On July 28, 2026 CORE Biomedicine, a biotechnology company pioneering lineage-based precision oncology therapeutics, reported the completion of a $21 million Series A financing. The round is co-led by UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. and Elikon Venture, alongside participation from InnoPinnacle Fund, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd., Suzhou Capital Group Co., Ltd., CD Capital, YuanBio Venture Capital, Vision Incubate Co., Ltd., and Root Venture Partners. CORE’s lineage-based approach is designed to identify and target core oncology drivers with precision while expanding the potential patient populations that may benefit from these novel therapies.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
In addition to venture financing, CORE Biomedicine Japan, a wholly owned subsidiary, has been awarded a grant under the Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem, a highly competitive initiative run by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) to accelerate innovative biotech companies and support Japan’s biopharma ecosystem. This grant supports CORE’s research and development activities while strengthening collaborations through partnerships with Japanese universities, hospitals and the overall biopharma community.
These resources will advance CORE’s lead programs through discovery and early clinical development. CORE is building an innovative precision medicine company by leveraging the rapidly evolving global biotech ecosystem.
"This venture financing and AMED’s support represent a major milestone for CORE Biomedicine and validate our vision for a new generation of oncology medicines," said Dr. Ping Zhu, Co-Founder and CEO of CORE Biomedicine. "We are grateful to our investors and partners as we advance our programs toward the clinic with the goal of bringing transformative therapies to patients globally."
"CORE Biomedicine’s lineage-based approach addresses a fundamental challenge in cancer biology that genomics alone cannot solve," said Makoto (Mark) Ohori, PhD, Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Life Sciences, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. "We are proud to co-lead this financing and look forward to supporting the CORE Biomedicine team as they advance their programs toward the clinic."
"Elikon Venture highly recognizes the CORE Biomedicine team for their distinctive insights and extensive R&D experience in oncology area. We are delighted to witness the company’s fast-growing trajectory. We look forward to collaborating with CORE Biomedicine to advance its cutting-edge drug pipeline and address unmet medical needs for global patients by delivering better clinical benefits."
(Press release, CORE Biomedicine, JUL 28, 2026, View Source [SID1234669471])