Heartseed Raises $37 Million in Series C Funding to Accelerate Development of iPSC-derived Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Failure

Heartseed, a Tokyo-based biotechnology company developing iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for heart failure (HF), today announced it has raised 4 Billion-yen (approx. $37 Million) at Series C round, bringing its total financial backing to 8.2 Billion yen (approx. $75 Million) since its foundation in 2015.

New investors are UTokyo Innovation Platform Co. (UTokyo IPC), Medical Incubator Japan, Keio Innovation Initiative (KII), and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment. Among the existing investors, SBI Group, Nissay Capital, SMBC Capital, Medipal Holdings, and Itochu Chemical Frontier participated in this round.

Heartseed will use the new funds to accelerate the initiation of global clinical trial of HS-001 for HF as well as to confirm its proof of concept in Phase 1/2 LAPiS study in Japan. Additionally, Heartseed will also examine a less invasive administration such as transendocardial injection using a catheter.

“Heartseed has made a strong progress in our research and development of our cardiac remuscularization therapy, as proved by the clearance of clinical trial application of Phase I/II LAPiS Study by the Japanese Pharmaceutical and Medical Agency and many awards we received.” said Professor. Keiichi Fukuda, co-founder and CEO at Heartseed. “The commitment from both new and existing investors in this round is a strong validation of our technology and strategic vision. With their support, we look forward to accelerating our development to deliver potentially curative therapy for heart failure across the globe.”