Vibrant Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech developing “logic-gated” therapeutics designed to activate selectively in diseased tissue, announced it has raised $61 million in new financing and appointed Han Lee, Ph.D. as co-chief executive officer as the company prepares to broaden global development of its lead solid tumor program. The round brought in new investors, Pfizer Ventures and Apricot Capital, and included participation from Bayland Capital, HSG, Northern Light Venture Capital, and First Principle Venture Limited, according to the company. With the latest proceeds, Vibrant said its total capital raised now stands at $100 million.
Alongside the financing, Vibrant said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Investigational New Drug application for VIB305, its lead program targeting EGFR-positive solid tumors. The IND acceptance enables the company to initiate U.S. clinical studies and supports what it described as a globally relevant development strategy for VIB305 and other pipeline assets.
Vibrant’s VIB305 is positioned as a “logic-gated, masked T-cell engager” prodrug designed to remain inactive in circulation and healthy tissues and then selectively activate in the tumor microenvironment. The company said the program uses a dual-targeting approach directed at EGFR-expressing solid tumors, with activation governed by tumor-associated biological signals—an architecture intended to concentrate activity in tumors and potentially widen the therapeutic window compared with conventional approaches. VIB305 is currently being evaluated in Phase 1 clinical trials in Australia and China.
The new capital is slated to support the advancement of Vibrant’s pipeline, continued development of its drug design platform, and expansion of the organization to support growth and global development activities. The company also framed Dr. Lee’s appointment as a step toward scaling outside China, with co-founder Larry Wang, Ph.D., continuing as co-CEO.
As part of the governance changes, Vibrant said Michael Diem, M.D. of Pfizer Ventures, Trency Gu of HSG, and Zhen Zhang of Apricot Capital will join the company’s board of directors.
Lee brings more than 15 years of biopharma leadership experience spanning company building, corporate development, finance, and strategic transactions. Most recently, he served as president and chief financial officer of ImmPACT Bio and was involved in the deal team supporting its acquisition by Lyell Immunopharma. Prior to that, he held senior roles at Neogene, Arcellx, and AstraZeneca, with responsibilities that included financings, IPO preparations, M&A, and strategic partnerships. Lee holds a Ph.D. in genetics and an MBA from Yale University, and earned his undergraduate degree in molecular cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Vibrant is also highlighting its integrated “dry-wet” R&D approach—combining computational prediction with experimental validation in a closed-loop model—as a core differentiator intended to accelerate candidate screening and optimization. The company said the platform leverages advanced computational methods and high-throughput experimental verification to improve design precision and shorten development timelines in solid tumor immunotherapy programs, while exploring broader applications across additional modalities and therapeutic areas.
The company was founded by Larry Wang, Ph.D., a co-founder of GenScript, and is headquartered in Guangzhou, China and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
KEY QUOTES:
“Vibrant’s intelligently designed logic-gated approach to developing next-generation therapeutics represents a compelling opportunity potentially in multiple therapeutic areas. We look forward to supporting the Vibrant team as they advance their science into the clinic.”
Michael Diem, M.D., Senior Managing Partner, Pfizer Ventures; Vice President, Worldwide Business Development (WWBD)
“Vibrant represents the type of platform-driven company we seek to support – one that pairs innovative science with a clear path to global development. The company’s logic-gated approach and rapid progress with VIB305 underscore its potential to meaningfully expand the therapeutic window in solid tumors, and we are excited to partner with the team as they enter this next phase of growth.”
Arthur Qiang, Ph.D., Managing Partner, Apricot Capital
“We are pleased to close these financings and welcome Dr. Lee as co-CEO, who will help guide Vibrant’s global expansion and advance its pipeline toward broader development outside of China. We are also excited to advance VIB305 into clinical development, validating the strength of our platform and the promise of our pipeline to deliver prodrug therapies designed to improve safety and efficacy for people with solid tumors.”
Larry Wang, Ph.D., Founder and Co-CEO, Vibrant Therapeutics
“Vibrant has built a differentiated platform that combines intelligent molecular design with disease-selective biology. I’m excited to partner with Larry and the team to help scale the organization globally and advance programs like VIB305 toward meaningful impact for patients.”
Han Lee, Ph.D., Co-CEO, Vibrant Therapeutics
