METiS TechBio (7666.HK), a global leader in AI-enabled drug-delivery innovation, today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Grit Biotechnology, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in immune cell therapy for oncology, on immune-targeted LNP technology, and has formally signed a comprehensive strategic agreement for technology collaboration. Built on NanoForge, METiS TechBio's proprietary world’s first AI-powered nanodelivery platform, this collaboration represents an important milestone for the NanoForge-enabled OpenCGT initiative.
Under the strategic technology agreement, the two parties will collaborate on immune-targeted lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology and jointly advance the research, development, and translational application of next-generation in vivo immunotherapy products. To date, leveraging NanoForge, METiS TechBio has achieved precise targeted delivery to eight key organs and tissues in the human body. Its pipeline covers oncology, the immune system, the central nervous system, the respiratory system, cardiovascular diseases, muscle diseases, and metabolic diseases. The company has filed a total of 224 patent applications and has been granted 52 patents.
The OpenCGT initiative was formally launched by METiS TechBio in 2025. It is designed to make the AiLNP platform capabilities under NanoForge accessible to global biotechnology companies, research institutions, and industry partners, accelerating innovation and translation in the field of cell and gene therapy (CGT). The platform focuses on tissue- and cell-targeted delivery, development of mRNA and gene-editing therapeutics, and next-generation in vivo immunotherapies, with the aim of building a globally open innovation infrastructure for AI-enabled nucleic acid medicines.
Since its launch, OpenCGT initiative under METiS TechBio’s NanoForge platform has established technology collaborations with several benchmark biotechnology companies across key CGT subsectors, including AccurEdit Therapeutics, Genturn Life, Grit Biotechnology, the Grandjoy Holdings industrial platform under COFCO Group, Biothunder AG, and Aicogen Therapeutics. The technology R&D efforts span multiple key areas, including cell therapy, gene therapy, cellular programming for fibrosis diseases, and in vivo immunotherapy. Collaboration models include research partnerships, joint development, and delivery-technology licensing, with commercial arrangements such as upfront payments, R&D and commercialization milestone payments, and sales royalties. The aggregate value of these collaborations has exceeded RMB 6 billion.
Dr. Chris Lai, Chairman and CEO of METiS TechBio, said, “Solving the challenges of nanodelivery through AI-driven innovation is the mission of METiS TechBio and our commitment to each of our R&D partners. The iterative loop of technology iteration, application scenarios, and real-world data feedback forms our competitive moat for accelerating innovation and is also the foundation for achieving commercial implementation. Breakthrough cell and gene therapies are creating new possibilities and hope for major diseases, and the OpenCGT initiative empowered by METiS TechBio’s NanoForge platform has become an important force in driving this process forward.”
Dr. Yarong Liu, Founder and CEO of Grit Biotechnology, said, “In vivo immunotherapy is becoming a major development direction for next-generation cell and gene therapy, and an efficient and precise delivery system will be its core infrastructure. We greatly look forward to collaborating with METiS TechBio by combining Grit Biotechnology’s R&D capabilities in immunotherapy with the leading capabilities of METiS TechBio’s NanoForge and AiLNP platforms in tissue- and cell-targeted delivery, to jointly advance the development and translational application of next-generation in vivo immunotherapy products. We believe this collaboration has the potential to further overcome the limitations of conventional cell therapy in manufacturing, cost, and accessibility, and to accelerate the delivery of innovative therapies that can truly benefit patients worldwide.”
Dr. Yongzhong Wang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AccurEdit Therapeutics, said, “AccurEdit's mission is to explore innovative treatment solutions that require only a single lifetime dose and offer cost advantages for patients worldwide. This is the guiding principle and direction of our collaboration with METiS TechBio's OpenCGT platform. We have already achieved preliminary results in liver-targeted CRISPR gene-editing therapy based on mRNA-LNP, and will continue to pursue broader exploration and collaboration in the fields of cell and gene editing."
Professor Xiangjun Zhou, Founder of Genturn Life, said, “Major chronic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have long lacked innovative therapies capable of truly achieving tissue repair and functional reversal. Through our in-depth collaboration with METiS TechBio’s NanoForge platform, we are combining METiS TechBio’s globally leading lung-targeted delivery technology and AiLNP platform capabilities with Genturn Life’s expertise in partial cellular reprogramming to jointly advance the R&D and clinical translation of reversal therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Looking ahead, the two parties will further explore the application potential of this technology platform in other major fibrotic diseases affecting organs such as the liver, kidney, and myocardium, bringing entirely new treatment solutions to patients worldwide.”
Dr. Jianguo Xu, CEO of Biothunder, said, “Cell editing is regarded as one of the important directions for next-generation in vivo gene therapy and immunotherapy, and has significant clinical and industrialization potential across multiple indication areas, including oncology, autoimmune diseases, and inflammation. Leveraging the R&D and translational capabilities of METiS TechBio’s NanoForge platform, we advanced the project to the PCC (preclinical candidate compound) stage in just a few months and have begun preparing for clinical development. This fully demonstrates the tremendous value of AI-driven platform-based R&D in terms of efficiency and innovation. We also look forward to further collaboration between the two parties across more projects and indication areas in the future.”
