Cloverleaf Bio Raises $33 Million Seed Financing to Advance Novel RNA-Based Cancer Therapeutics

Cloverleaf Bio 完成 3300 万美元种子轮融资，以推进新型 RNA 基癌症疗法

Oversubscribed round led by 4BIO Capital includes strategic investment from AbbVie Ventures, Lilly, and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, reflecting depth of industry interest in this novel RNA therapeutics platform

本轮融资超额认购，由4BIO Capital领投，并获艾伯维风投（AbbVie Ventures）、礼来（Lilly）和勃林格殷格翰风投基金（Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund）的战略投资，反映出业界对这一新型RNA治疗平台的高度关注。

Financing will support proof of concept in hepatocellular carcinoma and advancement of follow-on programs including colorectal cancer

融资将支持肝细胞癌的概念验证，并推进包括结直肠癌在内的后续项目。

Cloverleaf’s tRNA therapeutic platform, has demonstrated significantly greater potency and selectivity for cancer cells over healthy tissue in preclinical studies

Cloverleaf的tRNA治疗平台在临床前研究中显示出对癌细胞相比健康组织显著更高的效力和选择性

NEW HAVEN, CT – 08 September 2026 –

康涅狄格州纽黑文 – 2026年9月8日 –

Cloverleaf Bio (“Cloverleaf”), an RNA therapeutics company developing a novel class of engineered transfer RNA (tRNA) based payloads for cancer, today announced the closing of a $33 million seed financing round. The upsized and oversubscribed round was led by 4BIO Capital and includes meaningful participation from strategic investors AbbVie Ventures, Eli Lilly and Company, and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, alongside Draper Associates, Mission BioCapital, and American Cancer Society BrightEdge..

Cloverleaf Bio（“Cloverleaf”）是一家开发基于工程化转运RNA（tRNA）的新型癌症治疗载荷的RNA疗法公司，今日宣布完成3300万美元的种子轮融资。本轮融资规模扩大且超额认购，由4BIO Capital领投，战略投资者艾伯维风投（AbbVie Ventures）、礼来公司（Eli Lilly and Company）和勃林格殷格翰风险基金（Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund）积极参与，德普联合投资公司（Draper Associates）、Mission BioCapital以及美国癌症协会BrightEdge也跟投。

The simultaneous participation of three major pharmaceutical venture arms at pre-clinical stage reflects strong industry interest in both the scientific platform and the founding team.   The proceeds of the fundraise will be used to advance Cloverleaf’s two lead programs: an inhibitory tRNA asset targeting hepatocellular carcinoma through early clinical testing and an antibody-tRNA conjugate (ATC) asset targeting colorectal cancer through preclinical development..

三家大型制药企业的风险投资部门在临床前阶段同时参与，反映出业界对该科学平台及创始团队的浓厚兴趣。此次融资所得资金将用于推进 Cloverleaf 的两个领先项目：一款针对肝细胞癌的抑制性 tRNA 资产，将其推进至早期临床试验阶段；以及一款针对结直肠癌的抗体-tRNA 偶联物（ATC）资产，将其推进至临床前开发阶段。

Cloverleaf's platform is built around selective and durable inhibition of multiple RNA-modifying enzymes, a class of proteins that cancer cells become abnormally dependent on as they proliferate.

Cloverleaf 的平台围绕对多种 RNA 修饰酶的选择性且持久的抑制而构建，这类蛋白质在癌细胞增殖过程中会变得异常依赖。

Austin Draycott, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of Cloverleaf Bio, said

Cloverleaf Bio 首席执行官兼联合创始人奥斯汀·德雷科特博士表示

“We are excited to secure this financing to advance a new generation of cancer therapeutics. We're grateful to 4BIO Capital for leading this round, and to attract major strategic investors, including AbbVie Ventures, Lilly, and

“我们很高兴获得这笔融资，以推动新一代癌症疗法的研发。我们感谢4BIO资本领投本轮融资，并吸引了包括艾伯维风投（AbbVie Ventures）、礼来（Lilly）在内的主要战略投资者，以及

Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

勃林格殷格翰风险投资基金

at this stage reflects the level of scientific interest in this approach. We look forward to delivering the data that will test that conviction. We would also like to acknowledge the early support Cloverleaf received from the National Cancer Institute Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer program.

现阶段的进展反映了科学界对这一方法的关注程度。我们期待提供数据以验证这一信念。此外，我们还要感谢美国国家癌症研究所小企业创新研究/小企业技术转移计划早期给予Cloverleaf的支持。

Federally funded research was foundational to getting this platform off the ground, and we're proud to build on that public investment as we move toward the clinic.”.

联邦资助的研究为该平台的启动奠定了坚实基础，我们自豪地在此基础上继续推进，朝着临床应用迈进。

Dima Kuzmin, Co-founder and Managing Partner at lead investor 4BIO Capital said

领投方4BIO Capital的联合创始人兼管理合伙人Dima Kuzmin表示

:

：

“Cloverleaf reflects the core thesis of 4BIO: backing transformative frontier science that has the potential to become an entirely new class of cancer therapeutics with applicability to every major cancer of unmet need. The team at Cloverleaf have built a highly promising platform from a first-principles insight into a mechanism that the field has largely taken for granted for sixty years.

“Cloverleaf 体现了 4BIO 的核心理念：支持具有变革性的前沿科学，这些科学有望成为一类全新的癌症疗法，适用于所有存在未满足需求的重大癌症类型。Cloverleaf 团队基于对这一机制的第一性原理洞察，构建了一个极具前景的平台；而该机制在过去六十年间一直被领域内视为理所当然。”

The preclinical data on potency and selectivity is compelling, and the strategic interest from three major pharma venture arms at seed reflects how seriously the broader industry is taking this approach. We are proud to lead this round and look forward to supporting the team as they advance toward the clinic.”.

关于效价和选择性的临床前数据令人信服，而三家大型制药企业风险投资部门在种子轮表现出的战略兴趣，反映出整个行业对这一方法的高度重视。我们很荣幸领投本轮融资，并期待在该团队向临床应用推进的过程中提供支持。

Christina Vorvis, Ph.D., Director at AbbVie Ventures, said

艾伯维风投（AbbVie Ventures）董事克里斯蒂娜·沃维斯（Christina Vorvis）博士表示

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“Cloverleaf’s platform reflects the kind of bold and novel scientific approaches we seek to advance. Our support of Cloverleaf, from its beginnings as a Yale spinout through its current efforts to develop next-generation RNA therapeutics, reflects how AbbVie Ventures works with emerging companies. Beyond investing capital, we engage as dedicated collaborators early on, bringing scientific and operational expertise to help turn promising science into potential new therapies.”.

“Cloverleaf的平台体现了我们致力于推动的大胆且新颖的科学方法。我们对Cloverleaf的支持，从其作为耶鲁大学衍生公司的初创阶段，到如今开发下一代RNA疗法的工作，反映了艾伯维风投（AbbVie Ventures）与新兴企业合作的方式。除了提供资金支持外，我们还以专注的合作伙伴身份早期介入，凭借科学与运营方面的专业知识，帮助将具有前景的科研成果转化为潜在的新疗法。”

Matthias Samwer, Director, at Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, said

勃林格殷格翰风险投资基金总监马蒂亚斯·萨姆韦尔表示

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：

“Cloverleaf combines deep expertise in RNA biology with a highly innovative approach to tackling cancer. We believe its engineered tRNA platform has the potential to create an important new class of cancer medicines, and we are excited to support the company as it advances toward the clinic.”

“Cloverleaf 将 RNA 生物学领域的深厚专业知识与极具创新性的癌症攻克策略相结合。我们相信，其工程化 tRNA 平台有望开创一类重要的新型癌症药物，我们很高兴在公司向临床应用推进的过程中提供支持。”

Differentiated Preclinical Profile

差异化的临床前特征

In preclinical studies, Cloverleaf’s lead compound, CLB-001, demonstrated significantly greater potency and selectivity for cancerous cells over healthy cells. The compound retains activity in cancer cell lines resistant to both frontline chemotherapy and current-generation ADC payloads, a meaningful finding given that treatment resistance is a major clinical challenge in colorectal cancer.

在临床前研究中，Cloverleaf 公司的先导化合物 CLB-001 对癌细胞相较于健康细胞表现出显著更强的效力和选择性。该化合物在对一线化疗药物和当前代次抗体偶联药物（ADC）载荷均耐药的癌细胞系中仍保持活性，鉴于治疗耐药性是结直肠癌面临的一项重大临床挑战，这一发现具有重要意义。

CLB-001 also outperformed frontline standard of care in both hepatocellular carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma models at substantially lower doses. Tolerability studies in animals showed no increases in markers of liver damage and no signs of systemic toxicity across the dose range tested..

CLB-001在肝细胞癌和肺腺癌模型中，以显著更低的剂量也优于一线标准治疗。动物耐受性研究显示，在所测试的剂量范围内，肝损伤标志物未见升高，也未出现全身毒性的迹象。

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Project No 1R44CA295426

本项目由美国卫生与公众服务部下属国立卫生研究院国家癌症研究所提供联邦资金，全部或部分资助，项目编号为1R44CA295426。

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About Cloverleaf Bio

关于 Cloverleaf Bio

Cloverleaf Bio is an RNA therapeutics company developing engineered tRNA-based therapeutics for cancer. Cloverleaf Bio’s tunable platform has the potential to be applied across multiple cancer indications and, in the longer term, across non-oncology disease areas including neurodegenerative and fibrotic diseases.

Cloverleaf Bio 是一家 RNA 疗法公司，正在开发基于工程化 tRNA 的癌症治疗药物。Cloverleaf Bio 的可调节平台具有应用于多种癌症适应症的潜力，从长远来看，还可拓展至包括神经退行性疾病和纤维化疾病在内的非肿瘤疾病领域。

The company is headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a spinout from Yale University..

该公司总部位于康涅狄格州纽黑文，是耶鲁大学的一家衍生企业。

Cloverleaf Bio's early research was supported in part by funding from the National Cancer Institute, whose support for foundational science was instrumental to the company's formation.

Cloverleaf Bio的早期研究部分得到了美国国家癌症研究所的资金支持，该研究所对基础科学的支持对公司的成立起到了关键作用。

Cloverleaf Bio was founded by Austin Draycott, PhD (CEO), Cole Lewis, PhD (CSO), and Wendy Gilbert, PhD (SAB Chair), all with directly relevant expertise in RNA biology and therapeutic development.

Cloverleaf Bio 由首席执行官 Austin Draycott 博士、首席科学官 Cole Lewis 博士以及科学顾问委员会主席 Wendy Gilbert 博士共同创立，他们均在 RNA 生物学和治疗开发领域拥有直接相关的专业知识。

The company’s Scientific Advisory Board and advisory network include Albert Lai, PhD ((Senior Venture Partner at AbbVie Ventures), Luisa Escobar-Hoyos, PhD (Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale), Wendy Gilbert, PhD (Maxine F. Singer '57 PhD Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale) and Michael McCaman, PhD (former CMC head at Intellia, with more than 30 years of experience in process scale-up)..

该公司的科学顾问委员会及顾问网络包括：Albert Lai 博士（艾伯维风险投资公司高级风险合伙人）、Luisa Escobar-Hoyos 博士（耶鲁大学治疗放射学副教授）、Wendy Gilbert 博士（耶鲁大学分子生物物理与生物化学系 Maxine F. Singer '57 PhD 讲席教授）以及 Michael McCaman 博士（前 Intellia 公司 CMC 负责人，拥有超过 30 年的工艺放大经验）。

Media and Investor Enquiries

媒体及投资者问询

ICR Healthcare

ICR 医疗保健

Amber Fennell, Chris Welsh

安珀·芬内尔，克里斯·威尔士

cloverleaf@icrhealthcare.com

cloverleaf@icrhealthcare.com

Company Contact

公司联系人

Austin Draycott, CEO

奥斯汀·德雷科特，首席执行官

contact@cloverleafbio.com

contact@cloverleafbio.com