Torrey Pines Medicine has raised tens of millions of renminbi in an angel financing round to advance ultra-long-acting peptide medicines for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases. The round was led by Lotus Lake Ventures, with participation from Stars Capital, Tainuo Capital, Blue Ocean Capital and entrepreneur Yousheng Shen. The company will use the proceeds to support corporate development, prepare its TPM004 program for an investigational new drug submission and Phase 1 clinical testing, and expand its PepTetris peptide discovery platform.
TPM004 is a preclinical amylin and calcitonin receptor dual agonist. The candidate is being designed for potentially monthly subcutaneous administration and is intended to address metabolic conditions through a longer duration of drug exposure.
Torrey Pines reported that preclinical studies showed potential weight-loss activity, delayed weight regain following discontinuation and high solubility and stability at physiological pH. These findings have not yet been established in human clinical trials.
The company is also evaluating the potential to combine TPM004 with GLP-1 therapies. It is targeting key clinical data in 2027, although the timing will depend on regulatory clearance, trial initiation and study execution.
PepTetris combines AI-guided molecular design, peptide engineering, half-life extension and multi-target drug development. The platform is intended to create peptide therapies that can be administered monthly or potentially less frequently while preserving pharmacological activity and acceptable safety characteristics.
Torrey Pines is developing programs for obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and related chronic conditions. Its research is focused partly on challenges associated with existing weight-loss treatments, including gastrointestinal side effects, muscle loss, poor adherence and weight regain after therapy ends.
The company was incubated by Shenzhen Bay Laboratory and has a leadership team with experience across peptide drug discovery, pharmacology, manufacturing development, regulatory filings and clinical trials.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are deeply grateful for the trust and support from our investors. R&D in metabolic diseases is entering a new era. Significant unmet clinical needs remain regarding patient compliance, enhanced efficacy, and better overall therapeutic experience.”
“At Torrey Pines Medicine, we will continue leveraging our proprietary platform to engineer globally competitive, ultra-long-acting peptide therapeutics that provide convenient and highly effective long-term management solutions for patients.”
Dr. Qingsong Zhu, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Torrey Pines Medicine
“We have long tracked global trends in metabolic innovation and firmly believe that ultra-long-acting technology represents a critical frontier for next-generation metabolic therapies.”
“Torrey Pines Medicine combines a highly experienced international leadership team with proprietary platform technologies and a differentiated pipeline addressing significant unmet medical needs. We look forward to supporting the company as it advances its lead programs into the clinic and establishes itself as a globally recognized biotechnology company.”
Kai Guo, Partner at Lotus Lake Ventures
“Developing ultra-long-acting peptide medicines requires a holistic optimization of molecular design, receptor pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, manufacturability, and clinical translatability.”
“Our objective is not simply to prolong circulation time, but to engineer molecules that deliver the optimal balance of efficacy, safety, dosing convenience, and developability.”
Dr. Weijun Shen, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Torrey Pines Medicine
“We extend our warmest congratulations to Torrey Pines Medicine on the successful completion of its angel financing. As a flagship venture incubated by Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Torrey Pines Medicine encapsulates the deep integration of foundational research, technological innovation, and industrial translation.”
“We look forward to seeing them leverage their international team and platform advantages to accelerate the translation of original scientific breakthroughs into clinical applications.”
Dr. Nieng Yan, President of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation and Director of Shenzhen Bay Laboratory
