Celaid Therapeutics Completes Second Close of Series B Financing Round

Shionogi & Co., Ltd. and Teikoku Ventures, Inc. Join the Round to Accelerate 
U.S. Clinical Trial Preparations for CLD-001

TOKYO, Oct. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Celaid Therapeutics Inc. (Head Office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Nobuyuki Arakawa; "Celaid") today announced the completion of the second close of its Series B financing round. The round welcomed Shionogi & Co., Ltd. and Teikoku Ventures, Inc. as new investors, raising a total of JPY 400 million (approximately USD 2.6 million). In addition, Celaid passed the second stage-gate review of AMED's "Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem" and was selected for Stage 3 funding. With this financing and AMED support, Celaid's cumulative funding raised to date, including grants, now totals approximately JPY 3.42 billion (approximately USD 22.1 million).

The participating investors cited CLD-001's development progress and its therapeutic potential as key factors in their investment decisions. The new participation from pharmaceutical companies represents significant momentum for Celaid as it advances the U.S. development of CLD-001.

CLD-001 is a novel ex vivo-expanded hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) therapy product being developed for severe pediatric non-malignant diseases. Celaid is advancing the CLD-001 program toward the initiation of a first-in-human clinical trial in the United States, with preparations underway across the nonclinical, cell manufacturing and CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls), clinical, and regulatory activities. To date, the CLD-001 program has achieved the following key milestones:

Key Development Milestones for CLD-001

• Positive nonclinical data supporting the efficacy and safety profile of CLD-001 in animal models
• Established the manufacturing process for CLD-001 and completed technology transfer to a U.S. contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO)
• Completed a Pre-IND Meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and advanced preparations toward an IND submission and clinical trial initiation

Proceeds from this financing will be allocated primarily to manufacturing, safety assessment, clinical development, and regulatory activities in support of CLD-001's IND application and the initiation of clinical trials in the United States. Celaid will also continue to strengthen its proprietary hematopoietic stem cell expansion platform and pursue its application to new therapeutic modalities and business opportunities in the cell and gene therapy field.

"We are greatly encouraged by the participation of Shionogi & Co. and Teikoku Ventures as new investors in this round. We are also deeply grateful for AMED's approval of our advancement to Stage 3 under the "Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem" and for its continued support. Through this financing and AMED's support, we will steadily advance our preparations toward initiating clinical trials for CLD-001 in the United States. Our goal is to become a global leader in the hematopoietic stem cell field and, from Japan, deliver innovative treatment options to patients worldwide by advancing both our HSC-based pipeline and our platform business."
— Nobuyuki Arakawa, President and CEO, Celaid Therapeutics, Inc.

Series B Second Close Overview

Amount Raised: JPY 400 million (approximately USD 2.6 million)
Method: Third-party allocation of new shares (private placement)
New Investors (Underwriters):

• Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
• Teikoku Ventures, Inc. (a corporate venture capital company within the TEIKOKU SEIYAKU Group)

Grant Awarded:
AMED "Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem" – Stage 3

Comments from Investors

"Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can offer the only curative treatment option for certain serious hematologic and inherited diseases, particularly in pediatric patients. However, significant challenges remain, including donor shortages and post-transplant complications.
We believe Celaid's hematopoietic stem cell expansion technology represents an innovative approach with the potential to overcome these challenges and provide treatment opportunities to more patients. We highly value Celaid's technology and vision, which strongly align with SHIONOGI's commitment to protecting people's health and addressing societal challenges through the creation of new value. For these reasons, we have decided to invest in Celaid Therapeutics Inc.
We look forward to Celaid's continued progress in global development and hope that CLD-001, an innovative cell therapy, will ultimately reach as many patients as possible."
— Keisuke Kusumoto, Director, Head of CVC, Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Strategy Division, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

"We are highly encouraged by Celaid Therapeutics' novel ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell expansion technology, which has the potential to serve as a foundational platform for cell and gene therapies targeting hematologic malignancies, other severe hematologic disorders, and genetic diseases, as well as for ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell gene therapies.
We also view this investment as an important opportunity to support a Japan-originated startup with innovative scientific capabilities. Furthermore, we believe it represents a significant milestone in our efforts to advance open innovation and contribute to the creation of new treatment options for patients."
— Mitsuhiro Matsumura, Chief Executive Officer, Teikoku Ventures, Inc.

About Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are stem cells capable of differentiating into the various blood and immune cell types, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. HSCs also possess the capacity for self-renewal, ensuring lifelong maintenance of the hematopoietic system. Because HSCs are typically present only in very limited quantities within the body or within collected samples, securing a sufficient quantity for therapeutic use remains a significant challenge.

About CLD-001

CLD-001 is being developed as an HSC product for severe pediatric non-malignant diseases. For serious diseases such as primary immunodeficiency, inherited metabolic disorders, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell disease, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation represents an important treatment option with curative potential. However, allogeneic HSC transplantation continues to face significant unmet needs, including donor-related challenges such as a shortage of matched donors and HLA mismatches, as well as serious complications following transplantation, including graft failure, transplant-related mortality, and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).

Using frozen umbilical cord blood stored in cord blood banks as its cell source, CLD-001 applies Celaid's proprietary hematopoietic stem cell expansion technology to overcome the limited number of hematopoietic stem cells contained in cord blood, while enabling greater flexibility in selecting cord blood units with more favorable HLA matching. Through this approach, Celaid aims to contribute to improved overall survival following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

About Celaid Therapeutics Inc.

Celaid Therapeutics Inc. is a biotechnology startup originating from the University of Tokyo and the University of Tsukuba, with proprietary technology for the selective ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which give rise to all blood cells. By enabling the safe and efficient expansion of human HSCs, Celaid aims to advance next-generation cell and gene therapies, including HSC-based therapies for hematologic and genetic diseases, ex vivo HSC gene therapies, and regenerative therapies for ischemic diseases.

Contact Information
Celaid Therapeutics Inc.
Address: UTokyo Entrepreneur Lab., South Clinical Research Bldg., 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8485, Japan
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: https://celaidtx.com/en/

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SOURCE Celaid Therapeutics Inc.