Medinno has raised more than RMB 200 million in a Series A financing led by Sunshine Ronghui Capital, giving the company fresh funding to develop MDI-1228, a topical drug candidate for diabetic foot ulcers and other conditions. The proceeds will support global clinical studies of MDI-1228, preclinical work on earlier candidates and team expansion. Financing report
Medinno’s approach starts with a difficult question for topical drugs: can a compound reach an effective concentration in damaged tissue without exposing the rest of the body to substantial amounts of it? Founder Dr. Lu Liang, who previously worked at Incyte and Prelude Therapeutics, has described MDI-1228 as a molecule designed to diffuse through local tissue while limiting its passage into the bloodstream. The company calls this a “high local concentration” and “zero systemic exposure” profile; the latter remains a development claim that requires confirmation as studies progress. Founder interview
MDI-1228 inhibits multiple members of the JAK family and also targets the Trk family. Medinno describes it as the first topical pan-JAK/pan-Trk inhibitor, a combination it believes could address inflammation and potentially contribute to pain control and tissue repair. Those proposed benefits still need to be established in controlled clinical trials. Founder interview
The company has reported encouraging early observations in patients with hard-to-heal Wagner grade 2–3 diabetic foot ulcers that had not responded to conventional care. After eight weeks of treatment with MDI-1228 gel, the reported average reduction in wound area exceeded 80%. Every patient reportedly had a reduction greater than 50%, and several wounds closed completely. Medinno also reported no drug-related systemic adverse events during the treatment period. Founder interview and reported findings
The result is promising, but the public report does not provide enough detail about patient numbers or a comparison group to determine how much of the improvement was caused by MDI-1228. Wound shrinkage is also distinct from sustained, complete healing. A registered Phase 2a study is designed to compare MDI-1228 gel plus standard care with standard care alone, including an assessment of complete healing after 12 weeks. That comparison should give clinicians a firmer basis for judging the drug’s potential.
For Medinno, the financing provides room to pursue that answer. For patients with persistent diabetic foot ulcers, the decisive evidence will be whether the early wound-healing signal holds up in a controlled study.
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