engineering Proteins Under Real Drug-Development Constraints Therapeutic protein engineering requires balancing biological activity with stability, expression, formulation and other development constraints. In the GenSci148 program, experimental results continuously informed subsequent AI-guided designs, enabling the optimization process to move beyond a single fixed objective. Some experimentally validated mutations were located away from the conventional target-binding interface, illustrating how AI-guided exploration can identify productive regions of sequence space beyond interface-focused design. The program also illustrates a broader progression in protein AI validation: computational benchmarking → experimental validation → repeated integration within a real drug-development workflow GenSci148 represents the third stage of this progression, with AI-guided design and experimental evidence repeatedly linked across successive engineering cycles. The Venus Protein AI Stack Matwings' Venus protein AI stack has evolved from sequence-centered modeling toward systems integrating three-dimensional structure, evolutionary information and task-specific capabilities. Importantly, the AI-guided engineering work supporting GenSci148 was conducted using Venus 1.0, while Venus has since advanced to Venus 3.0, represented by VenusREM, which integrates protein sequence, three-dimensional structure and evolutionary information for mutation-effect prediction. Rather than relying on a single model, different components are applied to different protein R&D and engineering tasks within the broader closed-loop workflow. Certain models within the broader Venus portfolio are in development or planned stages. Together, these models form a specialist AI stack that can be combined with experimental data and iterative design across different stages of protein engineering. From External Validation to Therapeutic Creation The GenSci148 collaboration provides external validation of Matwings' protein-engineering capabilities in a real therapeutic development program. In March 2026, Matwings established Shanghai Biowings Therapeutics Co., Ltd. ("Biowings Therapeutics") to apply the same closed-loop engineering approach to internally originated therapeutic programs. Matwings develops the underlying AI and protein-engineering technology engine, while Biowings Therapeutics combines these capabilities with disease biology and drug-development expertise to create and advance therapeutic candidates. "The real test of AI for science is not whether a model performs well on a benchmark, but whether it can create measurable value through repeated design–experiment cycles in an actual R&D program," said Prof. Liang Hong, Founder and Chief Scientist of Matwings. "GenSci148 marks an important step from demonstrating individual model capabilities toward building a repeatable protein-engineering system." "Matwings contributed important molecular engineering and optimization capabilities to the GenSci148 program," said Dr. Lei Jin, CEO of GenSci. "Rather than relying on one-time predictions, the teams repeatedly combined AI-guided design with experimental evidence to improve properties relevant to drug development." About Matwings Shanghai Matwings Technology Co., Ltd. is an AI-driven protein R&D company integrating specialist AI models, computational molecular design and experimental validation to support iterative protein engineering and drug development. For more information, visit . About Biowings Therapeutics Shanghai Biowings Therapeutics Co., Ltd. focuses on AI-enabled therapeutic asset creation and clinical translation. Scientific and Development Notice: GenSci148 is an investigational product. Its safety and efficacy have not been established. Preclinical findings are specific to the experimental systems and conditions evaluated and may not predict clinical outcomes. Contact: Website: E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Shanghai Matwings Technology Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Biowings Therapeutics Co., Ltd. 21% more press release views with Request a Demo