Funding

Ping Zhu Co-Founded CORE Biomedicine Raises $21M in Series A Funding

Jul 29, 2026 | By Devin Jacobs

SUMMARY

CORE Biomedicine has raised $21 million in Series A funding, co-led by UTokyo Innovation Platform and Elikon Venture.
CORE Biomedicine develops precision cancer therapies that target cancer cell identity and stop tumour growth.
The company will use the funding to advance its lead drug programmes through discovery and early-stage clinical development.

CORE Biomedicine, a biotechnology company developing lineage based precision oncology therapeutics, has raised $21 million in Series A funding.

The round was co-led by UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. and Elikon Venture, with participation from InnoPinnacle Fund, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Suzhou Capital Group, CD Capital, YuanBio Venture Capital, Vision Incubate, and Root Venture Partners.

The funding will support the advancement of CORE’s lead drug programmes through discovery and early-stage clinical development.

Funding Snapshot

Metric	Details
Fundraise Amount	$21 Million
Valuation	Undisclosed
Company	CORE Biomedicine
Sector	Biotechnology / Precision Oncology
Headquarters	Japan

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Funding

Revnest Acquires Hungry Robots

Team SR

Aug 23, 2024

Startup News

PACS Group, Inc. Appoints Carey P. Hendrickson as Chief Financial Officer

Devin Jacobs

Apr 28, 2026

Funding

Elektrik Receives Growth Investment from Lead Edge Capital

Devin Jacobs

Jun 17, 2026

About CORE Biomedicine

Founded by Ping Zhu, CORE Biomedicine is developing precision medicines that go beyond traditional genomic approaches. The company focuses on lineage-based therapeutics, targeting biological pathways that define cancer cell identity and drive tumour growth.

CORE’s platform aims to discover first-in-class and best-in-class therapies designed to address cancer mechanisms with improved precision and broader patient applicability.

Core offerings include:

Lineage-based precision oncology platform.
Targeted cancer therapeutics.
Discovery and development of novel oncology drugs.
Advanced biological pathway research.

Core Technologies / Products / Services

Capability/Product	Application/Use Case
Lineage-Based Therapeutics	Identifying cancer-specific biological drivers
Precision Oncology Platform	Developing targeted cancer treatments
Drug Discovery Technology	Advancing novel oncology programmes
Translational Research	Moving therapies from discovery to clinical stages

Leadership Comments

"This venture financing and AMED's support represent a major milestone for CORE Biomedicine and validate our vision for a new generation of oncology medicines," said Dr. Ping Zhu, Co-Founder and CEO of CORE Biomedicine. "We are grateful to our investors and partners as we advance our programs toward the clinic with the goal of bringing transformative therapies to patients globally."

"CORE Biomedicine's lineage-based approach addresses a fundamental challenge in cancer biology that genomics alone cannot solve," said Makoto (Mark) Ohori, PhD, Partner, and Chief Investment Officer, Life Sciences, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. "We are proud to co-lead this financing and look forward to supporting the CORE Biomedicine team as they advance their programs toward the clinic."

"Elikon Venture highly recognizes the CORE Biomedicine team for their distinctive insights and extensive R&D experience in oncology area. We are delighted to witness the company's fast-growing trajectory. We look forward to collaborating with CORE Biomedicine to advance its cutting-edge drug pipeline and address unmet medical needs for global patients by delivering better clinical benefits."