What Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals does

Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in June 2017 in Shanghai, China, focused on developing next-generation immunotherapies for oncology and autoimmune diseases. The company is building a pipeline of 15+ globally innovative molecules led by multiple bispecific antibody programs, including ES101 (PD-L1/4-1BB tetravalent), ES102 (hexavalent OX40 agonist), ES104 (VEGF/DLL4), ES002 (anti-CD39), ES014 (CD39/TGF-β), ES009 (anti-LILRB2), and ES019 (PD-L1/SIRPα), plus preclinical programs ES004, ES015, ES038, and ES302 (TL1A/IL23p19 for IBD). Its core proprietary technology is the BiME® (Bispecific Macrophage Engager) platform, which generates bispecific antibodies engaging SIRPα on tumor-associated macrophages alongside tumor-associated antigens to activate phagocytosis and overcome the CD47-SIRPα 'don't eat me' signal.

The company's go-to-market combines direct clinical development with a global partnership/licensing model: Elpiscience retains Greater China rights for selected assets (e.g., ES104) and out-licenses regional or global rights to major pharmaceutical partners including Astellas (BiME programs ex-Greater China), Compass Therapeutics (ES104 Greater China via the legacy TRIGR deal), Inhibrx (in-licensed ES101/ES102), and Junshi Biosciences (ES102 + toripalimab combination). Operations span Shanghai (HQ, Pudong), Suzhou (R&D center in Zhangjiang High-Tech Park), Maryland (US), and Australia, with clinical trials conducted across the US, China, and Australia under parallel FDA and CDE regulatory pathways.

Elpiscience remains pre-revenue, generating no current product sales; future revenue is expected from product commercialization following regulatory approval and from licensing milestones/royalties under existing partnerships. The company is venture capital-backed, having raised approximately $260 million USD across Series A ($20M, August 2017), Series A+ ($35M, December 2018), Series B ($100M, December 2019), and Series C ($105M, May 2021) rounds, with investor syndicate including Lilly Asia Ventures, Hillhouse Capital, Hyfinity Investments, Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund, CDH Investments, Tencent, and Cormorant Asset Management. Recent clinical milestones include ES104's Phase 2/3 BTC primary endpoint hit (17.1% ORR vs 5.3% paclitaxel), ES014's FDA Orphan Drug Designation for desmoid tumors with 40% ORR/100% DCR in Phase I, and SITC 2025 Top 150 Abstract recognition.

Name

Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals

Legal name

Elpiscience Biopharma, Ltd.

Website

https://elpiscience.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage Chinese biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation bispecific antibody immunotherapies for oncology and autoimmune diseases, leveraging a proprietary BiME® macrophage engager platform and a 15+ molecule pipeline targeting unmet needs in cold tumors and IBD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Drug Development and Commercialization: Pre-revenue clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative immunotherapies for oncology and autoimmune diseases. Revenue will be generated through eventual product sales following regulatory approval and commercialization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Elpiscience is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops next-generation immunotherapies for oncology and autoimmune diseases. Its core offering is a pipeline of innovative bispecific and monoclonal antibody therapeutics targeting immune checkpoints, the tumor microenvironment, and key cytokine pathways, generated through its proprietary BiME® macrophage engager platform and integrated antibody discovery engine. The company advances these programs through preclinical and clinical development with global strategic partners.

Product overview

Elpiscience is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a globally leading pipeline of innovative immunotherapies focused on oncology and autoimmune diseases. The company's core portfolio includes multiple bispecific antibody programs: ES101 (PD-L1/4-1BB) and ES102 (OX40 agonist) partnered with Inhibrx; ES104 (VEGF/DLL4) partnered with Compass Therapeutics for Greater China rights; ES002 (anti-CD39) and ES014 (CD39/TGF-β) in clinical development; ES009 (anti-LILRB2) and ES019 (PD-L1/SIRPα BiME®) advancing through clinical stages; plus ES004, ES015, and ES038 in preclinical development. The proprietary BiME® (Bispecific Macrophage Engager) platform enables generation of bispecific antibodies targeting tumor-associated macrophages. The company also has an autoimmune program ES302 targeting TL1A and IL23p19 for IBD. Elpiscience leverages integrated R&D capabilities combining proprietary antibody discovery, translational research, and clinical development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BiME®: Bispecific Macrophage Engager platform technology that activates tumor-associated macrophages for solid tumor killing.
• ES014
• ES104

Products and services

• ES101 First-in-class tetravalent bispecific antibody targeting both PD-L1 and 4-1BB, designed on the 'de-brake and add gas' concept for immune cell activation. Conditionally activates 4-1BB upon binding to PD-L1 in the tumor microenvironment. In-licensed from Inhibrx for Greater China.
• ES102 (INBRX-106) Hexavalent OX40 agonist antibody with first-in-class design consisting of six OX40 single-domain antibody structures. Induces stronger downstream signaling than bivalent antibodies and demonstrates synergy with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents. In-licensed from Inhibrx for Greater China.
• ES104 (CTX-009/ABL001/TR009) Bispecific antibody targeting both VEGF and DLL4/Notch pathways, designed to overcome multi-VEGF resistance. Demonstrated clinical activity in heavily pre-treated patients with solid tumors resistant to anti-VEGF therapies. Elpiscience holds Greater China rights.
• ES002 Potentially best-in-class anti-CD39 monoclonal antibody that reverses suppressive tumor microenvironment by blocking CD39 function, stabilizing pro-inflammatory extracellular ATP (eATP), and restoring anti-tumor immunity. Internally discovered by Elpiscience.
• ES014 First-in-class anti-CD39xTGF-β bispecific antibody that simultaneously targets CD39-adenosine and TGF-β pathways. Designed to create an immune-favorable tumor microenvironment by inhibiting adenosine generation and neutralizing immunosuppressive TGF-β. Received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for desmoid tumors.
• ES009 Anti-LILRB2 (ILT4) monoclonal antibody that reprograms immunosuppressive M2 macrophages into pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages. Demonstrated best-in-class potential in preclinical studies with ability to reverse immune suppression in tumor microenvironment. First-in-human studies conducted in Australia.
• ES019 (BiME®) PD-L1/SIRPα bispecific antibody generated from proprietary BiME® platform. Simultaneously reactivates macrophages and T cells for tumor elimination by targeting both tumor cells and immune cells. Out-licensed to Astellas for development and commercialization outside Greater China.
• ES004 Anti-SIRPα antibody with unique pan-allelic binding properties (ES004-B4 and ES004-N4 variants). Blocks CD47-SIRPα 'don't eat me' signaling and enhances macrophage-mediated tumor cell destruction through different mechanisms.
• ES015 First-in-class NKG2A and NKG2C dual-targeting antibody that inhibits NKG2A function while promoting NKG2C action, leading to superior anti-tumor response through NK and CD8 T cell activation.
• ES038 Novel NK cell engager (NKCE) targeting LILRB4 on AML cells while simultaneously blocking inhibitory (NKG2A) and stimulating (NKG2C) receptors on NK cells. Dual-targeting strategy enhances NK cell activation for AML treatment.
• ES302 Next-generation bispecific antibody targeting TL1A and IL23p19 for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapy. Dual-targeting approach blocks two critical cytokine pathways with engineered subcutaneous administration, long-acting profile, and superior resistance to enzymatic degradation.

Quantifiable outcome

• ES104 achieved 19% ORR at RP2D (10.0-12.5 mg/kg) with 69% DCR in heavily pre-treated patients with colorectal and gastric cancers
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Astellas Pharma Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 December 2023Research collaboration and license agreement for novel bi-specific macrophage engagers (BiME), ES019 and another program. Companies will collaboratively conduct early-stage research. Elpiscience grants Astellas the right to add up to two additional programs. If Astellas exercises its option, Elpiscience will grant exclusive rights to further research, develop, manufacture and commercialize.
• Compass Therapeutics (formerly TRIGR Therapeutics)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2021Exclusive licensing agreement for ES104/TR009 in Greater China for development, manufacture and commercialization. TRIGR received $7 million upfront and eligible for $110 million in milestones plus royalties. Elpiscience leads clinical development in Greater China leveraging translational science, clinical and regulatory experience.
• Junshi BiosciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2020Clinical collaboration to evaluate ES102 (next-generation OX40 agonistic antibody) in combination with toripalimab (TUOYI, anti-PD-1 mAb) for treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies.
• Shanghai R&D Center (Zhangjiang High-Tech Park)minorOthers · 16 July 2019R&D center location in Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, China's most advanced innovation center for biomedical industry.
• Inhibrx, Inc.majorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 March 2018Exclusive licensing agreement for ES101 (INBRX-105/PD-L1 and 4-1BB bispecific) in Greater China. Also partnered on ES102 (INBRX-106/hexavalent OX40 agonist) in Greater China.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• I-Mab Biopharma: China- and US-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on immuno-oncology biologics. I-Mab's pipeline of monoclonal and bispecific antibodies targeting similar pathways (CD47, PD-L1, 4-1BB) overlaps with Elpiscience's programs.
• Akeso, Inc. China-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a broad pipeline of innovative bispecific and multispecific antibodies for oncology and autoimmune diseases. Akeso is a leading domestic competitor in the Chinese bispecific antibody space with overlapping therapeutic targets.
• CStone Pharmaceuticals: China-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing immuno-oncology agents including PD-L1 antibody (sugemalimab) and bispecifics. CStone competes with Elpiscience in the Chinese immuno-oncology market with overlapping indications.
• Alphamab Oncology: China-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates for oncology. Alphamab has overlapping platform technologies (knob-into-hole bispecifics) and competes in similar indications including solid tumors.
• Compass Therapeutics: Boston-based clinical-stage bispecific antibody developer and direct partner of Elpiscience (holds global ex-Greater China/South Korea rights to ES104). Compass has a similar pipeline of next-generation immuno-oncology bispecifics including CTX-009/ES104, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Genor Biopharma: China-based biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune diseases, with a pipeline of monoclonal antibodies and bispecifics. Comparable in stage and therapeutic focus to Elpiscience's clinical-stage portfolio.
• Inhibrx, Inc. Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation biologics including bispecific antibodies. Inhibrx is a direct licensor/partner of Elpiscience (ES101/INBRX-105 and ES102/INBRX-106 for Greater China) with highly comparable single-domain antibody platform technology.

Broad incumbents

• BeiGene, Ltd. Global oncology-focused biotechnology company with approved BTK inhibitor (zanubrutinib) and PD-1 antibody (tislelizumab). While broader in scope than Elpiscience, BeiGene represents a major Chinese biopharma competitor with significantly greater commercialization scale and resources.

Emerging players

• Junshi Biosciences: China-based innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company and Elpiscience's collaboration partner (ES102 + toripalimab combinations). Junshi's anti-PD-1 antibody toripalimab anchors multiple combination strategies in solid tumors, overlapping with Elpiscience's combination development.
• NextCure, Inc. US-based clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing novel biologics targeting myeloid immune checkpoints. NextCure's focus on tumor microenvironment and innate immunity modulation overlaps with Elpiscience's BiME® macrophage-engager approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elpiscience-biopharmaceuticals-ltd/mycompany
• Xx.com/elpiscience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors16 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals