Biotech illustration of Lumiere Therapeutics’ epigenetic editing platform using LNP and VLP delivery to target liver disease, hepatitis B and hypercholesterolemia.

Lumiere Therapeutics Raises Over RMB 100 Million to Advance Epigenetic Editing Therapies

September 9, 2026 5 Min Read

Lumiere Therapeutics has raised more than RMB 100 million (approximately $14 million) in a Pre-A financing round, giving the Chinese gene-editing company fresh capital to push its epigenetic editing programs toward the clinic.

The financing was co-led by Essential Capital (元航资本) and Hofon Capital (华方资本), with participation from Yifeng Zhuohua Fund, Junling Investment, Guangzhou Disruptive Technology Fund and Nanjing Innovation Investment Group, according to reports released on September 9. (Eastmoney Finance)

The proceeds will primarily support the continued development of Lumiere’s epigenetic medicines aimed at achieving durable treatment — and potentially functional cures — for chronic diseases. The company also plans to use the capital to expand its pipeline and further develop its underlying gene-editing and delivery platforms. (10jqka News)

For Lumiere, the financing comes at an important point in its evolution from a gene-editing technology company into a therapeutic developer.

Building an epigenetic editing platform

Founded in Suzhou in 2021 by Professor Song Yangzhou (松阳洲), former dean of the School of Life Sciences at Sun Yat-sen University, Lumiere has focused on building gene-editing technologies around which it can develop proprietary therapeutics.

According to Lumiere Therapeutics’ official website, the company has assembled a broader gene-editing toolkit that includes proprietary Cas-like enzymes, base editors, epigenetic editors and delivery technologies.

The epigenetic editing component is particularly noteworthy.

Traditional CRISPR gene editing generally works by making changes to the underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetic editing takes a different approach: it is designed to control whether a gene is turned on or off without necessarily permanently rewriting its DNA sequence.

Lumiere says its technology can target specific genes and use mechanisms such as DNA methylation to produce long-lasting suppression of gene expression. The company reports that some of its internally developed epigenetic suppressors have achieved greater than 90% gene-silencing efficiency in experimental systems. (Ltcure)

That distinction could become important as gene editing moves beyond rare genetic disorders and into much larger chronic-disease populations. For conditions affecting millions of people, the bar for safety is exceptionally high, and a programmable approach that durably regulates gene expression without directly altering the underlying DNA sequence could offer an attractive therapeutic strategy.

LNP and VLP delivery broaden the opportunity

Editing the right gene is only half of the challenge. The therapeutic machinery also has to reach the right cells.

Lumiere is therefore developing both lipid nanoparticle (LNP) and virus-like particle (VLP) delivery technologies alongside its editing systems. The company says the combination is intended to enable precise in-vivo gene regulation in both hepatic and extrahepatic tissues. (10jqka News)

Its proprietary VLP technology is designed to package and deliver gene-editing components directly into cells without integrating viral genetic material into the host genome. Lumiere says the system can deliver RNA-protein complexes or mRNA and has been engineered for efficient, tissue-targeted editing. (Ltcure)

This integrated strategy — owning both the editor and the delivery technology — is an important part of Lumiere’s pitch. Delivery remains one of the biggest constraints in the broader in-vivo gene-editing field, particularly outside the liver.

The company has also continued expanding the commercial reach of its editing technology. In July 2026, Lumiere and Cyagen announced an expanded collaboration covering Lumiere’s enCas12Ultra gene-editing system. The companies said the underlying patent had received U.S. authorization, with additional patent coverage being pursued in China, Europe, Canada, Japan and South Korea. (Cyagen)

Hepatitis B and PCSK9 programs take center stage

Two areas highlighted by Lumiere and its new investors are chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and hypercholesterolemia, including a program targeting PCSK9. (10jqka News)

Both illustrate why epigenetic editing could have significance beyond conventional rare-disease gene therapy.

Chronic hepatitis B remains difficult to cure because existing antiviral therapies can suppress viral replication but generally do not eliminate the underlying persistence mechanisms responsible for chronic infection. A sufficiently durable gene-silencing strategy could potentially become part of a functional-cure approach.

PCSK9 offers a different test case. Suppressing the gene can produce sustained reductions in LDL cholesterol, making it an attractive target for long-lasting genetic medicines. The commercial opportunity is also substantially larger than that of most rare genetic diseases.

Lumiere’s broader ambition is therefore not simply to develop another CRISPR platform. It is attempting to move gene editing into chronic diseases where patients currently require years — and in some cases a lifetime — of treatment.

The company describes the goal as developing highly safe, single-course treatments capable of producing durable therapeutic effects or functional cures. That remains an ambitious objective, and the programs will ultimately have to demonstrate their safety, durability and clinical benefit in human trials.

From DNA editing to gene regulation

The investment also reflects a broader shift underway in the gene-editing field.

Early CRISPR therapeutics largely focused on correcting, disrupting or replacing DNA. Newer approaches increasingly ask whether permanently changing the DNA sequence is necessary at all.

Epigenetic editing offers an alternative: use programmable CRISPR-derived machinery to change the regulatory state of a gene and achieve durable activation or suppression while leaving the underlying sequence intact.

Hofon Capital specifically pointed to this transition from “rewriting DNA” toward precise regulation of gene expression in explaining its investment. The investor also highlighted Lumiere’s combination of proprietary Cas tools, epigenetic editors and LNP/VLP delivery systems, as well as the translational potential of its HBV and PCSK9 programs. (10jqka News)

Essential Capital similarly cited Lumiere’s intellectual property across both epigenetic editing and delivery, along with the company’s focus on large disease indications such as hepatitis B and hypercholesterolemia. (10jqka News)

Lumiere has been building toward that position for several years. The company previously raised approximately RMB 75 million in an angel financing led by Apricot Capital in 2022, according to its corporate timeline. (Ltcure)

With the new Pre-A capital in hand, the next milestone will be more consequential than another financing round: translating the company’s preclinical gene-silencing results into investigational therapies and ultimately demonstrating whether durable epigenetic regulation can work safely in patients.

If Lumiere can do that, its technology could sit at an interesting intersection of two major trends in genetic medicine — in-vivo delivery and programmable control of gene expression — with the potential to extend gene-editing therapies from rare disorders into some of the world’s most common chronic diseases.