Form F-1

F-1 1 d33957df1.htm FORM F-1 Form F-1

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 18, 2020

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

GRACELL BIOTECHNOLOGIES INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Cayman Islands

2834

Not Applicable

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

Building 12, Block B, Phase II

Biobay Industrial Park

218 Sangtian St.

Suzhou Industrial Park, 215123

People’s Republic of China

+86-512-6262-6701

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

Cogency Global Inc.

122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor

New York, New York 10168

+1 800-221-0102

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Will H. Cai, Esq.

Patrick Loofbourrow, Esq.

Cooley LLP

c/o Suites 3501-3505, 35/F

Two Exchange Square

8 Connaught Place

Central, Hong Kong

+852 3758-1200

Divakar Gupta, Esq.

Cooley LLP

55 Hudson Yards

New York, NY 10001

(212) 479-6000

James C. Lin, Esq.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

18th Floor

The Hong Kong Club Building

3A Chater Road

Hong Kong

+852 2533 3300

Yasin Keshvargar, Esq.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

450 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10017

(212) 450-4000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price⁽²⁾⁽³⁾	Amount of Registration Fee
Ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share⁽¹⁾	US$100,000,000	US$10,910

(1)	American depositary shares, or ADSs, issuable upon deposit of ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No. 333- ). Each ADS represents ordinary shares.

(2)

Includes the aggregate offering price of additional ordinary shares represented by ADSs that the underwriters have the option to purchase. Also includes ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public. These Class A ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States.

(3)	Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion)

Issued , 2021

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

LOGO

GRACELL BIOTECHNOLOGIES INC.

Representing Ordinary Shares

This is an initial public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, representing ordinary shares of Gracell Biotechnologies Inc.

We are offering ADSs. Each ADS represents ordinary shares, US$0.0001 par value per share. We anticipate the initial public offering price per ADS will be between US$ and US$ .

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares. We have applied to list the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “GRCL.”

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary—Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company” and “Prospectus Summary—Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer” for additional information.

Investing in the ADSs involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 18.


	Per ADS	Total
Public offering price	US$	US$
Underwriting discounts and commissions⁽¹⁾	US$	US$
Proceeds, before expenses, to Gracell Biotechnologies Inc.	US$	US$

(1)	See “Underwriting” for additional disclosure regarding compensation payable by us to the underwriters.

We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to an additional ADSs at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs to purchasers on or about , 2021 through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company.


Citigroup		Jefferies		Piper Sandler		Wells Fargo Securities

, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS


	Page
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY		1
RISK FACTORS		18
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		108
MARKET, INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA		110
USE OF PROCEEDS		111
DIVIDEND POLICY		113
CAPITALIZATION		114
DILUTION		116
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES		118
CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE		120
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA		124
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS		127
BUSINESS		146
REGULATION		179
MANAGEMENT		206
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS		214
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS		216
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL		217
DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES		229
SHARES AND ADSs ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE		237
TAXATION		239
UNDERWRITING		246
EXPENSES RELATED TO THIS OFFERING		254
LEGAL MATTERS		255
EXPERTS		256
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION		257
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS		F-1

No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent as to anything not contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell, and we are seeking offers to buy, only the ADSs offered hereby, and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the ADSs.

Neither we nor the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or the possession or distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction where other action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus or any free writing prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus outside of the United States.

Until , 2021 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information and financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that may be important to you in making your investment decision. In addition to this summary, we urge you to read the entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks of investing in the ADSs discussed under “Risk Factors,” before deciding whether to invest in the ADSs.

Overview

We are a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing breakthrough cell therapies to address major industry challenges and fulfill unmet medical needs in the treatment of cancer. We aim to disrupt conventional approaches to CAR-T cell therapies with our proprietary technology platforms—FasTCAR and TruUCAR.

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With FasTCAR, we are able to deliver younger, less exhausted T cells for autologous cell therapies with enhanced activities and next-day manufacturing (22 to 36 hours) versus the industry norm of two to six weeks. Our lead FasTCAR-enabled autologous product candidate, GC012F, has achieved multiple minimal residual disease, or MRD, negative stringent complete responses, or sCR, in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, or r/r MM, patients in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial in China.

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With TruUCAR, we are able to derive T cells from non-HLA-matched healthy donors to generate allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies that are readily available off-the-shelf at lower cost for a broad patient base, including those less suitable for autologous CAR-T cell therapies. Our lead TruUCAR-enabled allogeneic product candidate, GC027, has achieved multiple complete responses, or CR, in relapsed or refractory T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or r/r T-ALL, patients in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial in China.

In addition to our technology platforms, we utilize our proprietary genetic engineering techniques, Dual CAR and Enhanced CAR, to generate FasTCAR and TruUCAR product candidates with potentially enhanced therapeutic effects. Leveraging our pioneering platforms, know-how and experience, we are developing a rich clinical-stage pipeline of multiple autologous and allogeneic product candidates that we believe will unlock the long-held promise of CAR-T cell therapies for a broad range of patients with advanced hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

GC012F, our lead FasTCAR autologous product candidate, is being studied in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial in China. 16 r/r MM patients were enrolled and treated for this trial with 15, or 93.8%, of these patients exhibiting high-risk features, which represent a subgroup of MM patients that are most difficult to treat. As of the July 2020 data cutoff date, 15 of 16 patients responded to therapy, resulting in an overall response rate, or ORR, of 93.8%, with all six patients, or 100%, from the highest dose cohort achieving a sCR, which was maintained through the landmark analysis at six months after CAR-T infusion. Cytokine release syndrome, or CRS, was a common and expected adverse event in CAR-T cell therapy that initially manifests with fever and can potentially progress to a life-threatening condition. CRS was observed with mostly low grade and non-life-threatening symptoms and was managed with standard of care, or SOC, treatment, including tocilizumab and steroids, and resolved in all cases. No patient developed immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, or ICANS, another common adverse event and treatment-related toxicity observed after CAR-T cell therapy.

GC027, our lead TruUCAR allogeneic product candidate, has demonstrated in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial in China that all five enrolled adult r/r T-ALL patients, or 100%, achieved a CR or complete response with incomplete hematologic recovery, or CRi, on Day 14 or Day 28 after treatment, as of the

February 2020 data cutoff date. All CRS observed was managed and resolved following treatment and supportive care. No patients developed neurotoxicity, an adverse event commonly observed after CAR-T cell therapy, or graft versus host disease, or GvHD, a potentially fatal condition after allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy, where allogeneic CAR-T cells recognize the patient’s normal tissues as foreign and cause potentially lethal tissue damage.

All of our clinical development programs to date have been conducted in China and have generated limited trial data due to their early-stage nature, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, or other comparable regulatory authorities may not accept data from these investigator-initiated trials. For more details, please see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Development of Our Product Candidates.”

CAR-T Cell Therapeutics and Industry Challenges

Chimeric antigen receptor T cells, or CAR-T cells, can be classified as either autologous or allogeneic. Autologous CAR-T cells are derived from the T cells of the cancer patient while allogeneic CAR-T cells are derived from the T cells of a healthy donor. Theoretically, CAR-T cells can be engineered to target virtually any tumor-associated antigen. Currently, CAR-T cell therapies are primarily focused on hematologic malignancies. In 2017, the first two CAR-T cell therapies were approved: Kymriah (marketed by Novartis AG) for pediatric B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Yescarta (marketed by Kite Pharma, Inc., acquired by Gilead Sciences, Inc.) for diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Despite the vast potential of CAR-T cell therapies, major challenges persist for both autologous and allogeneic approaches. Autologous cell therapies are highly personalized, making the manufacturing process time-consuming, complex, costly and difficult to scale. It is also challenging to generate sufficient high-quality T cells as T cells of patients are often compromised from earlier lines of cancer treatment. Unlike autologous therapies that derive cells from patients, allogeneic therapies, including those intended for use off-the-shelf, derive cells from healthy donors but require modifications to reduce or eliminate host versus graft rejection, or HvG, where a patient’s immune cells recognize infused non-HLA-matched donor cells as foreign and reject them, and GvHD. Additionally, despite progress in treating hematologic malignancies, CAR-T cell therapies have had little success with treating solid tumors, primarily as a result of CAR-T cells’ limited ability to penetrate and persist in solid tumors. We believe we can disrupt the conventional approaches to CAR-T cell therapies by leveraging our highly innovative and proprietary technology platforms.

Our Proprietary Technology Platforms

LOGO

Our pioneering platforms, FasTCAR and TruUCAR, are highly innovative and are designed to provide significant advantages as highlighted below:

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FasTCAR. FasTCAR is designed to address the most pressing challenges associated with autologous therapies, such as lengthy manufacturing time, suboptimal manufacturing quality, high therapy cost and poor T cell fitness. We transform the three primary production steps—activation, transduction and expansion—into a single “concurrent activation-transduction” step. This is achieved by utilizing XLenti vectors derived from lentivirus to concurrently activate and transduce resting T cells and enable them to stably express one or more CARs and proliferate actively in vivo. In addition, FasTCAR manufactured CAR-T cells are younger, less exhausted and show enhanced proliferation, tissue migration and tumor cell clearance activities as demonstrated in preclinical studies, eliminating the need for the ex vivo expansion phase in the conventional process. This streamlined process significantly shortens the production time from an industry norm of two to six weeks and achieves next-day manufacturing. Shorter manufacturing time is of particular importance to increasing the widespread utility of CAR-T cell therapies, particularly in the case of rapidly progressing cancers. We established fully-closed production lines designed to produce FasTCAR product candidates while reducing the risk of contamination and optimizing cost-efficiency. Our significantly shorter manufacturing time and highly efficient manufacturing process may result in meaningful cost savings, increasing the accessibility of cell therapies for cancer patients. We are developing our lead autologous product candidate, GC012F, as well as multiple autologous clinical-stage pipeline candidates on our FasTCAR platform.

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TruUCAR. TruUCAR is designed to generate high-quality allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies that can be administered “off-the-shelf” at lower cost. As with FasTCAR, TruUCAR uses a lentivirus to deliver its CAR. TruUCAR has several key design differences when compared to conventional allogeneic CAR-T approaches. TruUCAR is designed to specifically target a patient’s T cells and natural killer, or NK, cells that would otherwise be directed against the foreign, or allogeneic, cells resulting in rejection by the patients. This feature allows our allogeneic cell therapies to survive a patient’s immune system without the need for combination treatment with anti-CD52 antibodies that may leave a patient at increased risk for infection. TruUCAR is designed to avoid GvHD, one of the most severe adverse events of allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies, and rapidly eliminate cancer cells without the need to bridge

to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT, which is often used with conventional allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy to strengthen its therapeutic effects but pose a risk of early mortality. As a result, TruUCAR’s monotherapy approach has the potential to significantly reduce the cost and length of treatment by achieving fast remission and avoiding anti-CD52 treatment and potentially HSCT. We believe that TruUCAR may result in meaningful cost savings, further increasing the accessibility of cell therapies for cancer patients. We are developing our lead allogeneic product candidate, GC027, as well as multiple allogeneic pipeline candidates on our TruUCAR platform.

In addition, we have a suite of genetic engineering techniques, Dual CAR and Enhanced CAR, that can be leveraged with FasTCAR and TruUCAR to potentially further enhance the therapeutic effects of our CAR-T cell therapies. Dual CAR has the potential to control relapse by reducing the likelihood of antigen escape and to reduce rejection of the CAR-T cells by patients treated with TruUCAR-enabled allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies. Enhanced CAR further strengthens CAR-T cells’ functionality, for example by overcoming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, or TME, and/or increasing cytokine signaling. We also have an allogeneic donor-derived CAR technique based on HLA-matching to avoid GvHD.

Our technology platforms and our product candidates generated by these platforms are innovative and it may be difficult to predict the timing, results and costs of product candidate development and likelihood of obtaining regulatory approval.

Our Clinical Development Pipeline

We have generated a pipeline of autologous and allogeneic cell therapy candidates with the potential to treat both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Our clinical development strategy is built on the robust pre-IND investigator-initiated trials program that we have established in partnership with top-tier hospitals in China. We engineer, produce and provide CAR-T cells to the principal investigators at those hospitals for administration in patients. The principal investigators agree to provide us results and findings generated from the investigator-initiated trials, and will only provide the underlying data points if separately requested by us and approved by them. To the extent that, after discussions with the FDA and/or the NMPA, we are permitted to rely on all or part of the initial results and the underlying data points from these studies to support our regulatory filings with the FDA and/or the NMPA, we work in close collaboration with the principal investigators to collect the data with their approval. This strategy is designed to expedite our global clinical development activities with the initial results in investigator-initiated Phase 1 trials utilizing safety as primary endpoint and overall response rate, or ORR, as key secondary endpoint. We have generated all our product candidates internally. Our most advanced product candidates are presented in the pipeline diagram below:

LOGO

MM = multiple myeloma, B-ALL = B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, B-NHL = B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, T-ALL = T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Our lead product candidates include:

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GC012F. GC012F is a FasTCAR-enabled dual BCMA- and CD19-directed autologous CAR-T product candidate being studied for the treatment of MM in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial across multiple centers in China. As of July 2020, 16 r/r MM patients were enrolled and treated with 93.8% of these patients having high-risk features, which represent a subgroup of MM patients with a poor prognosis and potentially rapid disease progression, making them particularly challenging to treat even with novel agents. All patients in the trial had relapsed from, or were refractory to, previous treatments, including the most commonly used agents and SOC treatments. 15 of 16 patients achieved and maintained a response. In the highest dose cohort which is the recommended dosage level, 100% of the six evaluable patients achieved MRD- sCR as best response which was maintained through the landmark analysis at six months after CAR-T infusion. Based on these results, we expect to submit IND applications for GC012F in r/r MM to the FDA and the NMPA by the end of 2021.

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GC019F. GC019F is a FasTCAR-enabled CD19-directed autologous CAR-T product candidate that has been studied for the treatment of adult B-ALL in a completed investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial across multiple centers in China. We submitted an IND application to study GC019F in B-ALL to the NMPA in October 2020, which was accepted by the Center for Drug Evaluation, or CDE. An investigator-initiated trial for GC019F for the treatment of r/r B-NHL is currently in the planning stage and is expected to begin patient enrollment by the end of 2020.

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GC007F. GC007F is a FasTCAR-enabled CD19-directed autologous CAR-T product candidate being studied for the treatment of B-NHL in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial across multiple centers in China. Based on the clinical results from the investigator-initiated trial, we plan to submit an IND application for either GC019F or GC007 in r/r B-NHL to the NMPA in 2021.

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GC027. GC027 is a TruUCAR-enabled CD7-directed allogeneic CAR-T product candidate being studied for the treatment of adult T-ALL in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial across multiple centers in China. As of February 2020, five adult r/r T-ALL patients were enrolled and treated. All patients enrolled had relapsed from, or were refractory to, their prior line of therapy. All five evaluable patients achieved a CR or CRi, resulting in an ORR of 100%, including four patients, or 80%, achieving MRD- CR on Day 28 after treatment. CRS was observed in all patients and was resolved with treatment. No patient developed neurotoxicity or GvHD. We expect to submit an IND application for GC027 in adult r/r T-ALL to the FDA and the NMPA in 2022.

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GC007g. GC007g is a donor-derived CD19-directed allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy that has been studied for the treatment of r/r B-ALL in a completed investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial, where CAR-T cells were manufactured using T cells from an HLA-matched healthy donor. We obtained IND approval to study GC007g in B-ALL from the NMPA on April 1, 2020 and are initiating the Phase 1 study in China. We submitted an updated innovative seamless Phase 1b/2 study design for GC007g’s registration-enabling clinical trial to the CDE in September 2020 which may enable us to roll over the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial into the seamless Phase 1b/2 registration-enabling clinical trial in the first half of 2021. Our goal is to submit a biologics license application, or BLA, to the NMPA for GC007g upon completion of a registrational trial.

In addition to our lead product candidates, we have a broad portfolio of earlier stage product candidates targeting various cancer indications, such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, peripheral T cell lymphoma, or PTCL, a subtype of NHL, and T cell lymphoblastic leukemia, or T-LBL.

CAR-T cell manufacturing is a critical component of our clinical development and future commercialization, as CAR-T cell therapies are complex and, in the case of autologous therapies, highly personalized. We control our manufacturing through our two good manufacturing practices, or GMP, compliant manufacturing facilities in Suzhou and Shanghai, making us self-sufficient in the production of CAR-T cells for clinical development and early-stage commercialization. We established fully-closed production lines in our Suzhou and Shanghai facilities, which are designed to produce FasTCAR product candidates while reducing contamination risks and optimizing cost-efficiency. With this fully-closed design, we are able to operate multiple systems in one manufacturing cleanroom at the same time, with each system producing CAR-T cells for an individual patient. We believe these advantages, coupled with our ability to achieve next-day manufacturing for autologous CAR-T cells in one production shift, allow us to substantially reduce manufacturing costs, improve productivity and scale up our production in a cost-efficient manner.

Our Strategy

Our goal is to disrupt conventional approaches to CAR-T cell therapy by using our proprietary technology platforms and techniques to discover and develop treatments that deliver fast, deep and durable responses for

advanced hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. In order to achieve our goal, the key elements of our strategy include:

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Rapidly advance our lead product candidates through clinical development by leveraging our global clinical development capabilities.

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Continue to leverage the strength of our technology platforms to broaden our pipeline of next-generation autologous and allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies.

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Expand our CAR-T therapies into solid tumor indications.

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Enhance our leadership position within the cell and gene therapy field.

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Expand our proprietary genetic engineering and cell manufacturing capabilities.

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Evaluate strategic partnerships to maximize the value of our technology platforms.

Our Team

We are led by an experienced management team with an unwavering commitment to developing next generation cell and gene therapies. Our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. William Wei Cao, Ph.D., B.M., has over 30 years of research and development experience in the biotechnology industry and previously co-founded and served as chief executive officer and executive board member of Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBMG), a Nasdaq-listed cell therapy company. Prior to that, Dr. Cao held research positions at Harvard Medical School and Standard University Medical Center, as well as senior roles at Chiron (Novartis and Bayer) and Affymetrix (ThermoFisher). Our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Martina Sersch, M.D., has over 25 years of academia and industry experience and previously served in senior roles at Amgen, Roche/Genentech and Pfizer. Dr. Sersch also served as Chief Medical Officer of Mustang Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBIO), a Nasdaq-listed CAR-T and gene therapy company where she successfully led the IND approval of a CAR-T cell therapy. Our Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Kevin Xie, Ph.D., has over 18 years of experience in healthcare investment and held various leadership and management positions at Fosun Group, Locust Walk Capital, Scopia Capital, and Great Point Partners. Dr. Xie serves on the board of ViewRay Inc (Nasdaq: VRAY) and Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: AHACU).

Summary Risk Factors

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that you should be aware of before making a decision to invest in our ADSs. These risks are more fully described in the section titled “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary. These risks include, among others, the following:

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We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with limited operating history, which may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.

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We have incurred significant losses in every year since our inception. We expect to continue to incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

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We will need to obtain funding from time to time to complete the development and any commercialization of our product candidates, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or other operations.

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If we fail to implement and maintain effective internal controls to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis could be impaired.

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All of our product candidates are in early stages of development. If we are unable to advance our product candidates through clinical development, obtain regulatory approval and ultimately commercialize our product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.

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Our product candidates are based on novel technologies, which make it difficult to predict the timing, results and cost of product candidate development and likelihood of obtaining regulatory approval.

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Our future success is highly dependent on the regulatory approval of GC012F, GC027 and our other pipeline programs. All of our product candidates will require significant preclinical study and clinical trial before we can seek regulatory approval for and launch a product commercially.

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Adverse effects or other safety risks associated with our product candidates could delay or preclude approval, cause us to suspend or discontinue clinical trials, cause us to abandon product candidates, limit the commercial profile of an approved label or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval.

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We may not be successful in our efforts to extend our pipeline of product candidates, including identifying or discovering additional product candidates in the future.

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Our preclinical programs may experience delays or may never advance to clinical trials, which would adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approvals or commercialize these product candidates on a timely basis or at all, which would have an adverse effect on our business.

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We have derived and plan to continue to derive results from investigator-initiated trials of our product candidates to expedite our global clinical development activities. Investigator-initiated trials are sponsored and conducted by principal investigators. As a result, our role and access to the clinical results and data are limited and there is no assurance that the clinical data from these trials will be accepted or considered by the FDA, the NMPA, or other comparable regulatory authorities.

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As a company currently with substantial operations outside of the United States, our business is subject to economic, political, regulatory and other risks associated with international operations.

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Even if we complete the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials, the regulatory approval process is expensive, time-consuming and uncertain and may prevent us from obtaining approvals for the commercialization of some or all of our product candidates. As a result, we cannot predict when or if, and in which territories, we will obtain marketing approval to commercialize a product candidate.

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If we are unable to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for our product candidates, or enter into sales, marketing and distribution agreements with third parties, we may not be successful in commercializing our product candidates, if and when they are approved.

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If we are unable to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce patent and other intellectual property rights for our technologies and product candidates, or if the scope of the patent and other intellectual property rights obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors and other third parties could develop and commercialize technology and biologics similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our technology and product candidates may be impaired. We currently do not own or license any issued patents that cover any of our platforms or product candidates and we are aware of several third-party patents and patent applications, if issued, may be construed to cover our proprietary and modular CAR-T cell technology and product candidates, including GC012F and GC027.

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If the 2020 Negative List that prohibits foreign investment in the development and application of human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies applies to CAR-T cell therapies,

Gracell Bioscience would be prohibited from engaging in the research and development of CAR-T cell therapies in the future. Additionally, if our control over our variable interest entity, or VIE, through contractual arrangements are deemed as foreign investment in the future, and any business of our VIE is restricted or prohibited from foreign investment under the Negative List effective at the time, our ability to prepare for and seek approval and commercialization of our product candidates both in China and elsewhere may be affected.

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If the ownership of our shares continues to be highly concentrated, it may prevent you and other minority shareholders from influencing significant corporate decisions and may result in conflicts of interest.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for the last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, related to the assessment of the effectiveness of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. We have elected to take advantage of such exemptions.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of our fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least US$1.07 billion; (b) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering; (c) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (d) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.

Corporate History and Information

We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability. We commenced operations in May 2017 through Gracell Biotechnologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in China, which we refer to as Shanghai Gracell Biotech in this prospectus. In April 2018, Shanghai Gracell Biotech incorporated Suzhou Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in China, which we refer to as Suzhou Gracell Biotech in this prospectus. Currently, we conduct research and development activities in biotechnologies and pharmaceutical industries primarily through Suzhou Gracell Biotech and Shanghai Gracell Biotech. In May 2018, we incorporated Gracell Biotechnologies Inc., or Gracell Cayman, under the laws of the Cayman Islands as our offshore holding company. Shortly after its incorporation, Gracell Cayman established a wholly owned subsidiary, Gracell Biotechnologies Holdings Limited, or Gracell BVI, under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in May 2018. Gracell BVI in turn established its wholly owned subsidiaries Gracell Biotechnologies (HK) Limited, or Gracell HK, and Gracell Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., or Gracell US, in June 2018 and February 2020, respectively. In August 2018, Gracell Bioscience (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Gracell Bioscience or our wholly foreign-owned enterprise, or WFOE, in this prospectus, was incorporated as a PRC subsidiary wholly owned by Gracell HK. Our WFOE incorporated its wholly owned PRC subsidiary Gracell Biomedicine (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in August 2020.

We obtained control over our VIE and its subsidiary through a series of contractual arrangements, as amended and restated, entered into among our WFOE, our VIE and shareholders of our VIE. As a result, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of our VIE and its subsidiary. We treat our VIE and its subsidiary as our consolidated affiliated entities under U.S. GAAP and have consolidated the financial results of these entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

PRC laws and regulations impose restrictions on foreign ownership companies engaged in the development and application of human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, or the Restricted Activities. Although as of the date of this prospectus, there has been no official interpretation of the scope of the Restricted Activities, and the application of this regulation remains unclear, we carry out all of our operations that may fall into the Restricted Activities through our VIE and its subsidiary. We use our WFOE to carry out preliminary research and development activities on animals, which we believe do not fall into the Restricted Activities. The research and development activities of our VIE and its subsidiary are not attributable to our WFOE.

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure as a result of our reorganization mentioned above and as of the date of this prospectus, including our significant subsidiaries and other entities that are material to our business:

LOGO

(1)	Shareholders of Shanghai Gracell Biotech are Dr. William Wei Cao and Xiaomi Hua holding 99.9% and 0.1%, respectively, of the equity interest in the VIE. Dr. Cao is our Founder, Chairman of board of directors and Chief Executive Officer.

Our principal executive offices are located at Building 12, Block B, Phase II, Biobay Industrial Park, 218 Sangtian St., Suzhou Industrial Park, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86-512-6262-6701. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at Sertus Incorporations (Cayman) Limited, Sertus Chambers, Governors Square, Suite # 5-204, 23 Lime Tree Bay Avenue, P.O. Box 2547, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. Investors should submit any inquiries to the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices.

Our main website is www.gracellbio.com. The information contained on this website is not a part of this prospectus. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., located at 10E 40th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016.

This prospectus includes our trademarks, trade names and service marks, such as “Gracell”, the Gracell logo and the FasTCAR logo, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are our property. This prospectus also contains trademarks, trade names and service marks of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks, trade names and service marks referred

to in this prospectus may appear without the ^®, ^™ or SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to such trademarks, trade names and service marks. We do not intend our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply, a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.

Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer

Upon completion of this offering, we will report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including:

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the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;

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the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and

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the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events.

Both foreign private issuers and emerging growth companies are also exempt from certain more stringent executive compensation disclosure rules. Thus, even if we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, but remain a foreign private issuer, we will continue to be exempt from the more stringent compensation disclosures required of companies that are neither an emerging growth company nor a foreign private issuer.

Conventions that Apply to this Prospectus

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to:

•

“ADSs” are to the American depositary shares, each of which represents of our ordinary shares;

•

“ADRs” are to the American depositary receipts that evidence the ADSs;

•

“China” or “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this prospectus only, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan; “Greater China” does not exclude Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan;

•

“ordinary shares” are to ordinary shares of our company, par value US$0.0001 per share;

•

“Renminbi” or “RMB” refers to the legal currency of the PRC;

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“Preferred Shares” are to the series A, series B-1, series B-2 and series C preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share; and

•

“US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$,” or “dollars” are to the legal currency of the United States.

Technical Terms that Apply to this Prospectus

•

“CAR” refers to chimeric antigen receptor;

•

“CR” refers to complete response, which generally means the disappearance of all signs of cancer in response to treatment, with the exact criteria varying from indication to indication;

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“CRi” refers to complete response with incomplete hematologic recovery;

•

“CRS” refers to cytokine release syndrome, a symptom complex and an expected adverse event associated with CAR-T cell therapies and measured by Lee grading system or ASBMT grading system. Grade 1 CRS is generally associated with non-life threatening symptoms and requires symptomatic treatment only, Grade 2 or Grade 3 CRS requires moderate to more aggressive intervention, and Grade 4 or higher CRS is associated with life-threatening symptoms that require ventilation support, or death;

•

“GvHD” refers to graft versus host disease, where donor cells recognize the patient’s normal tissues as foreign and cause potentially lethal tissue damage;

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“HvG” refers to host versus graft rejection, where a patient’s immune cells recognize infused non-HLA-matched donor cells as foreign and reject them;

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“ICANS” refers to immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, a common adverse event and treatment-related toxicity observed after CAR-T cell therapies and measured by ASBMT grading system. Grade 1 ICANS is generally associated with low depressed level of consciousness where patients awaken spontaneously, Grade 2 or Grade 3 ICANS is generally associated with moderate depressed level of consciousness where patients still awaken to voice or tactile stimulus, and clinical seizure that resolves rapidly, and Grade 4 ICANS is generally associated more serious symptoms such as stupor, coma, prolonged seizure and deep focal motor weakness;

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“MRD” refers to minimal residual disease, the small number of cancer cells in the body after cancer treatment. An MRD positive or MRD+ test result means that disease was still detected after treatment; an MRD negative or MRD- result means that no disease was detected after treatment;

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“ORR” refers to overall response rate, percentage of patients achieving a response to therapy;

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“PFS” refers to progression-free survival, the length of time during and after the treatment of a disease, such as cancer, that a patient lives without the disease getting worse;

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“PR” refers to partial response;

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“sCR” refers to stringent complete response, a deeper response category than CR used in multiple myeloma;

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“SOC” refers to standard of care; and

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“VGPR” refers to very good partial response.

Our reporting currency is Renminbi. This prospectus contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this prospectus were made at a rate of RMB6.7896 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on September 30, 2020 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, the rates stated below, or at all. On December 11, 2020, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board was RMB6.5445 to US$1.00.

THE OFFERING

ADSs offered by us

ADSs.

Over-allotment option

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an aggregate of additional ADSs.

ADSs outstanding immediately after this offering

ADSs (or ADSs if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full).

Ordinary shares outstanding immediately after this offering

ordinary shares (or ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full).

The ADSs

Each ADS represents ordinary shares.

The depositary, through its custodian, will hold ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. You will have rights as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and owners and holders of ADSs from time to time.

We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. If, however, we declare dividends on our ordinary shares, the depositary will distribute the cash dividends and other distributions it receives on our ordinary shares after deducting its fees and expenses in accordance with the terms set forth in the deposit agreement.

You may surrender your ADSs to the depositary for cancellation and withdraw the ordinary shares. The depositary will charge you fees for any cancellation.

We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs after an amendment to the deposit agreement, you agree to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended.

To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the “Description of American Depositary Shares” section of this prospectus. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.

Use of Proceeds

We expect that we will receive net proceeds of approximately $ million from the sale of ADSs in this offering, assuming an initial public offering price of $ per ADS, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, to fund the research and development of GC012F and GC027, the research and development of our other clinical stage and earlier-stage product candidates, the expansion of our manufacturing facilities in China and the construction of our research and development center in the United States as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” for additional information.

Lock-up

We, our officers and directors and all of our existing shareholders have agreed with the underwriters not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares or similar securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions. See “Shares and ADSs Eligible for Future Sale” and “Underwriting.”

Risk Factors

See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of the risks relating to investing in our ADSs. You should carefully consider these risks before deciding to invest in our ADSs.

Listing

We have applied to have the ADSs listed on The Nasdaq Global Market. The ADSs and shares will not be listed on any other stock exchange or traded on any automated quotation system.

Proposed Nasdaq Global Market Symbol for the ADSs

GRCL

Payment and settlement

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment therefor through the facilities of the Depositary Trust Company on , 2021.

Depositary

The Bank of New York Mellon.

The number of ordinary shares that will be issued and outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 272,815,996 ordinary shares outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, which consists of ordinary shares and the conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preference shares into ordinary shares immediately prior to the closing of this offering, and excludes:

•

ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of , 2021, with a weighted average exercise price of US$ per ordinary share; and

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ordinary shares available for future issuance under our share incentive plans.

Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus reflects and assumes:

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no exercise of the outstanding options described above;

•

no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs representing ordinary shares; and

•

the filing and effectiveness of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, which will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering.

SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following tables set forth our summary consolidated financial data for the period indicated. We have derived the summary consolidated statement of comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, the summary consolidated statement of financial position as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, and the summary consolidated statement of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived the summary consolidated statement of comprehensive loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020, the summary consolidated statement of financial position as of September 30, 2020, and the summary consolidated statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020 from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods and our operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire year ending December 31, 2020. You should read this section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The following table presents our summary consolidated statement of comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 and the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020:


	For the Year Ended December 31,									For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2018			2019						2019			2020
	RMB			RMB			US$			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Summary consolidated statement of comprehensive loss:
Expenses
Research and development expenses		(52,243	)		(119,218	)		(17,559	)		(81,251	)		(108,137	)		(15,927	)
Administrative expenses		(10,261	)		(27,362	)		(4,030	)		(19,437	)		(20,781	)		(3,061	)

Loss from operations		(62,504	)		(146,580	)		(21,589	)		(100,688	)		(128,918	)		(18,988	)
Interest income		1,435			3,932			579			2,494			2,416			356
Interest expense		—			—			—			—			(1,350	)		(199	)
Other income		256			1,449			213			170			1,794			265
Foreign exchange gain, net		—			2,556			376			2,127			(2,237	)		(329	)
Others, net		20			(21	)		(3	)		38			(12	)		(2	)

Loss before income tax		(60,793	)		(138,664	)		(20,424	)		(95,859	)		(128,307	)		(18,897	)
Income tax expense		—			—			—			—			—			—

Net loss		(60,793	)		(138,664	)		(20,424	)		(95,859	)		(128,307	)		(18,897	)

Deemed dividend to convertible redeemable preferred shareholders		—			(25,390	)		(3,740	)		(25,390	)		—			—
Accretion of convertible redeemable preferred shares to redemption value		(12,199	)		(36,802	)		(5,420	)		(26,176	)		(46,392	)		(6,833	)

Net loss attributable to Gracell Biotechnologies Inc.’s ordinary shareholders		(72,992	)		(200,856	)		(29,584	)		(147,425	)		(174,699	)		(25,730	)


	For the Year Ended December 31,									For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2018			2019						2019			2020
	RMB			RMB			US$			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Other comprehensive income
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of nil tax		—			(3,159	)		(465	)		1,042			(1,957	)		(288	)

Total comprehensive loss attributable to Gracell Biotechnologies Inc.’s ordinary shareholders		(72,992	)		(204,015	)		(30,049	)		(146,383	)		(176,656	)		(26,018	)

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in per share calculation
Basic		100,089,552			99,053,363			99,053,363			99,056,257			99,044,776			99,044,776
Diluted		100,089,552			99,053,363			99,053,363			99,056,257			99,044,776			99,044,776
Net loss per share attributable to Gracell Biotechnologies Inc.’s ordinary shareholders
Basic		(0.73	)		(2.03	)		(0.30	)		(1.49	)		(1.76	)		(0.26	)
Diluted		(0.73	)		(2.03	)		(0.30	)		(1.49	)		(1.76	)		(0.26	)

The following table presents our summary consolidated statement of financial position as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 and September 30, 2020:


	As of December 31,									As of September 30,
	2018			2019						2020
	Actual			Actual						Actual
	RMB			RMB			US$			RMB			US$
	(in thousands)
Summary consolidated statement of financial position data:
Cash and cash equivalents		11,890			312,058			45,961			156,781			23,091
Short-term investments		102,000			4,200			619			20,700			3,049
Property, equipment and software		16,285			48,323			7,117			112,114			16,513
Total assets		148,518			412,217			60,713			340,616			50,166
Total liabilities		146,135			156,861			23,103			76,829			11,315
Total mezzanine equity		83,404			547,843			80,688			732,930			107,949
Total shareholders’ deficit		(81,021	)		(292,487	)		(43,078	)		(469,143	)		(69,098	)
Ordinary shares		69			68			10			68			10
Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ deficit		148,518			412,217			60,713			340,616			50,166

The following table presents our summary consolidated statement of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 and the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020:


	For the Year Ended December 31,									For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2018			2019						2019			2020
	RMB			RMB			US$			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in thousands)
Summary consolidated statement of cash flows:
Net cash used in operating activities		(61,856	)		(135,393	)		(19,941	)		(102,610	)		(134,195	)		(19,765	)
Net cash (used in) generated from investing activities		(113,357	)		41,368			6,093			42,728			(81,790	)		(12,046	)
Net cash generated from financing activities		138,695			394,796			58,148			394,796			63,339			9,329
Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents		—			(603	)		(90	)		3,170			(2,631	)		(388	)

Net (decrease) increase cash and cash equivalents		(36,518	)		300,168			44,210			338,084			(155,277	)		(22,870	)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period		48,408			11,890			1,751			11,890			312,058			45,961

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period		11,890			312,058			45,961			349,974			156,781			23,091

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our ADSs involves a high degree of risk. Before you invest in our ADSs, you should carefully consider the risks described below together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus, including our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could suffer materially. In such event, the trading price of our ADSs could decline, which would cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Please also see “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Limited Operating History, Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with limited operating history. Investment in biopharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that any potential product candidate will fail to demonstrate adequate effect or an acceptable safety profile, gain regulatory approval and become commercially viable. All of our product candidates are in early development and none have been approved for commercial sale. We have not demonstrated an ability to successfully complete late-stage clinical trials, obtain regulatory approvals, manufacture our product candidates at commercial scale or arrange for a third-party to do so on our behalf, conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful commercialization, or obtain reimbursement in the countries of sale. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, and delays in achieving our business objectives. Our short history as an operating company makes any assessment of our future success or viability subject to significant uncertainty. If we do not address these risks successfully or are unable to transition at some point from a company with a research and development focus to a company capable of supporting commercial activities, then our business will be materially harmed.

We have incurred significant losses in every year since our inception. We expect to continue to incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

We have no products approved for commercial sale, have not generated any revenue from commercial sales of our product candidates, and have incurred net losses each year since we commenced operations in 2017. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, our net losses were RMB60.8 million and RMB138.7 million (US$20.4 million), respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, our net loss was RMB128.3 million (US$18.9 million). As of September 30, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of RMB464.1 million (US$68.4 million).

We have been devoting the majority of our financial resources and efforts to our research and development activities, including pre-clinical testing of our technologies, research and development of our CAR-T cell therapy product candidates as well as building our research and development capabilities. None of our product candidates have received marketing approval, and we may never be successful in obtaining marketing approval and commercializing product candidates. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. These net losses will adversely impact our shareholders’ deficit and net assets and may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially as we:

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continue our ongoing and planned research and development of our pipeline product candidates;

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conduct preclinical studies and clinical trials for any additional product candidates that we may pursue in the future, including ongoing and planned development of additional therapies for the treatment of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, or PTCL, a subtype of NHL, and T cell lymphoblastic leukemia, or T-LBL;

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seek to discover and develop additional product candidates and further expand our clinical product pipeline;

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seek regulatory approvals for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

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continue to scale up manufacturing capacity with the aim of securing sufficient quantities to meet our capacity requirements for clinical trials and potential commercialization;

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establish sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any product candidate for which we may obtain regulatory approval;

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develop, maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio; acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies;

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hire additional clinical, quality control and manufacturing personnel;

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add clinical, operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our product development and planned future commercialization efforts;

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expand our operations in China and establish our operations in the United States and other geographic regions; and

•

incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses associated with operating as a public company.

To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in developing and eventually commercializing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including completing preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates, obtaining regulatory approval, manufacturing, marketing and selling any products for which we may obtain regulatory approval, as well as discovering and developing additional product candidates. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenue that is significant enough to achieve profitability.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development, delivery and commercialization of complex autologous and allogeneic cell therapies, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. If we are required by regulatory authorities to perform studies in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in the initiation and completion of our clinical trials or the development of any of our product candidates, our expenses could increase and profitability could be further delayed.

Even if we achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the value of our ADSs and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our research and development efforts or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our ADSs could also cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

Since our inception, we have used substantial amounts of cash to fund our operations and expect our expenses to increase substantially during the next few years. The development of biopharmaceutical product candidates is capital intensive. As our product candidates enter and advance through preclinical studies and clinical trials, we will require substantial additional funding to meet our financial needs and to pursue our business objectives.

As of September 30, 2020, we had RMB177.5 million (US$26.1 million) in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. We believe that the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and

cash equivalents, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for . However, we will need to raise additional capital to complete the development and commercialization of our lead product candidates, GC012F, for the treatment of r/r MM, and GC027, for the treatment of r/r T-ALL and our other product candidates and in connection with our continuing operations and other planned activities. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

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the progress, results and costs of laboratory testing, manufacturing, and preclinical and clinical development for our current product candidates;

•

the scope, progress, results and costs of preclinical development, laboratory testing and clinical trials of other product candidates that we may pursue;

•

the development requirements of other product candidates that we may pursue;

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the timing and amounts of any milestone or royalty payments we may be required to make under future license agreements, if we enter into such agreements;

•

the costs of expanding our research and development capacities and manufacturing infrastructure into the United States, including hiring additional research and development, clinical, quality control and manufacturing personnel;

•

the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;

•

the costs and timing of future commercialization activities, including product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;

•

the amount of revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;

•

the costs and timing of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, obtaining, maintaining, protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending against any intellectual property-related claims;

•

the costs of operating as a public company; and

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the extent to which we acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical testing and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain regulatory approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. To date, we have no products approved for commercial sale, nor have we generated any revenue from product sales. Accordingly, we will need to continue to rely on additional financing to achieve our business objectives. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish some rights to our technologies or our product candidates on terms that are not favorable to us. Any additional capital-raising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our current and future product candidates, if approved. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on acceptable terms, we may be forced to delay, reduce or altogether cease our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts.

Risks Related to the Development of Our Product Candidates

We are very early in our development efforts. Except for our allogeneic donor-derived CAR-T product candidate, GC007g, for which we have obtained IND approval from the National Medical Products Administration, or the NMPA, and are initiating the Phase 1 study in China, all of our product candidates are in preclinical studies or investigator-initiated Phase 1 trials and have not been advanced into IND studies. There is no assurance that these or any other future clinical trials of our product candidates will be successful or will generate clinical data that are supportive of further development. Except for the IND approval we obtained from the NMPA for GC007g in B-ALL and an IND application we submitted to the NMPA for GC019F in B-ALL, we have not obtained any IND approval from, or submitted any IND application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory authorities in connection with our product candidates. There is no assurance that the NMPA, the FDA or other regulatory authorities will permit the submitted and future IND applications for our product candidates to go into effect in a timely manner or at all. Even if we successfully obtain IND approvals for our product candidates, there is no assurance that we will receive approvals or clearance for advancing or accelerating our development efforts such as for our recent submission to the Center for Drug Evaluation, or CDE, of an innovative seamless Phase 1b/2 study design for GC007g, and eventually marketing approval from the FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory agencies for any of our product candidates.

Biopharmaceutical development is a long, expensive and uncertain process, and delay or failure can occur at any stage of any of our clinical trials. Failure to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates will prevent us from commercializing and marketing our product candidates. The success in the development of our product candidates will depend on many factors, including:

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completing preclinical studies and receiving regulatory approvals or clearance for conducting clinical trials for our preclinical-stage programs;

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obtaining positive results in our clinical trials demonstrating efficacy, safety and durability of effect of our product candidates;

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receiving approvals for commercialization of our product candidates from regulatory authorities;

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manufacturing our product candidates at an acceptable quality and cost; and

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maintaining and growing an organization of scientists, medical professionals and business people who can develop and commercialize our products and technology.

Many of these factors are beyond our control, including the time needed to adequately complete clinical testing and the regulatory submission process. It is possible that none of our product candidates will ever obtain regulatory approval, even if we expend substantial time and resources seeking such approval. If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, or any other factors impacting the successful development of biopharmaceutical products, we could experience significant delays or an inability to successfully develop our product candidates, which would materially harm our business.

We have concentrated our primary research and development efforts on our CAR-T cell therapies using our proprietary technology platforms, FasTCAR and TruUCAR, our in-house know-how, our expertise in tumor biology and cell programming, and our future success is highly dependent on the validity of our technology platforms and the successful development and manufacture of our CAR-T product candidates. We do not

currently have any approved or commercialized products. As with other targeted therapies, off-tumor or off-target activity could delay development or require us to reengineer or abandon a particular product candidate. Because CAR-T cell therapies represent a relatively new field of cellular immunotherapy and cancer treatment generally, developing and commercializing our product candidates subjects us to a number of risks and challenges, including:

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obtaining regulatory approval for our product candidates, as the FDA, the NMPA and other regulatory authorities have limited experience with CAR-T therapies for cancer;

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in the case of autologous CAR-T cell therapies, developing and deploying consistent and reliable processes for engineering a patient’s T cells ex vivo and infusing the engineered T cells back into the patient;

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conditioning patients with chemotherapy in conjunction with delivering each of our products, which may increase the risk of adverse effects of our product candidates;

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sourcing clinical and, if approved, commercial supplies of the materials used to manufacture our product candidates;

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developing programming modules with the desired properties, while avoiding adverse reactions;

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creating viral vectors capable of delivering multiple programming modules;

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developing a reliable and consistent ex vivo gene modification and manufacturing process;

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establishing manufacturing capacity suitable for the manufacture of our product candidates in line with expanding enrollment in our clinical studies and our projected commercial requirements;

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achieving cost efficiencies in the scale-up of our manufacturing capacity;

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minimizing and avoiding infection and contamination during production of product candidates;

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developing protocols for the safe administration of our product candidates;

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educating medical personnel regarding our CAR-T technologies and the potential side effect profile of each of our product candidates, such as potential adverse effects related to cytokine release syndrome, or CRS, neurotoxicity, including immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, or ICANS, and/or graft versus host disease, or GvHD;

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establishing integrated solutions in collaboration with specialty treatment centers in order to reduce the burdens and complex logistics commonly associated with the administration of T cell therapies;

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establishing sales and marketing capabilities or partnerships to successfully launch and commercialize our product candidates if and when we obtain any required regulatory approvals, and risks associated with gaining market acceptance of a novel therapy if we receive approval; and

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the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors for our novel and personalized therapies in connection with commercialization of any approved product candidates.

We may not be able to successfully develop our CAR-T product candidates or our technology in a manner that will yield products that are safe, effective, scalable or profitable. Additionally, because our technology involves the genetic modification of patient cells ex vivo, we are subject to additional regulatory challenges and risks, including:

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regulatory requirements governing gene and cell therapy products have changed frequently and may continue to change in the future. To date, only three CAR-T cell therapy products that involve the genetic modification of patient cells have been approved in the United States and/or the European Union, and none have been approved in China;

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genetically modified products in the event of improper insertion of a gene sequence into a patient’s chromosome could lead to lymphoma, leukemia or other cancers, or other aberrantly functioning cells;

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although our viral vectors are not able to replicate, there is a risk with the use of retroviral or lentiviral vectors that they could lead to new or reactivated pathogenic strains of virus or other infectious diseases; and

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the FDA recommends a 15-year follow-up observation period for all patients who receive treatment using gene therapies and a trial guidance promulgated by NMPA requires a similar follow-up observation period for patients who receive cell therapeutic products, which has to be sufficient and could be as long as life-time, and we may need to adopt an observation period for our product candidates.

Moreover, public perception and awareness of cell therapy safety issues may adversely influence the willingness of subjects to participate in clinical trials of our product candidates, or if approved, of physicians to prescribe our products. Physicians, hospitals and third-party payors often are slow to adopt new products, technologies and treatment practices that require additional upfront costs and training. Treatment centers may not be willing or able to devote the personnel and establish other infrastructure required for the administration of CAR-T cell therapies. Physicians may not be willing to undergo training to adopt this novel and personalized therapy, may decide the therapy is too complex to adopt without appropriate training and may choose not to administer the therapy. Based on these and other factors, hospitals and payors may decide that the benefits of this new therapy do not or will not outweigh its costs.

Our future success is highly dependent on the regulatory approval of GC012F, GC027 and our other pipeline programs. All of our product candidates will require significant development through preclinical studies and/or clinical trials before we can seek regulatory approval for and launch a product commercially.

We do not have any products that have gained regulatory approval for marketing. Our business is substantially dependent on our ability to obtain regulatory approval for, and, if approved, to successfully commercialize our lead product candidates, GC012F, for the treatment of r/r MM, and GC027, for the treatment of r/r T-ALL, and our other pipeline programs. We cannot commercialize product candidates in the United States without first obtaining regulatory approval for the product from the FDA; similarly, we cannot commercialize product candidates in China or other countries without obtaining regulatory approval from comparable regulatory authorities in relevant jurisdictions, such as the NMPA in China, the EMA in the European Union and the PMDA in Japan. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any product candidate for a particular indication, we must demonstrate with substantial evidence gathered in preclinical and clinical studies that the product candidate is safe and effective for that indication and that the manufacturing facilities, processes and controls comply with regulatory requirements with respect to such product candidate. Prior to seeking approval for any of our product candidates, we will need to confer with the FDA, the NMPA and other regulatory authorities regarding the design of our clinical trials and the type and amount of clinical data necessary to seek and gain approval for our product candidates. In addition, approval policies, regulations, or the type and amount of preclinical and clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s research and development and may vary among jurisdictions. It is possible that none of our existing product candidates or any future product candidates will ever obtain regulatory approval.

Any of the following instances during preclinical studies and clinical trials could cause our product candidates to fail to receive marketing regulatory approval from the FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory authorities:

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disagreement with the design, protocol or conduct of our clinical trials;

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failure to demonstrate that a product candidate is safe and effective for its proposed indication;

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failure of clinical trials to meet the level of statistical significance required for approval;

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failure to demonstrate that a product candidate’s clinical and other benefits outweigh its risks;

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disagreement with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;

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insufficiency of data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates to support the submission and filing of a biologics license application, or BLA, or other submission or to obtain regulatory approval;

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failure to obtain approval of the manufacturing processes of our facilities;

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changes in the approval policies or regulations that render our preclinical and clinical data insufficient for approval; or

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lack of adequate funding to complete a clinical trial in a manner that is satisfactory to the applicable regulatory authority.

The FDA, the NMPA or a comparable regulatory authority may require us to provide more information, including additional preclinical or clinical data, to support a regulatory approval. To obtain such data, we may need to perform additional preclinical studies, clinical trials, or both, or modify our manufacturing processes, which may delay or prevent regulatory approval and our commercialization plans, or force us to abandon the development program. If we change our manufacturing processes, we may also be required to conduct additional clinical trials or other studies, which equally could delay or prevent approval of our product candidates.

Depending on the results of the preclinical and clinical trials in our product candidates, we may apply for expedited approval programs for those candidates, such as the breakthrough and conditional approval programs. There is no certainty that the clinical data obtained from trials of our product candidates will be sufficient to qualify for any expedited approval program.

Even if a product candidate were to successfully obtain marketing approval from the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions, any approval might contain significant limitations related to use restrictions for specified indications, specified age groups, warnings, precautions, distribution or contraindications, may be subject to burdensome and costly post-approval trials, risk management requirements or other post-marketing commitments, or may be subject to requirement of a liable that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of that product candidate. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for one of our product candidates in one or more jurisdictions, or any approval contains significant limitations, we may not be able to obtain sufficient funding to continue the development of that product or generate revenue attributable to that product candidate. Also, any regulatory approval of our current or future product candidates, even if obtained, may be withdrawn.

We may not be successful in our efforts to extend our pipeline of product candidates, including identifying or discovering additional product candidates in the future.

A key element of our strategy is to use our proprietary technology platforms, FasTCAR and TruUCAR, our in-house know-how and our expertise in tumor biology and cell programming to develop and deliver what we believe are safer and more effective next generation CAR-T cell therapies. Our initial focus is on the development of a pipeline of product candidates for the treatment of hematological cancers, including our lead product candidates, GC012F, for the treatment of r/r MM, and GC027, for the treatment of r/r T-ALL, and the progression of these product candidates through clinical development. We also have a broad portfolio of earlier stage candidates targeting various cancer indications, such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, PTCL, a subtype of NHL, and T-LBL. However, we may not be able to develop product candidates that are safe and effective, or which compare favorably with other commercially available alternatives. Even if we are successful in continuing to build our pipeline and developing next generation product candidates or expanding into solid tumor indications, such as ovarian and breast cancer, the potential product candidates that we identify may not be suitable for clinical development, including as a result of lack of safety, lack of tolerability, lack of anti-tumor activity, or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to be products that will receive marketing approval, achieve market acceptance or obtain reimbursements from third-party payors. There is no assurance that we will be able to successfully advance any of these additional product candidates through the development

process. Our research programs may initially show promise in identifying potential product candidates, yet fail to yield product candidates for clinical development or commercialization for many reasons, including the following:

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we may not be successful in identifying additional product candidates;

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we may not be able or willing to assemble sufficient resources to acquire or discover additional product candidates;

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our product candidates may not succeed in preclinical or clinical testing;

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a product candidate may on further study be shown to have harmful side effects or other characteristics that indicate it is unlikely to be effective or otherwise does not meet applicable regulatory criteria;

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competitors may develop alternatives that render our product candidates obsolete or less attractive;

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product candidates we develop may nevertheless be covered by third parties’ patents or other exclusive rights;

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the market for a product candidate may change during our development program so that the continued development of that product candidate is no longer reasonable;

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a product candidate may not be capable of being produced in commercial quantities at an acceptable cost, or at all; and

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a product candidate may not be accepted as safe and effective by patients, the medical community or third-party payors, if applicable.

If any of these events occur, we may be forced to abandon our development efforts for a program or programs, or we may not be able to identify, discover, develop or commercialize additional product candidates, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and could potentially cause us to cease operations.

Even if we receive approval from the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory agencies to market our product candidates, we cannot assure you that any such product candidates will be successfully commercialized, widely accepted in the marketplace or more effective than other commercially available alternatives. Further, because of our limited financial and managerial resources, we are required to focus our research programs on certain product candidates and on specific diseases. As a result, we may fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities, be required to forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or other diseases that may later prove to have greater commercial potential, or relinquish valuable rights to such product candidates through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights.

If we do not successfully develop and commercialize product candidates or collaborate with others to do so, we will not be able to obtain product revenue in future periods, which could significantly harm our financial position and adversely affect the trading price of our ADSs.

Most of our product candidates are still in the preclinical development and investigator-initiated clinical stage, and the risk of failure of these programs is high. Before we can commence registrational clinical trials for a product candidate, we must complete extensive preclinical testing and studies to obtain regulatory clearance to initiate registrational human clinical trials, including based on IND applications in the United States and clinical trial applications, or CTAs, in China. We cannot be certain of the timely completion or outcome of our

preclinical testing and studies and cannot predict if the FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory authorities will accept our proposed clinical programs or if the outcome of our preclinical testing and studies will ultimately support the further development of our programs. As a result, we cannot be sure that we will be able to submit IND applications or similar applications for our preclinical programs on the timelines we expect, or at all, and we cannot be sure that submission of IND applications or similar applications will result in the FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory authorities allowing registrational clinical trials to begin.

Clinical trials are difficult to design and implement, involve uncertain outcomes and may not be successful.

Human clinical trials are difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. The design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a product candidate and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. As an organization, we have limited experience designing clinical trials and may be unable to design and execute clinical trials to support regulatory approval. There is a high failure rate for biologic products proceeding through clinical trials, which may be higher for our product candidates because they are based on new technology and engineered on a patient-by-patient basis. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials even after achieving results in preclinical testing and earlier-stage clinical trials that are supportive of further development. Data obtained from preclinical and clinical activities are subject to varying interpretations, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. In addition, we may experience regulatory delays or rejections as a result of many factors, including changes in regulatory policy during the period of our product candidate development. Any such delays could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Success in preclinical studies or early phases of clinical trials may not be indicative of results in future clinical trials.

Results from preclinical studies are not necessarily predictive of future clinical trial results, and interim results of a clinical trial or an investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial are not necessarily indicative of final results. While we have received some data to date in the investigator-initiated Phase 1 trials that are supportive of further development for our lead product candidates, such as GC012F, for the treatment of r/r MM, and GC027, for the treatment of r/r T-ALL, these trials are still ongoing except for the completed investigator-initiated Phase 1 trials for GC007g and GC019F, and there is no assurance that we will be able to generate positive data in the subsequent clinical trials. For example, we are still in the process of producing and gather trial data for GC012F and GC027 in order to support our expected IND applications for GC012F to the FDA and the NMPA by the end of 2021, and for GC027 to the same regulatory authorities in 2022. We also have a broad portfolio of earlier stage product candidates, and because they are in earlier stages of development, we do not know whether these candidates will be effective and safe for the intended indications in humans. Our product candidates may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy in clinical development despite results in preclinical studies or having successfully advanced through initial investigator-initiated Phase 1 trials that are supportive of further development. Any failure to establish sufficient efficacy and safety could cause us to abandon clinical development of our product candidates.

We depend on enrollment of patients in our clinical trials for our product candidates. If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.

Identifying and qualifying patients to participate in clinical trials of our product candidates is critical to our success. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with the protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the study until its conclusion. The enrollment of patients depends on many factors, including:

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the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol;

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the number of patients with the disease or condition being studied;

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the understanding of risks and benefits of the product candidate in the trial;

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clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages of the product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs that may be approved for the indications we are investigating or drugs that may be used off-label for these indications;

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the size and nature of the patient population who meet inclusion criteria;

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the proximity of patients to study sites;

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the design of the clinical trial;

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our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience;

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competing clinical trials for similar therapies or other new therapeutics not involving T cell-based immunotherapy;

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our ability to obtain and maintain patient consents; and

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the risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will drop out of the clinical trials before completion of their treatment.

In particular, some of our clinical trials are designed to enroll patients with characteristics that are found in a very small population. For example, T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or T-ALL, the lead indication for our lead clinical product candidate GC027 has a low incidence overall and therefore clinical study enrollment with take longer. Other companies are conducting clinical trials with their T cell therapies in multiple myeloma, B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and seek to enroll patients in their studies that may otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials, which could lead to slow recruitment and delays in our clinical programs. In addition, since the number of qualified clinical investigators is limited, we will conduct some of our clinical trials at the same clinical trial sites that some of our competitors use, which could further reduce the number of patients who are available for our clinical trials in these clinical trial sites. Moreover, because our product candidates represent a departure from more commonly used methods for cancer treatment, potential patients and their doctors may be inclined to use conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy and antibody therapy, rather than participating in our clinical trials.

Delays in patient enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of the planned clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these clinical trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our product candidates. In addition, many of the factors that may lead to a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.

We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on independent investigators and other third parties to conduct the preclinical and clinical trials for our product candidates. We do not have full control over the conduct of such trials and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of such trials or failing to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.

We depend and will continue to depend upon top-tier hospitals in China to conduct our preclinical and clinical trials, including both investigator-initiated trials and clinical trials initiated by us. Agreements with such third parties might terminate for a variety of reasons, including a failure to perform by the third parties. If we need to enter into alternative arrangements, our product development activities would be delayed.

Our reliance on these third parties for research and development activities will reduce our control over these activities but will not relieve us of our responsibilities. For example, we will remain responsible for ensuring that GC007g’s registration-enabling clinical study is conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan

and protocols for the trial. Investigator-initiated trials pose similar risks as clinical trials initiated by us. While investigator-initiated trials may provide us with clinical data that can inform our future development strategy, we do not have full control over the protocols, administration, or conduct of the trials and the compliance of the extensive regulatory requirements that the trials are subject to, especially with respect to portion that needs to be performed by third parties. As a result, we are subject to risks associated with the way investigator-initiated trials are conducted. Third parties in such investigator-initiated trials may not perform their responsibilities for our clinical trials on our anticipated schedule or consistent with clinical trial protocols or applicable regulations. Furthermore, any data integrity issues or patient safety issues arising out of any of these trials would be beyond our control, yet could adversely affect our reputation and damage the clinical and commercial prospects for our product candidates. Additional risks include difficulties or delays in communicating with investigators or administrators, procedural delays and other timing issues, and difficulties or differences in interpreting data. As a result, our reduced control over the conduct and timing of, and communications with the FDA, the NMPA and other comparable regulatory authorities regarding investigator-initiated trials expose us to additional risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, and the occurrence of which could adversely affect the prospects for our product candidates.

Moreover, the NMPA, having adopted the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for the Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, or ICH, requires us to comply with standards commonly referred to as good laboratory practices and good clinical practices for conducting, recording and reporting the results of preclinical and clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial participants are protected. Similar regulatory requirements apply in the United States, where we plan to conduct clinical trials for our product candidates in the future. We are also required to register certain ongoing clinical trials and post the results of certain completed clinical trials on a government-sponsored database within specified time frames. Failure to do so by us or third parties can result in NMPA’s refusal to approve applications based on the clinical data, enforcement actions, adverse publicity and civil and criminal sanctions.

Furthermore, the third parties we work with may also have relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, meet expected deadlines or conduct our clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or our stated protocols, we will not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approvals for our product candidates and will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our product candidates.

In addition, principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and may receive cash or equity compensation in connection with such services. If these relationships and any related compensation result in perceived or actual conflicts of interest, or the NMPA concludes that the financial relationship may have affected the interpretation of the trial, the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site may be questioned and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized, which could result in the delay or rejection by the NMPA. Any such delay or rejection could prevent us from commercializing our clinical-stage product candidates or any future product candidates.

Certain of our product candidates are being studied in investigator-initiated trials. In addition, part of our strategy is to continue to explore new opportunities for cell therapy in investigator-initiated trials in China, where such trials are initiated and conducted by principal investigators under the oversight of the China National Health Commission, or NHC, as a medical practice technology, rather than the NMPA as a medical product. As a result, our role and access to clinical results and data are limited. We engineer, produce and provide CAR-T cells to the

principal investigators at the specialized hospitals for administration in patients. The principal investigators agree to provide us results and findings generated from the investigator-initiated trials, and will only provide the underlying data points if separately requested by us and approved by them. To the extent that, after discussions with the FDA and/or the NMPA, we are permitted to rely on all or part of the initial results and the underlying data points from these studies to support our regulatory filings with the FDA and/or the NMPA, we work in close collaboration with the principal investigators to collect the data with their approval. As a general matter, the NMPA will accept, review, and reject or approve a CTA only from the manufacturer of the investigational product as the sponsor of the CTA, rather than from a physician who intends to be the investigator and sponsor of the CTA. The NMPA distinguishes the former as registrational clinical trial, and the latter as non-registrational clinical trial, and normally will not consider the data generated from investigator-initiated non-registrational clinical trials, when it reviews the application for registrational clinical trial from the manufacturer.

In the case of CAR-T cell therapy, however, the NMPA is aware of the large number of investigator-initiated trials in China and the United States, and some reviewers from its CDE have published two articles on its website in February 2018 and October 2018, expressing the view that (1) the mainstream regulatory oversight is to follow the pathway of registrational clinical trial, but that (2) data from investigator-initiated trials may be considered if the non-registrational clinical trials otherwise fully comply with the same requirements applicable to registrational clinical trials, in particularly the requirements related to manufacturing quality control, informed consent, data integrity, data management, and all GCP requirements.

Accordingly, there is risk to part of our strategy to continue to explore new opportunities for cell therapy in investigator-initiated clinical trials in China that the NMPA may refuse to consider the data from the investigator-initiated clinical trials of our product candidates due to concerns that (1) this does not follow the mainstream regulatory pathway of relying on registrational clinical trial, or that (2) the non-registrational clinical trials of our product candidates may not otherwise fully comply with the same requirements applicable to registrational clinical trials, as further explained below. There is no assurance that the clinical data from any of our investigator-initiated clinical trials in China will be accepted by the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities outside of China, for any of our product candidates, nor can we assure that the clinical data from any of our investigator-initiated clinical trials in China, where the patients are predominately of Chinese descent, will produce similar results in patients of different races, ethnicities or those of non-Chinese descent.

The market opportunities for certain of our product candidates may be limited to those patients who are ineligible for or have failed prior treatments and may be small, and our projections regarding the size of the addressable market may be incorrect.

Cancer therapies are may be characterized as first line, second line or third line therapy depending options for treatment and prior treatments received, and the NMPA and FDA may approve new therapies initially only for the last line of therapy after SOC treatment. When blood cancers are detected, they are first treated with a curative intent. This approach may consists of chemotherapy, radiation, antibody drugs, tumor-targeted small molecules, or a combination of these. In addition, sometimes a bone marrow transplantation can be used as first treatment approach or first line therapy. If the patient’s cancer relapses, then they may be given a second line and thereafter a third or fourth line therapy, which can consist of more chemotherapy, radiation, antibody drugs, tumor-targeted small molecules, or a combination of these, or bone marrow transplant. Generally, the higher the line of therapy, the lower the chance of a cure. With third or higher line, the goal of the therapy in the treatment of lymphoma and myeloma is to control the growth of the tumor and extend the life of the patient.

While we are initially developing GC012F as therapy for patients with r/r MM in later lines of therapy, there is no guarantee that it, or any of our product candidates, even if approved, would be approved for an earlier line of therapy. In addition, we may have to conduct additional large randomized clinical trials prior to gaining approval for the earlier line of therapy.

Our projections of both the number of people who have the cancers we are targeting, as well as the size of the patient population subset of people with these cancers in a position to receive first, second, third and fourth line therapy and who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our product candidates, are based on our beliefs and estimates. These estimates have been derived from a variety of sources, including scientific literature, surveys of clinics, patient foundations, or market research and may prove to be incorrect. Further, new studies may change the estimated incidence or prevalence of these cancers. The number of patients may turn out to be fewer than expected. Additionally, the potentially addressable patient population for our product candidates may be limited or may not be amenable to treatment with our product candidates. For example, our ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial for GC027 is seeking to enroll patients with r/r T-ALL, an indication that has a low incidence overall. Even if we obtain significant market share for our product candidates, because the potential target populations are small, we may never achieve significant revenue without obtaining regulatory approval for additional indications or as part of earlier lines of therapy.

In clinical trials conducted by other companies involving CAR-T cells, the most prominent acute toxicities included symptoms thought to be associated with CRS, such as fever, low blood pressure and kidney dysfunction. Some patients also experienced toxicity of the central nervous system, or neurotoxicity, such as confusion, tremor, cranial nerve dysfunction, seizures and speech impairment. Adverse events with the worst grades and attributed to CAR-T cells were severe and life threatening in some patients and often occur in the first two weeks after cell infusion. Although most of such adverse effects would be resolved within three weeks, some may progress to a life-threatening condition and lead to patient deaths.

Our clinical trials include cancer patients who are very sick and whose health is deteriorating. So far, adverse events observed in our clinical studies include but are not limited to CRS, ICANS, cytopenias, infection, bleeding and GvHD. While most of these adverse events were managed with treatment and supportive care, one r/r MM patient in the investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial for GC012F presented with fever and died shortly after Day 78 of unknown cause during the COVID-19 pandemic and one B-ALL patient withdrew treatment from the investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial for GC007g due to severe CRS accompanied with infection. It is possible that patients may continue to experience similar adverse events as were observed in clinical trials conducted by other companies and academic institutions involving CAR-T cells, and that patients may die during our clinical trials for various reasons, including as a result of receiving our product candidates, because the patient’s disease is too advanced, or because the patient experiences medical problems that may not be related to our product candidate. Even if the deaths are not related to our product candidate, the deaths could affect perceptions regarding the safety of our product candidate.

Patient deaths and severe adverse effects caused by products or product candidates of other companies that are thought to have similarities with our product candidates, could result in the delay, suspension, clinical hold or termination of clinical trials by us, ethics committee, the FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory authorities for a number of reasons. If we elect or are required to delay, suspend or terminate any clinical trial of any product candidates that we develop, the commercial prospects of such product candidates will be harmed and our ability to generate product revenue from any of these product candidates would be delayed or eliminated. Serious adverse events observed in clinical trials could hinder or prevent market acceptance of the product candidate at issue. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations significantly.

Additionally, if one or more of our product candidates receives marketing approval, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by such products, including during any long-term follow-up observation

period recommended or required for patients who receive treatment using our products, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

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regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals of such product;

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regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label;

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we may be required to create a Risk Management Plan, or RMP, or similar risk management plan, which could include a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients, a communication plan for healthcare providers and/or other elements to assure safe use;

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we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and

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our reputation may suffer.

Any of the foregoing could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate, if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

Preliminary, interim and topline data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.

From time to time, we may publicly disclose interim, preliminary or topline data from our preclinical studies, investigator-initiated trials and clinical trials, and the results and related findings and conclusions, which are based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data, are subject to change as patient enrollment and treatment continues and more patient data become available. For example, we have reported interim data from our ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial of GC012F for the treatment of r/r MM, GC019F for the treatment of r/r B-ALL, GC007F for the treatment of r/r B-NHL and GC027 for the treatment of T-ALL elsewhere in this prospectus. Adverse differences between previous preliminary or interim data and future interim or final data could significantly harm our business prospects. We may also announce topline data following the completion of a preclinical study, investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial or clinical trial, which may be subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial.

We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. Regulatory agencies, including the FDA and the NMPA, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses or may interpret or weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability or commercialization of the particular product candidate or product and our company in general.

As a result, the preliminary, interim or topline results that we report or release may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results, once additional data have been received and fully evaluated. Topline data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. As a result, topline data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available.

If the interim, preliminary or topline data that we report differ from final results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for, and commercialize, our product candidates may be harmed, which could harm our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition.

If the clinical trials of any of our product candidates fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authorities, or do not otherwise produce favorable results, we may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

We may not commercialize, market, promote or sell any product candidate without obtaining marketing approval from the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authority, and we may never receive such approvals. It is impossible to predict accurately when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans and will receive regulatory approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the commercial sale of any of our product candidates, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex and expensive preclinical studies and clinical trials that our product candidates are both safe and effective for use in each proposed indication. Clinical trials are expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and are uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of clinical development.

We may experience numerous unforeseen events prior to, during or as a result of clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or commercialize any of our product candidates, including:

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the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authority may disagree as to the number, design or implementation of our clinical trials, or may not interpret the results from clinical trials as we do;

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regulators or institutional review boards may not authorize us or our investigators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site;

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we may not reach agreement on acceptable terms with prospective clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different clinical trial sites;

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clinical trials of our product candidates may produce negative or inconclusive results;

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we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon product development programs;

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the number of patients required for clinical trials of our product candidates may be larger than we anticipate, enrollment in these clinical trials may be slower than we anticipate, participants may drop out of these clinical trials at a higher rate than we anticipate or we may fail to recruit eligible patients to participate in a trial;

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our third-party contractors may fail to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us in a timely manner, or at all;

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regulators may issue a clinical hold, or regulators or institutional review boards may require that we or our investigators suspend or terminate clinical research for various reasons, including noncompliance with regulatory requirements or a finding that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks;

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the cost of clinical trials of our product candidates may be greater than we anticipate;

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the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authorities may fail to approve our manufacturing processes or facilities;

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the supply or quality of our product candidates or other materials necessary to conduct clinical trials of our product candidates may be insufficient or inadequate;

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our product candidates may have undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics, particularly given their novel, first-in-human application, such as cytokine-induced toxicity and T cell aplasia, causing us or our investigators, regulators or institutional review boards to suspend or terminate the clinical trials; and

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the approval policies or regulations of the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.

To the extent that the results of the trials are not satisfactory for the FDA, the NMPA or regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions to approve our new drug application, or NDA, BLA or other comparable applications, the commercialization of our product candidates may be significantly delayed, or we may be required to expend significant additional resources, which may not be available to us, to conduct additional trials in support of potential approval of our product candidates.

We may not be able to successfully develop or operate our own manufacturing infrastructure for supply of our requirements of programmed CAR-T cell product candidates for use in clinical trials and for commercial sale.

We currently have manufacturing facilities in Suzhou and Shanghai, which meet the supply for the preclinical and clinical development and early-stage commercialization of our pipeline product candidates. We also have the capacity to support our global preclinical and clinical development and early commercialization with our manufacturing facilities.

We expect that operating our own commercial cell manufacturing facilities will provide us with enhanced control of material supply for both preclinical and clinical studies and the commercial market, enable the more rapid implementation of process changes, and allow for better long-term cost margins. However, we have limited experience as a company in designing and operating a commercial manufacturing facility and may never be successful in developing new manufacturing capability either on our own or together with a third-party. We plan to establish a manufacturing facility in the United State and may establish more manufacturing sites as we expand our commercial footprint to multiple geographies, which may lead to regulatory delays or prove costly. Even if we are successful, our manufacturing operations could be affected by cost-overruns, unexpected delays, equipment failures, labor shortages, natural disasters, power failures and numerous other factors, or we may not be successful in establishing sufficient capacity to produce our product candidates in sufficient quantities to meet the requirements for the potential launch or to meet potential future demand, all of which could prevent us from realizing the intended benefits of our manufacturing strategy and have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may not be successful in achieving cost of goods at commercial scale that provide for an attractive margin.

We believe that our current, robust manufacturing processes are fit for commercial scale and we anticipate they will enable commercial supply at an economical cost. However, we have not yet established manufacturing capacity at sufficient commercial scale and may underestimate the cost and time required to do so, or overestimate cost reductions from economies of scale that can be realized with our manufacturing processes. We may ultimately be unable to manage the cost of goods for our product candidates to levels that will allow for a margin in line with our expectations and return on investment if and when those product candidates are commercialized.

Our product candidates are biologics whose manufacture is complex. If we encounter any difficulties in production, particularly with respect to process development or scaling-out of our manufacturing capabilities, supply of our product candidates for clinical trials or for patients, if approved, could be delayed or stopped.

We have developed our proprietary technology platform, FasTCAR, to manufacture autologous CAR-T cells with desired quality, significantly shortening manufacturing time from an industry norm of two to six weeks and achieving next-day manufacturing (22 to 36 hours). While we believe that the manufacture of autologous CAR-T cells using the FasTCAR platform is scalable for commercial production, each manufacturing process must be validated through the performance of process validation runs to guarantee that the facility, personnel, equipment and process work as designed. The other proprietary technology platform, TruUCAR, is designed to manufacture allogeneic CAR-T cells readily available off-the-shelf. We have not yet manufactured or processed our product candidates on a commercial scale using either FasTCAR platform or TruUCAR platform, and may not be able to do so for any of our product candidates.

We, like other manufacturers of biologic products, may encounter various difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up or out, validating the production process, and assuring high reliability of the manufacturing process. These problems include delays or breakdowns in logistics and shipping, difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, product testing, operator error, lack of availability of qualified personnel, as well as failure to comply with strictly enforced regulations.

Furthermore, if microbial, viral or other contaminations are discovered in our supply of product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination. We cannot assure you that any of these or other issues relating to the manufacture of our product candidates will not occur in the future. Any delay or interruption in the supply of clinical trial supplies could delay the completion of clinical trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining clinical trial programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to begin new clinical trials at additional expense or terminate clinical trials completely.

The manufacture and delivery of CAR-T cell therapies, in particular, autologous CAR-T cell therapies, to patients involves complex, integrated processes, including harvesting T cells from patients, programming the T cells ex vivo, multiplying the CAR-T cells to obtain the desired dose, and ultimately infusing the CAR-T cells back into a patient’s body. As a result of the complexities, the cost to manufacture biologics in general, and our CAR-T cell product candidates in particular, is generally higher than traditional small molecule chemical compounds, and the manufacturing process is more variable and is more difficult and costly to reproduce. In addition, our manufacturing process will be susceptible to product loss or failure due to logistical issues associated with the collection of white blood cells from the patient, shipping such patient material to the manufacturing site, storing and processing such patient material, shipping the patient material with the CAR-T cells back to the patient, and infusing the patient with the final product. Other manufacturing issues include the differences in patient starting materials, inconsistency in cell growth, variability in product characteristics, interruptions in the manufacturing process, equipment or reagent failure, improper installation or operation of equipment, and vendor or operator error. Even minor deviations from normal manufacturing processes could result in reduced production yields, product defects, and other supply disruptions. If we lose, destroy or otherwise impair the patient materials at any point in the vein-to-vein supply chain, the manufacturing process for that patient may need to be restarted and the resulting delay may adversely affect that patient’s outcome due to the risk of disease progression. In addition, because our product candidates are manufactured for each particular patient, we will be required to maintain a chain of identity with respect to materials as they move from the patient to the manufacturing facility, through the manufacturing process, and back to the patient. Maintaining such a chain of identity is difficult and complex, and failure to do so could result in adverse patient outcomes, loss of product, or regulatory action including withdrawal of our products from the market.

Our manufacturing facilities also require commissioning and validation activities to demonstrate that they operate as designed, and are subject to government inspections by the FDA, the NMPA and other comparable regulatory authorities. If we are unable to reliably produce products to specifications acceptable to the regulatory authorities, we may not obtain or maintain the approvals we need to manufacture our products. Further, our facilities may fail to pass government inspections prior to or after the commercial launch of our product candidates, which would cause significant delays and additional costs required to remediate any deficiencies identified by the regulatory authorities. Any of these challenges could delay completion of clinical trials, require bridging clinical trials or the repetition of one or more clinical trials, increase clinical trial costs, delay approval of our product candidate, impair commercialization efforts, increase our cost of goods, and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

Changes in methods of product candidate manufacturing may result in additional costs or delays.

As product candidates progress through preclinical to late-stage clinical trials to marketing approval and commercialization, it is common that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing methods, are altered along the way in an effort to optimize yield, manufacturing batch size, minimize costs and

achieve consistent quality and results. We may also from time to time change our method of manufacturing, including chemistry, manufacturing and control, or CMC, processes, and such changes carry the risk that they will not achieve these intended objectives. Any of these changes could cause our product candidates to perform differently and affect the results of planned clinical trials or other future clinical trials conducted with the altered materials. This could delay completion of clinical trials, require the conduct of bridging clinical trials or the repetition of one or more clinical trials, increase clinical trial costs, delay approval of our product candidates and jeopardize our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate revenue. In addition, if our technical transfer in connection with CMC is delayed, our efforts in building our research and development capacity in a new geographic area may also be delayed.

We may contract with third parties for the manufacturing and supply of certain of our product candidates for use in preclinical testing and clinical trials or for commercial use in the future, which supply could become limited or interrupted or may not be of satisfactory quality and quantity.

We currently manufacture all of our product candidates for use in preclinical testing and clinical trials, but may rely on third parties for certain manufacturing needs in the future. For example, we intend to partner with a contract research organization, or CRO, as well as contract development and manufacturing organization, or CDMO, in the United States to conduct clinical trials for GC012F in support of a potential BLA submission in the United States, including manufacturing the products to be used in the clinical trials. Any such future reliance may increase the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products, if approved, or such quantities at an acceptable cost or quality, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts. Furthermore, all entities involved in the preparation of therapeutics for clinical trials or commercial sale, including any contract manufacturer for our product candidates, are subject to extensive regulation. Components of a finished therapeutic product approved for commercial sale or used in clinical trials must be manufactured in accordance with cGMP requirements. These regulations govern manufacturing processes and procedures, including record keeping, and the implementation and operation of quality systems to control and assure the quality of investigational products and products approved for sale. Poor control of production processes can lead to the introduction of contaminants, or to inadvertent changes in the properties or stability of our product candidates that may not be detectable in final product testing. Manufacturing in the United States must supply all necessary documentation in support of a BLA on a timely basis and must adhere to the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice regulations and cGMP regulations enforced by the FDA through its facilities inspection program. Manufacturing of our products in the China requires regulatory approvals and is subject to the NMPA’s ongoing and periodic inspection to ensure compliance with GMP requirements. Comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require compliance with similar requirements. The facilities and quality systems of us and any of our future third-party contract manufactures must pass a pre-approval inspection for compliance with the applicable regulations as a condition of marketing approval of our product candidates. We may not be able to control the manufacturing activities of a third-party contract manufacturer for compliance with cGMP regulations.

Our or a third-party’s failure to execute on our manufacturing requirements, do so on commercially reasonable terms and comply with cGMP may adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including:

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an inability to initiate or continue clinical trials of our product candidates under development;

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delay in submitting regulatory applications, or receiving marketing approvals, for our product candidates;

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loss of the cooperation of future collaborators;

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subjecting third-party manufacturing facilities or our manufacturing facilities to additional inspections by regulatory authorities;

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requirements to cease development or to recall batches of our product candidates; and

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in the event of approval to market and commercialize our product candidates, an inability to meet commercial demands for our product or any other future product candidates.

Cell-based therapies rely on the availability of reagents, specialized equipment, and other specialty materials, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. For some of these reagents, equipment, and materials, we rely or may rely on sole source vendors or a limited number of vendors, which could impair our ability to manufacture and supply our products.

Manufacturing our product candidates will require many reagents, which are substances used in our manufacturing processes to bring about chemical or biological reactions, and other specialty materials and equipment, some of which are manufactured or supplied by small companies with limited resources and experience to support commercial biologics production. We currently depend on a limited number of vendors for access to facilities and supply of certain materials and equipment used in the manufacture of our product candidates. Some of our suppliers may not have the capacity to support commercial products manufactured under cGMP by biopharmaceutical firms or may otherwise be ill-equipped to support our needs. We also do not have supply contracts with many of these suppliers, and may not be able to obtain supply contracts with them on acceptable terms or at all. Accordingly, we may not be able to obtain key materials and equipment to support clinical or commercial manufacturing.

For some of these reagents, equipment, and materials, we rely and may in the future rely on sole source vendors or a limited number of vendors. An inability to continue to source product from any of these suppliers, which could be due to regulatory actions or requirements affecting the supplier, adverse financial or other strategic developments experienced by a supplier, labor disputes or shortages, unexpected demands, or quality issues, could adversely affect our ability to satisfy demand for our product candidates, which could adversely and materially affect our product sales and operating results or our ability to conduct clinical trials, either of which could significantly harm our business.

As we continue to develop and scale our manufacturing process, we may need to obtain rights to and supplies of certain materials and equipment to be used as part of that process. We may not be able to obtain rights to such materials on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and if we are unable to alter our process in a commercially viable manner to avoid the use of such materials or find a suitable substitute, it would have a material adverse effect on our business.

The process for treating cancer patients using T cell therapy is subject to human and systemic risks.

The “vein-to-vein” cycle for treating cancer patients using autologous T cell therapy involves multiple steps and human participants. In our FasTCAR process, the patient’s T cells are extracted in the treatment center and shipped to the manufacturing site, followed by a “concurrent activation-transduction” step during which T cells are genetically modified to express CARs. The CAR-T cells are then formulated into finished product and delivered back to the treatment center and administered to the patient. Our TruUCAR process for allogeneic T cell therapy involves similar manufacturing steps, such as T cell extraction and modification, and therefore is subject to similar human and systemic risks facing autologous T cell therapy.

In both China and the United States, samples of the final product are subjected to several release tests which must fulfill specified criteria for the drug product to be released for infusion. These include sterility, identity, purity, potency and other tests. We are subject to stringent regulatory and quality standards in the course of a T cell therapy treatment process. We cannot assure you that our quality control and assurance efforts will be successful or that the risk of human or systemic errors in these processes can be eliminated.

Prior treatments can alter the cancer and negatively impact chances for achieving clinical activity with our CAR-T cells.

Patients with hematological cancers typically receive highly toxic chemotherapy as their initial treatment that can impact the viability of the T cells collected from the patient and may contribute to highly variable responses to CAR-T cell therapies. Patients could also have received prior therapies that target the same target

antigen on the cancer cells as our intended programmed CAR-T cell product candidate and thereby these patients may have cancer cells with low or no expression of the target. As a result, our CAR-T cell product candidates may not recognize the cancer cell and may fail to achieve clinical activity. Take one of our lead product candidates, GC012F, for example, most of the patients enrolled for our GC012F study are r/r MM patients with high-risk features as assessed by Mayo Stratification for Myeloma and Risk-Adapted Therapy, or mSMART, criteria, who have exhausted other therapeutic options, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. If any of our product candidates do not achieve a sufficient level of clinical activity, we may discontinue the development of that product candidate, which could have an adverse effect on the value of our ADSs.

We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or have a greater likelihood of success.

Because we have limited financial and management resources, we focus on research programs and product candidates that we identify for specific indications. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate.

Risks Related to our Business Operations

As a company currently with substantial operations outside of the United States, our business is subject to economic, political, regulatory and other risks associated with international operations.

As a company with substantial operations in China, our business is subject to risks associated with conducting business outside the United States. Many of our suppliers and clinical trial relationships are located outside the United States. Accordingly, our future results could be harmed by a variety of factors, including:

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economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular non-U.S. economies and markets;

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differing and changing regulatory requirements for product approvals;

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differing jurisdictions could present different issues for securing, maintaining or obtaining freedom to operate in such jurisdictions;

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potentially reduced protection for intellectual property rights;

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difficulties in compliance with different, complex and changing laws, regulations and court systems of multiple jurisdictions and compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws, treaties and regulations;

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changes in non-U.S. regulations and customs, tariffs and trade barriers;

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foreign exchange risks and currency controls;

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changes in a specific country’s or region’s political or economic environment;

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trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements or other restrictive actions by governments;

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differing reimbursement regimes and price controls in certain non-U.S. markets;

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negative consequences from changes in tax laws;

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compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad, including, for example, the variable tax treatment in different jurisdictions of options granted under our share incentive plans;

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workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;

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litigation or administrative actions resulting from claims against us by current or former employees or consultants individually or as part of class actions, including claims of wrongful terminations, discrimination, misclassification or other violations of labor law or other alleged conduct;

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difficulties associated with staffing and managing international operations, including differing labor relations;

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production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and

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business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including war and terrorism, health epidemics, or natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires.

See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China” for additional risks related to our operations in China.

We are a fast-growing emerging company and may experience difficulties in managing this growth.

As of September 30, 2020, we had 160 full-time employees. As our development and commercialization plans and strategies to expand and develop, and as we transition into operating as a public company, we expect to need additional managerial, operational, financial and other personnel, including personnel to support our product development and planned future commercialization efforts. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:

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identifying, recruiting, integrating, maintaining and motivating additional employees;

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managing our internal development efforts effectively, including the clinical, NMPA, FDA review processes for our product candidates; and

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improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures.

There are a small number of individuals with experience in cell therapy and the competition for these individuals is high. Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize our product candidates will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future growth, and our management may also have to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from day-to-day activities in order to devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities.

If we are not able to effectively expand our organization by hiring new employees, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to further develop and commercialize our product candidates and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development and commercialization goals.

In addition to expanding our organization, we are increasing the size of our facilities and building out our development and manufacturing capabilities, which requires significant capital expenditures and technology. If these capital expenditures are higher than expected, it may adversely affect our financial condition and capital resources. In addition, if the increase in the size of our facilities is delayed, it may limit our ability to rapidly expand the size of our organization in order to meet our corporate goals.

Our future success depends on our ability to retain key members of senior management and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biopharmaceutical industry depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified management, research and development, clinical, financial and business

development personnel. We are highly dependent on our management, scientific and medical personnel, including Dr. William Wei Cao, our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Martina Sersch, our Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Yili Kevin Xie, our Chief Financial Officer. Although we have entered into employment arrangements with the members of our senior management, other than Dr. Cao, each of them may currently terminate their employment with us at any time and will continue to be able to do so after the closing of this offering. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our employees.

Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and clinical personnel and, if we progress the development of any of our product candidates, commercialization, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel, will be critical to our success. The loss of the services of members of our senior management or other key employees could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. While we enter into non-competition agreements with our departed employees, there is no guarantee that these agreements will be fully complied by such departed employees. Furthermore, replacing members of our senior management and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize our product candidates. Our success also depends on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled junior, mid-level and senior managers, as well as junior, mid-level and senior scientific and medical personnel. Competition to hire from this limited candidate pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions.

If we engage in future acquisitions or strategic collaborations, this may increase our capital requirements, dilute our shareholders, cause us to incur debt or assume contingent liabilities and subject us to other risks.

From time to time, we may evaluate various acquisitions and strategic collaborations, including licensing or acquiring complementary products, intellectual property rights, technologies or businesses, as we may deem appropriate to carry out our business plan. Any potential acquisition or strategic collaboration may entail numerous risks, including:

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increased operating expenses and cash requirements;

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the assumption of additional indebtedness or contingent liabilities;

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assimilation of operations, intellectual property and products of an acquired company, including difficulties associated with integrating new personnel;

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the diversion of our management’s attention from our existing programs and initiatives in pursuing such a strategic partnership, merger or acquisition;

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retention of key employees, the loss of key personnel and uncertainties in our ability to maintain key business relationships;

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risks and uncertainties associated with the other party to such a transaction, including the prospects of that party and their existing products or product candidates and regulatory approvals; and

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our inability to generate revenue from acquired technology sufficient to meet our objectives in undertaking the acquisition or even to offset the associated acquisition and maintenance costs.

Additionally, if we undertake acquisitions, we may issue dilutive securities, assume or incur debt obligations, incur large onetime expenses and acquire intangible assets that could result in significant future amortization expenses. Moreover, we may not be able to locate suitable acquisition opportunities and this inability could impair our ability to grow or obtain access to technology or products that may be important to the development of our business.

Our internal information technology systems, or those of our third-party vendors, collaborators or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches or other unauthorized or improper access, which could result in a significant disruption of our product development programs, give rise to significant liability, subject us to costly and protracted litigation, cause significant reputational harm and impact our ability to operate our business effectively.

We are increasingly dependent upon information technology systems, infrastructure, and data to operate our business. In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store, and transmit confidential information (including but not limited to intellectual property, proprietary business information, and personal information). It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such information. We also have outsourced elements of our operations to third parties, and as a result we manage a number of third-party vendors and other contractors and consultants who have access to our confidential information.

Our internal information technology systems and those of our current and any future third-party vendors, collaborators and other contractors or consultants may be vulnerable to a variety of disruptive elements, including data breaches, cyber-attacks by malicious third parties (including the deployment of computer viruses, harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering, and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information), unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war, telecommunication and electrical failures and persons with access to systems inside our organization. In particular, the risk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity, and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. We may not be able to anticipate all types of security threats, and we may not be able to implement preventive measures effective against all such security threats. Because the techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched, and can originate from a wide variety of sources, including outside groups such as external service providers, organized crime affiliates or terrorist organizations, we and our partners may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. Further, we do not have any control over the operations of the facilities or technology of third parties that collect, process and store personal data on our behalf.

While we have not experienced any significant system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations or a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or those of our third-party vendors and other collaborators, contractors and consultants, it could result in a disruption of our development programs and our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other confidential, personal or proprietary information, significant delays or setbacks in our research, or other similar disruptions. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential, personal or proprietary information, we could incur significant liability, our competitive position could be harmed, our reputation could be damaged, and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed.

Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential data, including personal information, whether through a breach of computer systems, systems failure, employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, or otherwise, or unauthorized access to or through our information systems and networks, whether by our employees or third parties, could result in negative publicity, damage to our reputation and/or compel us to comply with federal and/or state breach notification laws and foreign law equivalents, subject us to mandatory corrective action, and otherwise subject us to liability under laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of personal information. The costs related to significant security breaches or disruptions could be material. If the information technology systems of our third-party vendors and other collaborators, contractors and consultants become subject to disruptions or security breaches, we may be exposed to material liability and have insufficient recourse against such third parties and we may have to expend significant resources to mitigate the impact of such an

event, and to develop and implement protections to prevent future events of this nature from occurring. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

We are or may become subject to a variety of privacy and data security laws, policies and contractual obligations, and our failure or failure of our third-party vendors, collaborators, contractors or consultants to comply with them could harm our business.

We collect, maintain and process, and our third-party vendors, collaborators, contractors and consultants collect, maintain and process on our behalf, sensitive information, including confidential business and personal information, including health information in connection with our preclinical and clinical studies and information regarding our employees, and are subject to federal, state and foreign laws and regulations governing the privacy and security of such information. Failure by us, our third-party vendors, collaborators, contractors and consultants to comply with any of these laws and regulations could result in enforcement action against us, including fines, imprisonment of company officers and public censure, claims for damages by affected individuals, damage to our reputation and loss of goodwill, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

In China, regulatory authorities have implemented and are considering a number of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection. For example, the Cyber Security Law of PRC, or the Cyber Security Law, which became effective in June 2017, created China’s first national-level data protection for “network operators” which may include all network service providers in China. Numerous regulations, guidelines and other measures are expected to be adopted under the umbrella of the Cyber Security Law. Drafts of some of these measures have now been published, including the draft rules on cross-border transfers published by the Cyberspace Administration of China in 2017, which if enacted, may require security review before transferring human health-related data out of China. Furthermore, the Data Security Law of the PRC (Draft) was published on July 3, 2020 by the National People’s Congress for public comment. The draft law consists of seven chapters, namely General Provisions, Data Security and Development, Data Security System, Data Security Protection Obligation, Security and Openness of Government Data, Legal Liability and Supplementary Provisions. However, the relationship between the Data Security Law of the PRC and the implemented National Security Law of the PRC, the Cyber Security Law of the PRC, the Confidentiality Law of the PRC and the ongoing Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC needs to be carefully clarified. In addition, certain industry-specific laws and regulations affect the collection and transfer of personal data in China. The regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Human Genetic Resources promulgated by the State Council on May 28, 2019 and implemented on July 1, 2019 stipulates that in order to obtain marketing authorization for relevant drugs and medical devices in China, no approval is required in international clinical trial cooperation using China’s human genetic resources, or the HGR at clinical institutions without export of HGR materials. However, the two parties among international clinical trial cooperation shall file the type, quantity and usage of the HGR to be used with the administrative department of science and technology under the State Council before clinical trials. It is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices, potentially resulting in confiscation of HGR samples and associated data and administrative fines.

In addition, the interpretation and application of data protection laws in China and elsewhere are often uncertain and in flux. Many statutory requirements include obligations for companies to notify individuals of security breaches involving certain personal information, which could result from breaches experienced by us or our third-party service providers. These laws are not consistent, and compliance in the event of a widespread data breach is difficult and may be costly. We also may be contractually required to notify customers or other counterparties of a security breach. Any contractual protections we may have from our third-party service providers, contractors or consultants may not be sufficient to adequately protect us from such liabilities and losses, and we may not be able to enforce any such contractual protections. Moreover, governments have been frequently amending existing laws and implementing regulations, requiring attention to changing regulatory requirements. We expect that there will continue to be new proposed laws and regulations concerning data

privacy and security, and we cannot yet determine the impact such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our business. New laws, amendments to or re-interpretations of existing laws, regulations, standards and other obligations may require us to incur additional costs and restrict our business operations. Because the interpretation and application of health-related and data protection laws, regulations, standards and other obligations are still uncertain, and often contradictory and in flux, it is possible that the scope and requirements of these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices and our efforts to comply with the evolving data protection rules may be unsuccessful. If so, this could result in government-imposed fines or orders requiring that we change our practices, which could adversely affect our business.

In the United States, where we expect to commence our operations and clinical trials in the future, there are numerous federal and state privacy and data security laws and regulations governing the collection, use, disclosure and protection of personal information, including federal and state health information privacy laws, federal and state security breach notification laws, and federal and state consumer protection laws. Each of these constantly evolving laws can be subject to varying interpretations. For example, regulations promulgated pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, establish privacy and security standards that limit the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health information, or protected health information, and require the implementation of administrative, physical and technological safeguards to protect the privacy of protected health information and ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health information. Determining whether protected health information has been handled in compliance with applicable privacy standards and our contractual obligations can be complex and may be subject to changing interpretation. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, has the discretion to impose penalties without attempting to first resolve violations. HHS enforcement activity can result in financial liability and reputational harm, and responses to such enforcement activity can consume significant internal resources.

In addition, states in the United States are constantly adopting new laws or amending existing laws, requiring attention to frequently changing regulatory requirements. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing, and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CCPA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. Although there are limited exemptions for certain health-related information, including certain clinical trial data, the precise application and scope of these exemptions as well as how they would apply to our business is not yet clear. As currently written, the CCPA may impact our business activities and exemplifies the vulnerability of our business to the evolving regulatory environment related to personal data and protected health information. Some observers have noted that the CCPA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States, which could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business.

In May 2018, a new privacy regime, the General Data Protection Regulation, or the GDPR, took effect in the European Economic Area, or the EEA, into which we may expand our business. The GDPR governs the collection, use, disclosure, transfer or other processing of personal data of European persons. Among other things, the GDPR imposes requirements regarding the security of personal data and notification of data processing obligations to the competent national data processing authorities, changes the lawful bases on which personal data can be processed, expands the definition of personal data and requires changes to informed consent practices, as well as more detailed notices for clinical trial subjects and investigators. In addition, the GDPR imposes substantial fines for breaches and violations (up to the greater of €20 million or 4% of our consolidated annual worldwide gross revenue) and increases the scrutiny of transfers of personal data from clinical trial sites located in the EEA to the United States and other jurisdictions that the European Commission does not recognize as having “adequate” data protection laws. The efficacy and longevity of current transfer mechanisms between the EU and the United States remains uncertain. For example, in 2016, the EU and United States agreed to a transfer framework for data transferred from the EU to the United States, called the Privacy Shield, but the

Privacy Shield was invalidated in July 2020 by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The GDPR also confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of the GDPR. Further, while the United Kingdom enacted the Data Protection Act 2018 in May 2018 that supplements the GDPR and has publicly announced that it will continue to regulate the protection of personal data in the same way post-Brexit, Brexit has created uncertainty with regard to the future of regulation of data protection in the United Kingdom. Some countries also are considering or have passed legislation requiring local storage and processing of data, or similar requirements, which could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our products and services.

Many statutory requirements, in China, the United States, Europe and elsewhere, include obligations for companies to notify individuals of security breaches involving certain personal information, which could result from breaches experienced by us or our third-party service providers. For example, laws in all 50 states of the United States and the District of Columbia require businesses to provide notice to consumers whose personal information has been disclosed as a result of a data breach. These laws are not consistent, and compliance in the event of a widespread data breach is difficult and may be costly. Moreover, states have been frequently amending existing laws, requiring attention to changing regulatory requirements. We also may be contractually required to notify customers or other counterparties of a security breach. Any contractual protections we may have from our third-party service providers, contractors or consultants may not be sufficient to adequately protect us from any such liabilities and losses, and we may be unable to enforce any such contractual protections.

We expect that there will continue to be new proposed laws and regulations concerning data privacy and security, and we cannot yet determine the impact such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our business. New laws, amendments to or re-interpretations of existing laws, regulations, standards and other obligations may require us to incur additional costs and restrict our business operations. Because the interpretation and application of health-related and data protection laws, regulations, standards and other obligations are still uncertain, and often contradictory and in flux, it is possible that the scope and requirements of these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices and our efforts to comply with the evolving data protection rules may be unsuccessful. If so, this could result in government-imposed fines or orders requiring that we change our practices, which could adversely affect our business. In addition, these privacy regulations may differ from country to country and may vary based on where testing is performed. Our operations or business practices may not comply with these regulations in each country.

Compliance with these and any other applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations is a rigorous and time-intensive process, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with the new data protection rules. If we or our third-party vendors, collaborators, contractors and consultants fail to comply with any such laws or regulations, we may face regulatory investigations, significant fines and penalties, reputational damage or be required to change our business practices, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of Our Product Candidates and Other Legal Compliance Matters

Our product candidates and the activities associated with their development and commercialization, including their design, research, testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, quality control, recordkeeping, labeling, packaging, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale, distribution, import, export, and reporting of safety and other post-market information, are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA, the NMPA and other comparable regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions. Failure to obtain marketing approval for a product

candidate will prevent us from commercializing the product candidate. We have not received approval to market any of our product candidates from regulatory authorities in any jurisdiction. We have only limited experience in filing and supporting the applications necessary to gain marketing approvals and may rely on third-party CROs to assist us in this process. Securing marketing approval requires the submission of extensive preclinical and clinical data and supporting information to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the product candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing marketing approval also requires the submission of information about the product manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities. Our product candidates may not be effective, may be only moderately effective or may prove to have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that may preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use. If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, the accompanying label may limit its approved use, which could limit sales of the product.

The process of obtaining marketing approvals in China, the United States and elsewhere is expensive and may take many years, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidates involved. Securing marketing approval requires the submission of extensive preclinical and clinical data and supporting information to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the product candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing marketing approval also requires the submission of information about the product manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities. The FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory authorities may determine that our product candidates are not safe and effective, only moderately effective or have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable.

In addition, changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data is insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent marketing approval of a product candidate. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable.

If we experience delays in obtaining approval or if we fail to obtain approval of our product candidates, the commercial prospects for our product candidates may be harmed and our ability to generate revenue will be impaired.

Obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our product candidates in one jurisdiction does not mean that we will be successful in obtaining regulatory approval of our product candidates in other jurisdictions.

In order to market and sell our products in the United States or other jurisdictions outside of China in the future, we must obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from those in China, including additional preclinical studies or clinical trials as clinical studies conducted in one jurisdiction may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions.

The time required to obtain approval may differ substantially from that required to obtain approval from the NMPA. The regulatory approval process outside China generally includes all of the risks associated with obtaining approval from the NMPA. Obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our product candidates in one jurisdiction does not guarantee that we will be able to obtain or maintain regulatory approval in any other

jurisdiction, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one jurisdiction may have a negative effect on the regulatory approval process in others. For example, even if the NMPA grants marketing approval of a product candidate, comparable regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions must also approve the manufacturing, marketing and promotion of the product candidate in those countries. In many jurisdictions outside the United States, a product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that jurisdiction. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for our products is also subject to approval. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements in international markets and/or to receive applicable marketing approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed.

Even if we obtain marketing approvals for our product candidates, the terms of approvals and ongoing regulation of our products may limit how we manufacture and market our products and compliance with such requirements may involve substantial resources, which could materially impair our ability to generate revenue.

Even if marketing approval of a product candidate is granted, an approved product and its manufacturer and marketer are subject to ongoing review and extensive regulatory requirements for manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, and recordkeeping, including the potential requirements to implement a Risk Management Plan, or RMP, or to conduct costly post-marketing studies or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. We must also comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotion for any of our product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Promotional communications with respect to prescription drugs are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory restrictions and must be consistent with the information in the product’s approved labeling. Thus, we will not be able to promote any products we develop for indications or uses for which they are not approved. In addition, manufacturers of approved products and those manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply with extensive regulatory requirements of the FDA, the NMPA and other regulatory authorities, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMP and other comparable regulations and standards, which include requirements relating to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation and reporting requirements. We or our suppliers could be subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA, the NMPA or other regulatory authorities to monitor and ensure compliance with cGMP.

Accordingly, assuming we receive marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, we and our suppliers will continue to expend time, money and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production, product surveillance and quality control. If we are not able to comply with post-approval regulatory requirements, we could have the marketing approvals for our products withdrawn by regulatory authorities and our ability to market any future products could be limited, which could adversely affect our ability to achieve or sustain profitability. Thus, the cost of compliance with post-approval regulations may have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval will be subject to various post-approval regulatory requirements, and we may be subject to significant penalties, sanctions and other damages if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements.

The FDA and other federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, closely regulate compliance with all requirements governing prescription drug products, including requirements pertaining to marketing and promotion of products in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling and manufacturing of products in accordance with cGMP requirements. The FDA and DOJ impose stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label use and if we do not market our products for their approved indications, or if other of our marketing claims are deemed false or misleading, we may be subject to enforcement action. Violations of such requirements may lead to investigations alleging violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other statutes, including the False Claims Act and other federal and state health care fraud and abuse laws as well as state consumer protection laws.

Our failure to comply with all regulatory requirements, and later discovery of previously unknown adverse events or other problems with our products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes, may yield various results, including:

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litigation involving patients taking our products;

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restrictions on such products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes;

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restrictions on the labeling or marketing of a product;

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restrictions on product distribution or use;

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requirements to conduct post-marketing studies or clinical trials;

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warning or untitled letters;

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withdrawal of the products from the market;

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refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications that we submit;

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recall of products;

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fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenue;

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suspension or withdrawal of marketing approvals;

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suspension of any ongoing clinical trials;

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damage to relationships with any potential collaborators;

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unfavorable press coverage and damage to our reputation;

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refusal to permit the import or export of our products;

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product seizure; or

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injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

Noncompliance by us or any future collaborator with regulatory requirements regarding safety monitoring or pharmacovigilance, and with requirements related to the development of products for the pediatric population, can also result in significant financial penalties. Similarly, failure to comply with regulatory requirements regarding the protection of personal information can also lead to significant penalties and sanctions.

Likewise, the NMPA and other relevant PRC regulatory authorities closely regulate the manufacture, labeling, marketing and promotion of product candidates that have received a marketing approval. Approved products must be manufactured in compliance with GMP and other applicable standards and regulatory requirements. The NMPA and other PRC regulatory authorities may conduct periodic inspections of the manufacturers and raw material suppliers that are involved in the manufacturing of the approved products to ensure compliance with standards on qualify control, quality assurance, recordkeeping and reporting. Further, we are prohibited from marketing and promoting our approved products outside of their approved indications and uses. Promotions of prescription drugs, in particular, must be consistent with the information in the labelling approved for such drugs. In addition, we may be required in certain circumstances to conduct post-marketing studies, clinical trials or other actions to continuously monitor the safety and efficacy of the product. If we fail to comply with post-approval regulatory requirements, the marketing approvals we obtain for our product candidates could be withdrawn by regulatory authorities and our abilities to market any future products could be limited.

In addition, noncompliance with EU requirements regarding safety monitoring or pharmacovigilance, and with requirements related to the development of products for the pediatric population, also can result in significant financial penalties. Similarly, failure to comply with the European Union’s requirements regarding the protection of personal information can also lead to significant penalties and sanctions.

If any of these events occurs, our ability to sell such product may be impaired, and we may incur substantial additional expense to comply with regulatory requirements, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, commercial partners and vendors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk of employee and third-party fraud or other misconduct or failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements. Misconduct by employees and independent contractors, such as principal investigators, consultants, commercial partners, and vendors, could include failures to comply with regulations of the FDA, the NMPA and other comparable regulatory authorities, to provide accurate information to such regulators, to comply with manufacturing standards we have established, to comply with healthcare fraud and abuse laws, to report financial information or data accurately or to disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, sales, marketing and other business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of business activities, including, but not limited to, research, manufacturing, distribution, pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee and independent contractor misconduct could also involve the improper use of individually identifiable information, including, without limitation, information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation.

It is not always possible to identify and deter employee and independent contractor misconduct, and any precautions we take to detect and prevent improper activities may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws. If any such actions are instituted against us, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement of profits, imprisonment, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, or other government supported healthcare in other jurisdictions, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting or oversight obligations if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of noncompliance with the law and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate.

Our product candidates are subject to government price controls in certain jurisdictions that may affect our revenue.

There has been heightened governmental scrutiny in China and other jurisdictions of pharmaceutical pricing practices in light of the rising cost of prescription drugs. In the United States, such scrutiny has resulted in several recent Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for products. At the federal level, Congressional leadership and the Trump administration have each indicated that they will continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly enacted legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. In China, the government has recently announced their intension to revise and introduce more measures on the centralized procurement of drugs, price management and setting up standards on charges for medical consultants and prescriptions, all for the purpose of reducing people’s medical expenses. In the European Union, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental

control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing approval for a product. To obtain coverage and reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product candidate to other available therapies. If reimbursement of our products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business could be harmed.

Recently enacted and future legislation in the United States and other countries may affect the prices we may obtain for our product candidates and increase the difficulty and cost for us to commercialize our product candidates.

In the United States and many other countries, rising healthcare costs have been a concern for governments, patients and the health insurance sector, which resulted in a number of changes to laws and regulations, and may result in further legislative and regulatory action regarding the healthcare and health insurance systems that could affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. For a detailed discussion of healthcare reform initiatives of importance to the pharmaceutical industry, see the section titled “Regulation—United States Regulation—Healthcare Reform.”

For example, the ACA was enacted in the United States in March 2010 with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and expanding access to healthcare, and includes measures to change healthcare delivery, increase the number of individuals with insurance, ensure access to certain basic healthcare services, and contain the rising cost of care. Since January 2017, President Trump has signed two executive orders and other directives designed to delay, circumvent, or loosen certain requirements mandated by the ACA. Concurrently, Congress has considered legislation that would repeal or repeal and replace all or part of the ACA. While Congress has not passed repeal legislation, two bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the ACA have been signed into law. H.R. 1: An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, or the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, includes a provision repealing, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” Additionally, the 2020 federal spending package permanently eliminates, effective January 1, 2020, the ACA-mandated “Cadillac” tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage and medical device tax and, effective January 1, 2021, also eliminates the health insurer tax.

On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Further, on December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the District Court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. It is unclear how this decision, future decisions, subsequent appeals, and other efforts to repeal and replace the ACA will impact the ACA.

Further, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, among other things, amended the ACA, effective January 1, 2019, to increase from 50% to 70% the point-of-sale discount that is owed by pharmaceutical manufacturers who participate in Medicare Part D and to close the coverage gap in most Medicare drug plans, commonly referred to as the “donut hole.” Congress may consider other legislation to repeal or replace elements of the ACA. These executive orders and legislative actions are expected to result in increased health insurance premiums and reduce the number of people with health insurance in the United States, and have other effects that adversely affect U.S. health insurance markets and the ability of patients to have access to therapies that our product candidates can provide.

In addition, other federal health reform measures have been proposed and adopted in the United States. For example, as a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011, providers are subject to Medicare payment reductions of 2% per fiscal year through 2029 unless additional Congressional action is taken. Further, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 reduced Medicare payments to several providers and increased the statute of limitations

period for the government to recover overpayments from providers from three to five years. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 ended the use of the statutory formula, also referred to as the Sustainable Growth Rate, for clinician payment and established a quality payment incentive program, also referred to as the Quality Payment Program. This program provides clinicians with two ways to participate, including through the Advanced Alternative Payment Models, or APMs, and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, or MIPS. In November 2019, CMS issued a final rule finalizing the changes to the Quality Payment Program. At this time, it is unclear how the introduction of the quality payment program will impact overall physician reimbursement under the Medicare program. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors.

Further, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny in the United States of pharmaceutical pricing practices in light of the rising cost of prescription drugs and biologics. Such scrutiny has resulted in several recent Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for products. At the federal level, the Trump administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 includes a US$135 billion allowance to support legislative proposals seeking to reduce drug prices, increase competition, lower out-of-pocket drug costs for patients, and increase patient access to lower-cost generic and biosimilar drugs. Additionally, the Trump administration released a “Blueprint” to lower drug prices and reduce out-of-pocket costs of drugs that contains additional proposals to increase manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products and reduce the out-of-pocket costs of drug products paid by consumers. The HHS has solicited feedback on some of these measures and, at the same time, has implemented others under its existing authority. For example, in May 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, issued a final rule to allow Medicare Advantage Plans the option of using step therapy for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2020. This final rule codified CMS’s policy change that was effective January 1, 2019. Although a number of these and other measures may require additional authorization to become effective, Congress and the Trump administration have each indicated that it will continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

The combination of healthcare cost containment measures, increased health insurance costs, reduction of the number of people with health insurance coverage, as well as future legislation and regulations focused on reducing healthcare costs by reducing the cost of or reimbursement and access to pharmaceutical products, may limit or delay our ability to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our products.

Our product candidates may face competition sooner than anticipated from biosimilar products.

Even if we are successful in achieving regulatory approval to commercialize a product candidate faster than our competitors, our product candidates may face competition from biosimilar products. In the United States, our product candidates are regulated by the FDA as biologic products and we intend to seek approval for these product candidates pursuant to the BLA pathway. The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, created an abbreviated pathway for the approval of biosimilar and interchangeable biologic products. The abbreviated regulatory pathway establishes legal authority for the FDA to review and approve biosimilar biologics, including the possible designation of a biosimilar as “interchangeable” based on its similarity to an existing brand product. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product cannot be approved by the FDA until 12 years after the original branded product was approved under a BLA. The law is complex and is still being interpreted and implemented by the FDA. As a result, its ultimate impact, implementation, and meaning are subject to uncertainty. While it is uncertain when such processes intended to implement BPCIA may be fully adopted by the FDA, any such processes could have a material adverse effect on the future commercial prospects for our product candidates.

There is a risk that any exclusivity we may be afforded if any of our product candidates are approved as a biologic product under a BLA could be shortened due to congressional action or otherwise, or that the FDA will not consider our product candidates to be reference products for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for generic or biosimilar competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar product, once approved, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biologic products is not yet clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing. In addition, a competitor could decide to forego the biosimilar approval path and submit a full BLA after completing its own preclinical studies and clinical trials. In such cases, any exclusivity to which we may be eligible under the BPCIA would not prevent the competitor from marketing its product as soon as it is approved.

In Europe, the European Commission has granted marketing authorizations for several biosimilar products pursuant to a set of general and product class-specific guidelines for biosimilar approvals issued over the past few years. In Europe, a competitor may reference data supporting approval of an innovative biological product, but will not be able to market it until 10 years after the time of approval of the innovative product. This 10-year marketing exclusivity period may be extended to 11 years if, during the first eight of those 10 years, the marketing authorization holder obtains an approval for one or more new therapeutic indications that bring significant clinical benefits compared with existing therapies. In addition, companies may be developing biosimilar products in other countries that could compete with our products, if approved.

If competitors are able to obtain marketing approval for biosimilars referencing our product candidates, if approved, such products may become subject to competition from such biosimilars, with the attendant competitive pressure and potential adverse consequences. Such competitive products may be able to immediately compete with us in each indication for which our product candidates may have received approval.

We are subject to certain foreign export and import controls, sanctions, embargoes, anti-corruption laws, and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Any violation of such laws and regulations may subject us to criminal liability and other serious consequences.

We are subject to export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, and other state and national anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in the countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, contractors, and other collaborators from authorizing, promising, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to recipients in the public or private sector. We may engage third parties to sell our products outside the United States, to conduct clinical trials, and/or to obtain necessary permits, licenses, patent registrations, and other regulatory approvals. We have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated hospitals, universities, and other organizations. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, agents, contractors, and other collaborators, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. Any violations of the laws and regulations described above may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, imprisonment, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm, and other consequences.

If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could harm our business.

We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our operations involve the use of hazardous materials, including chemicals and biological materials.

Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from our use of hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations. In addition, in connection with the construction of certain research and development facilities in China, we have not completed all required fire prevention and safety and construction related procedures and filings in a timely manner, which could subject us to fines and other administrative penalties.

Although we maintain insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal of biological or hazardous materials. Furthermore, we are subject to numerous international, national, municipal and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations relating to, among other matters, safe working conditions, product stewardship and environmental protection. However, environmental and social laws and regulations have tended to become increasingly stringent and, to the extent regulatory changes occur in the future, they could result in, among other things, increased costs to our company.

In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.

Our business operations and relationships with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere are subject, directly or indirectly, to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse, false claims, physician payment transparency, health information privacy and security and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to substantial penalties.

Healthcare providers, physicians and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors may expose us to broadly applicable healthcare laws, including, without limitation, the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the U.S. federal False Claims Act, that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we sell, market and distribute any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. In addition, we may be subject to physician payment transparency laws and privacy and security regulation by the U.S. federal government and by the states and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. The applicable federal, state and foreign healthcare laws that may affect our ability to operate include the following:

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the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of, any good, facility, item or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value. This statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, purchasers and formulary managers on the other hand. Although there are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting certain common activities from prosecution or other regulatory sanctions, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly, and practices that involve remuneration that are alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or

recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all its facts and circumstances. Several courts have interpreted the statute’s intent requirement to mean that if any one purpose of an arrangement involving remuneration is to induce referrals of federal healthcare covered business, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute has been violated;

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U.S. federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the federal False Claims Act, which can be enforced through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, and civil monetary penalty laws, which, among other things, impose criminal and civil penalties, against individuals or entities for, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. Pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for, among other things, allegedly inflating drug prices they report to pricing services, which in turn were used by the government to set Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, and for allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product. In addition, certain marketing practices, including off-label promotion, may also violate false claims laws. Further, pharmaceutical manufacturers can be held liable under the False Claims Act even when they do not submit claims directly to government payors if they are deemed to “cause” the submission of false or fraudulent claims. Criminal prosecution is also possible for making or presenting a false, fictitious or fraudulent claim to the federal government;

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HIPAA, which contains new federal criminal statutes that prohibit knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless of whether the payor is public or private, knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare benefit program, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by any trick or device a material fact or making any materially false statements in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services relating to healthcare matters;

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HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, which impose obligations on “covered entities,” including certain healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, as well as their respective “business associates” that create, receive, maintain or transmit individually identifiable health information for or on behalf of a covered entity, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. Additionally, HITECH also contains four new tiers of civil monetary penalties; amends HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in U.S. federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and to seek attorneys’ fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions;

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the U.S. federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which prohibits, among other things, the adulteration or misbranding of drugs, biologics and medical devices;

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the U.S. federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, created under Section 6002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively, the ACA, and its implementing regulations, created annual reporting requirements for certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions), to report information related for certain payments and “transfers of value” provided to

physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members; and analogous state laws and regulations and foreign laws, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers; state and foreign laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government or to adopt compliance programs as prescribed by state laws and regulations, or that otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers; state and foreign laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers, marketing expenditures or drug pricing; state and local laws that require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives; and state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.

Further, the ACA, among other things, amended the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and certain criminal statutes governing healthcare fraud. A person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the ACA provided that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act.

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of their exceptions and safe harbors, it is possible that our business activities can be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. The scope and enforcement of each of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. Federal and state enforcement bodies have recently increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry.

Efforts to ensure that our internal operations and future business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, monetary fines, imprisonment, disgorgement of profits, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting or oversight obligations if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of noncompliance with the law and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and pursue our strategy. If any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business, including future collaborators, are found not to be in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to significant criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from participation in government healthcare programs, which could also affect our business.

Risks Related to the Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

We may not be successful in locating suitable medical centers or partners or enter into an agreement on commercially reasonable terms or at all. We would have limited control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our product candidates effectively.

For the future potentially partnered product candidates, we would not market our products alone once they have obtained marketing authorization. The risks inherent in entry into these contracts are as follows:

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the negotiation and execution of these agreements is a long process that may not result in an agreement being signed or that can delay the development or commercialization of the product candidate concerned;

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these agreements are subject to cancellation or nonrenewal by our collaborators, or may not be fully complied with by our collaborators;

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in the case of a license granted by us, we lose control of the development of the product candidate licensed;

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in such cases we would have only limited control over the means and resources allocated by our partner for the commercialization of our product; and

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collaborators may not properly obtain, maintain, enforce, or defend our intellectual property or proprietary rights or may use our proprietary information in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation.

Should any of these risks materialize, or should we fail to find suitable collaborators, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in a rapidly changing industry and face significant competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.

The development and commercialization of new biopharmaceutical products is highly competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological advancements. We face competition from major multi-national pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and specialty pharmaceutical companies with respect to our current and future product candidates that we may develop and commercialize in the future. There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell products or are pursuing the development of product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large, established companies. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations. Due to their promising clinical therapeutic effect in clinical exploratory trials, engineered T cell therapies, redirected T cell therapies in general and antibody-drug conjugates are being pursued by multiple biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing technologies and products that are more effective, more effectively marketed and sold or less costly than any product candidates that we may develop, which could render our product candidates noncompetitive and obsolete.

Our potential CAR-T cell therapy competitors include, among others, companies developing autologous and allogeneic CAR-T treatments, discovering dual or novel antigens, developing transposon or gene editing technologies to improve manufacturing. In addition, we may compete with cell therapies companies that are focused on development in Asia. See “Business—Competition” for more details.

Many of our competitors, either alone or with their strategic collaborators, have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do. Accordingly, our competitors may be more successful than we are in obtaining approval for treatments and achieving widespread market acceptance, which may render our treatments obsolete or noncompetitive. Mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical study sites and patient registration for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive or better reimbursed than any products that we may commercialize. Our competitors also may obtain NMPA, FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we do, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position for either the product or a specific indication before we are able to enter the market.

Due to the novelty of our technologies, our new and emerging CAR-T cell therapies may have difficulty or encounter significant delays in achieving the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.

Even if we obtain approvals from the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory agencies and are able to initiate commercialization of our clinical-stage product candidates or any other product candidates we develop, the product candidate may not achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals, including pharmacy directors, and third-party payors and, ultimately, may not be commercially successful. The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:

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the clinical indications for which our product candidates are approved;

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physicians, hospitals, cancer treatment centers, and patients considering our product candidates as a safe and effective treatment;

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hospitals and cancer treatment centers establishing the infrastructure required for the administration of redirected CAR-T cell therapies;

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the potential and perceived advantages of our product candidates over alternative treatments;

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the prevalence and severity of any side effects;

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product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authorities;

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limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved by the FDA, the NMPA or other comparable regulatory authorities;

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the timing of market introduction of our product candidates as well as competitive products;

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the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments;

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the amount of upfront costs or training required for physicians to administer our product candidates;

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the availability of coverage, adequate reimbursement, and pricing by third-party payors and government authorities;

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the willingness of patients to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of comprehensive coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors and government authorities;

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relative convenience and ease of administration, including as compared to alternative treatments and competitive therapies; and

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the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts and distribution support.

Our efforts to educate physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community on the benefits of our products, if approved, may require significant resources and may never be successful. Such efforts may require more resources than are typically required due to the complexity and uniqueness of our product candidates. Because we expect sales of our product candidates, if approved, to generate substantially all of our product revenue for the foreseeable future, the failure of our product candidates to find market acceptance would harm our business and could require us to seek additional financing.

In addition, although we are not utilizing embryonic stem cells or replication competent vectors, adverse publicity due to the ethical and social controversies surrounding the therapeutic use of such technologies, and reported side effects from any clinical trials using these technologies or the failure of such trials to demonstrate that these therapies are safe and effective, may limit market acceptance of our product candidates. If our product candidates are approved but fail to achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals, cancer treatment centers or others in the medical community, we will not be able to generate significant revenue.

Even if our products achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if new products or technologies are introduced that are more favorably received than our products, are more cost effective or render our products obsolete.

Coverage and adequate reimbursement may not be available for our current or any future product candidates, which could make it difficult for us to sell profitably, if approved.

Market acceptance and sales of any product candidates that we commercialize, if approved, will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from third-party payors, including government health administration authorities, managed care organizations and private health insurers. Third-party payors decide which therapies they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels.

In China, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China or provincial or local human resources and social security authorities, together with other government authorities, review the inclusion or removal of drugs from the China’s National Drug Catalog for Basic Medical Insurance, Work-related Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance, or the National Reimbursement Drug List, or the NRDL, or provincial or local medical insurance catalogues for the National Medical Insurance Program, or the PRDL, regularly, and the tier under which a drug will be classified, both of which affect the amounts reimbursable to program participants for their purchases of those drugs. There can be no assurance that any of our future approved drug candidates will be included in the NRDL or the PRDL. Products included in the NRDL or the PRDL are typically generic and essential drugs. Innovative drugs similar to our drug candidates have historically been more limited on their inclusion in the NRDL or the PRDL due to the affordability of the government’s Basic Medical Insurance. If we were to successfully launch commercial sales of our products in China but fail in our efforts to have our products included in the NRDL or PRDL, our revenue from commercial sales in China will be highly dependent on patient self-payment, which can make our products less competitive. Additionally, even if the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the PRC or any of its local counterparts accepts our application for the inclusion of products in the NRDL or PRDL, our potential revenue from the sales of these products in China could still decrease as a result of the significantly lowered prices we may be required to charge for our products to be included in the NRDL or PRDL.

Third-party payors in the United States often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided for any product candidates that we develop will be made on a payor-by-payor basis. One payor’s determination to provide coverage for a drug does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage and adequate reimbursement for the drug. Additionally, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a therapy does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price, examining the medical necessity and reviewing the cost-effectiveness of medical products, therapies and services, in addition to questioning their safety and efficacy. These pressures are further compounded by significant controversies and intense political debate and publicity about prices for pharmaceuticals that some consider excessive, including government regulatory efforts, funding restrictions, legislative proposals, policy interpretations, investigations and legal proceedings regarding pharmaceutical pricing practices. Global pressures on pricing may negatively impact, in parallel, both our product pricing and our market access. We may incur significant costs to conduct expensive pharmaco-economic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our product candidates, in addition to the costs required to obtain FDA approvals. Our product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective.

Each payor determines whether or not it will provide coverage for a therapy, what amount it will pay the manufacturer for the therapy, and on what tier of its list of covered drugs, or formulary, it will be placed. The position on a payor’s formulary, generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the therapy and can strongly influence the adoption of such therapy by patients and physicians. Patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers prescribing such services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Patients are unlikely to use our products, and providers are unlikely to prescribe our products, unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our products and their administration. Therefore, coverage and adequate reimbursement is critical to new medical product acceptance.

A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any drug that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more product candidates for which we receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future. Inadequate coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any drug for which we obtain marketing approval. If coverage and adequate reimbursement are not available, or are available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our current and any future product candidates that we develop.

We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement in China, the United States or elsewhere will be available for any product that we may develop, and any reimbursement that may become available may be decreased or eliminated in the future.

Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials and will face an even greater risk if we commercially sell any products that we may develop. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our product candidates or products caused injuries, we will incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

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reduced resources of our management to pursue our business strategy;

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decreased demand for any product candidates or products that we may develop;

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injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;

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withdrawal of clinical trial participants;

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initiation of investigations by regulators;

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product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;

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significant costs to defend the resulting litigation;

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substantial monetary awards paid to clinical trial participants or patients;

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loss of revenue; and

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the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop.

While we maintain clinical trial insurance, which covers certain bodily injury or damage in connection with our clinical trials and investigator-initiated trials for our product candidates, our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We may need to increase our insurance coverage as we expand our clinical and investigator-initiated trials or if we commence commercialization of our product candidates. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.

We may enter into partnership agreements with third parties for the development and commercialization of our product candidates, which may adversely affect our ability to generate revenue.

We may seek to enter into collaborations or partnerships with third parties for the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates. We face competition in seeking partners and may not be able to locate a suitable partner or to enter into an agreement on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we succeed in securing partners for the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we will have limited control over the time and resources that our partners may dedicate to the development and commercialization of our product candidates. These partnerships pose a number of risks, including the following:

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partners may not have sufficient resources or decide not to devote the necessary resources due to internal constraints such as budget limitations, lack of human resources or a change in strategic focus;

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partners may believe our intellectual property is not valid or is unenforceable or the product candidate infringes on the intellectual property rights of others;

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partners may dispute their responsibility to conduct development and commercialization activities pursuant to the applicable collaboration, including the payment of related costs or the division of any revenue;

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partners may decide to pursue a competitive product developed outside of the collaboration arrangement;

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partners may not be able to obtain, or believe they cannot obtain, the necessary regulatory approvals; or

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partners may delay the development or commercialization of our product candidates in favor of developing or commercializing another party’s product candidate.

Thus, partnership agreements may not lead to development, regulatory approval or successful commercialization of product candidates in the most efficient manner or at all and we may not be able to advance our product candidates or generate meaningful revenue.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce patent protection in the United States, China and other countries with respect to our product candidates and technology. We seek to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications related to our technology and product candidates in the major pharmaceutical markets, including China and the United States. As of the date of this prospectus, our patent portfolio for our lead product candidates and technology platforms is currently comprised of three Patent Cooperation Treaty applications (which have entered into the national stage in the U.S.), one patent application in China, and three patent applications in Taiwan. We own five Patent Cooperation Treaty applications (which have entered into the national stage in the U.S.), five issued invention patents in China and ten issued utility model patents in China, 23 patent applications in China, two patent applications in Europe, and one patent application in Taiwan related to our other products and/or technologies. We currently do not own or license any issued patents that cover any of our platforms or product candidates. If we are unable to obtain or maintain patent protection with respect to our proprietary product candidates and technology or do not otherwise adequately obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property, competitors may be able to use our technologies and erode or negate any competitive advantage that we may have, which could harm our business and ability to achieve profitability. Our ability to stop unauthorized third parties from making, using, selling, offering to sell, importing or otherwise commercializing our product candidates we may develop is dependent upon the extent to which we have rights under valid and enforceable patents or trade secrets that cover these activities.

To protect our proprietary positions, we file patent applications in the United States, China and other countries related to our novel technologies and product candidates that are important to our business. The patent application and prosecution process is expensive, complex and time-consuming. We may not be able to file, prosecute, maintain, defend, enforce or license all necessary or desirable patent applications in all potential jurisdictions at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. We may also fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development before it is too late to obtain patent protection. It is possible that defects of form in the preparation or filing of our patents or patent applications may exist, or may arise in the future, such as with respect to proper priority claims, inventorship, claim scope or patent term adjustments. The patent applications that we own may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our current and future product candidates in China or elsewhere. Our patent applications cannot be enforced against third parties practicing the technology claimed in such applications unless, and until, a patent issues from such applications, and then only to the extent the issued claims cover the technology. If there are material defects in the form or preparation of our patents or patent applications, such patents or applications may be invalid and unenforceable. In addition, under the PRC patent law, if an applicant applies for a patent in a jurisdiction outside of China for an invention or utility model invented within China, such applicants must concurrently report to the National Intellectual Property Administration, or the NIPA, for confidentiality examination of such invention or utility model. If an applicant fails to make such reporting but files a patent application in China for the same invention or utility model at a later time, a patent will not be granted to such applicant. If the patent applications we hold with respect to our development programs and product candidates fail to issue, if their breadth or strength of protection is threatened, or if they fail to provide meaningful exclusivity for our current and future product candidates, it could threaten our ability to commercialize our product candidates. Any such outcome could have a negative effect on our business. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties.

In some circumstances, we do not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain and defend the patents, related to technology that we license from third parties. If any current or future licensors or licensees are not fully cooperative or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent, such patent could be compromised and we might not be able to prevent third parties from making, using and selling competing products. We cannot be certain that patent prosecution and maintenance activities by our licensors have been or will be conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, which may affect the validity and enforceability of such patents or any patents that may issue from such patent applications. If our licensors fail to do so, this could cause us to lose rights in any applicable intellectual property that we in-license, and as a result, our ability to develop and commercialize products or product candidates may be adversely affected and we may be unable to prevent competitors from making, using and selling competing products.

Prosecution of our patent portfolio is at a very early stage. Much of our patent portfolio consists of pending applications (including priority applications) in China, United States, Europe, and under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, that have not been examined. Neither priority applications nor PCT applications can themselves give rise to issued patents. Rather, protection for the inventions disclosed in these applications must be further pursued by applicable deadlines via non-provisional or national stage applications that are subject to examination. As applicable deadlines for the priority and PCT applications become due, we will need to decide whether and in which countries or jurisdictions to pursue patent protection for the various inventions claimed in these applications, and we will only have the opportunity to pursue and obtain patents in those jurisdictions where we pursue protection. Moreover, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted after issuance. Even if patent applications we own currently or in the future issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors or other third parties from competing with us, or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Any patents that we own or in-license may be challenged, narrowed, circumvented, or invalidated by third parties. Consequently, we do not know whether any of our platform advances and product candidates we may develop will be protectable or remain protected by valid and enforceable patents. Our

competitors or other third parties may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner.

The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in China, the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. In addition, the protections offered by laws of different countries vary. No consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims allowed in biotechnology and pharmaceutical patents has emerged to date in China, the United States or in other jurisdictions. In addition, the determination of patent rights with respect to pharmaceutical compounds and technologies commonly involves complex legal and factual questions, which has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Furthermore, recent changes in patent laws in the United States, may affect the scope, strength, validity and enforceability of our patent rights or the nature of proceedings that may be brought by or against us related to our patent rights. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. For example, in the case, Assoc. for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court held that certain claims to DNA molecules are not patentable. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on decisions by the U.S. Congress, the U.S. federal courts, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that could weaken our ability to obtain patents or to enforce any patents that we might obtain in the future. Furthermore, the complexity and uncertainty of European patent laws have also increased in recent years.

We may not be aware of all third-party intellectual property rights potentially relating to our current and future product candidates. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. Similarly, should we own or in-license any patents or patent applications in the future, we may not be certain that we or the applicable licensor were the first to file for patent protection for the inventions claimed in such patents or patent applications. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity and commercial value of our patent rights cannot be predicted with any certainty.

We may be subject to a third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the USPTO or become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, post-grant, inter partes review or interference proceedings, in the United States or elsewhere, challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, hold unenforceable or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or product candidates and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights, which could significantly harm our business and results of operations. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the USPTO to determine priority of invention or in post-grant challenge proceedings, such as oppositions in the courts or patent offices in the United States or elsewhere, that challenge priority of invention or other features of patentability. Such challenges may result in loss of patent rights, loss of exclusivity, or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and product candidates. Such proceedings also may result in substantial cost and require significant time from our scientists and management, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us.

Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our technology or product candidates, in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive

technologies and products. Moreover, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted after issuance. Even if our patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection against competing products or processes sufficient to achieve our business objectives, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Our competitors or other third parties may be able to circumvent our patents, should they issue, by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner. Our competitors or other third parties may seek approval to market their own products similar to or otherwise competitive with our products. In these circumstances, we may need to defend and/or assert our patents, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or other agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid and/or unenforceable. Consequently, we do not know whether any of our technologies and product candidates will be protectable or remain protected by valid and enforceable patents.

In addition, given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our intellectual property may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The intellectual property landscape around technology involving cellular therapies, including CAR-T cell therapies, is highly dynamic, and third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could significantly harm our business.

Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability and/or the ability of our collaborators to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates and use our proprietary and modular CAR-T cell technology without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of third parties. There has been extensive patenting activity in the field of CAR-T cellular therapies, and pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and academic institutions are competing with us or are expected to compete with us in the in this field and filing patent applications potentially relevant to our business. We are aware of several third-party patents, and patent applications, that if issued, may be construed to cover our proprietary and modular CAR-T cell technology and product candidates, including GC012F and GC027. We are in the process of negotiating licenses with certain third-party holders of such patent rights and we may find it necessary or prudent to obtain additional such licenses. However, we may be unable to secure such licenses on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or otherwise acquire or in-license any compositions, methods of use, processes, or other intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify as necessary for product candidates we may develop and base editing technology. Even if we obtain a license, it may only be non-exclusive, which may limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing technology and products similar or identical to ours. If we are unable to obtain a license, such third parties may seek to enforce their patent rights against us claiming that our product candidates infringe such patent rights and may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief against us, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates in the countries where such patent protection exists. Defense of these claims, including demonstrating non-infringement, invalidity or unenforceability of the respective patent rights in question, regardless of their merit, is time-consuming, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. We cannot guarantee that a court of competent jurisdiction will hold in our favor in any such proceeding. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, pay royalties, redesign our infringing product candidates or obtain one or more licenses from third parties, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of our ADSs.

The field of CAR-T cell therapies is still in its infancy, and only a few product candidates have reached the market. Due to the intense research and development that is taking place by several companies, including us and our competitors, in this field, the intellectual property landscape is evolving and in flux, and it may remain uncertain for the coming years. There may be significant intellectual property related litigation and proceedings relating to our owned and in-licensed, and other third party, intellectual property and proprietary rights in the future. Numerous third-party issued patents exist in this area of biotechnology, including relating to the modification of T cells and the production of CAR-T cells, and including patents held or controlled by our competitors, such as Nanjing Legend Biotech, bluebird Bio, Inc., Allogene, Inc. Juno Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by Celgene Corporation), Kite Pharma, Inc. (a Gilead Sciences, Inc. company), Poseida Therapeutics, Celyad, Novartis AG and other companies or academic institutions. Because of the large number of patents issued and patent applications filed in our field, these and other third parties could allege they have patent rights encompassing our product candidates, technologies or methods.

There is a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may become party to, or threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our technology or product candidates, including interference proceedings, post-grant review, inter partes review and derivation proceedings before the USPTO and similar proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. Intellectual property disputes arise in a number of areas including with respect to patents, use of other proprietary rights and the contractual terms of license arrangements. Third parties may assert claims against us based on existing or future intellectual property rights and claims may also come from competitors against whom our own patent portfolio may have no deterrent effect. The outcome of intellectual property litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance. Other parties may allege that our product candidates or the use of our technologies infringes patent claims or other intellectual property rights held by them or that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization. As we continue to develop and, if approved, commercialize our current and future product candidates, competitors may claim that our technology infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates their intellectual property rights as part of business strategies designed to impede our successful commercialization. There are and may in the future be additional third-party patents or patent applications with claims to, for example, materials, compositions, formulations, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the use or manufacture of any one or more of our product candidates. Moreover, we may fail to identify relevant third-party patents or patent applications, or we may incorrectly conclude that the claims of an issued patent are invalid, unenforceable or are not infringed by our activities.

Because patent applications can take many years to issue, third parties may have currently pending patent applications which may later result in issued patents that any of our product candidates may infringe, or which such third parties claim to be infringed by our technologies. As the CAR-T therapy field expands and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our proprietary and modular CAR-T cell technology and product candidates may give rise to claims of infringement of the patent rights of others. Moreover, it is not always clear to industry participants, including us, which patents cover various types of therapies, products or their methods of use or manufacture. Because of the large number of patents issued and patent applications filed in our field, third parties may allege they have patent rights encompassing our product candidates, technologies or methods. Third parties may assert that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization and may file patent infringement claims or lawsuit against us, and if we are found to infringe such third-party patents, we may be required to pay damages, cease commercialization of the infringing technology, or obtain a license from such third parties, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

Even if we would have valid defenses against any assertion of such patents against us, such defenses may be unsuccessful. There is no assurance that a court would find in our favor on questions of infringement, validity, enforceability, or priority. A court of competent jurisdiction could hold that these third-party patents are valid, enforceable, and infringed, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to commercialize any product candidates we may develop and any other product candidates or technologies covered by the asserted third party patents. If any of our products is found to infringe any of these patents, we could be required to obtain a license

from the respective patent owners, or, if applicable, their licensees, to continue developing, manufacturing, marketing, selling and commercializing such products. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving the licensor and other third parties the right to use the same technologies licensed to us, and it could require us to make substantial licensing, royalty and other payments. We also could be forced, including by court order, to permanently cease development, manufacturing, marketing and commercializing the applicable products. In addition, we could be found liable for significant monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willingly infringed any such patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our product candidates or force us to cease some of our business operations. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative effect on our business. Even if successful, the defense of any claim of infringement or misappropriation is time-consuming, expensive and diverts the attention of our management from our ongoing business operations. Some third-parties may be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our ADSs. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Changes in United States and Chinese patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates.

As is the case with other biotech and pharmaceutical companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biopharmaceutical industry involve both technological and legal complexity, and is therefore costly, time-consuming and inherently uncertain. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents.

Intellectual property laws in China are constantly evolving, with efforts being made to improve intellectual property protection in China, which currently may not be sufficient to protect our intellectual property in China. For example, a draft amendment to the PRC Patent Law (“Draft Amendment to the PRC Patent Law”) was released in July 2020 and proposes to introduce patent extensions to eligible innovative drug patents. If adopted, the patents owned by third parties may be extended, which may in turn affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates (if approved) without facing infringement risks. The adoption of this Draft Amendment to the PRC Patent Law may enable the patent owner to submit applications for a patent term extension. The length of any such extension is uncertain. If we are required to delay commercialization for an extended period of time, technological advances may develop and new products may be launched, which may render our product non-competitive. We also cannot guarantee that other changes to Chinese intellectual property laws would not have a negative impact on our intellectual property protection.

In the United States, changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents and may affect the scope, strength and enforceability of our patent rights or the nature of proceedings that may be brought by or against us related to our patent rights. Assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, prior to March 2013, in the United States, the first to invent the claimed invention was entitled to the patent, while outside the United States, the first to file a patent application was entitled to the patent. After March 2013, under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the America Invents Act, enacted in September 2011, the United States transitioned to a first inventor to file system in which, assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether a third-party was the first to invent the claimed invention. This will require us to be cognizant going forward of the time from invention to filing of a patent application. Since patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing or until issuance, we cannot be certain that we were the first to either file any patent application related to our technology

or product candidates or invent any of the inventions claimed in our patents or patent applications. The America Invents Act also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications will be prosecuted and also may affect patent litigation. These include allowing third-party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by USPTO administered post-grant proceedings, including post-grant review, inter partes review, and derivation proceedings. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in United States federal courts necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action. However, the America Invents Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

The life of patent protection is limited, and third parties could develop and commercialize products and technologies similar or identical to ours and compete directly with us after our patent expires, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products and technologies.

The life of a patent and the protection it affords is limited. For example, in the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. In China, the expiration of an invention patent is 20 years from its filing date and the expiration of a utility model patent or industrial design is ten years from its filing date. The Draft Amendment to the PRC Patent Law proposed to introduce patent extensions to patents of new drugs that launched in the PRC, the adoption of which may enable the patent owner to submit applications for a patent term extension. The length of any such extension is uncertain. Even if we successfully obtain patent protection for an approved drug candidate, it may face competition from generic or biosimilar medications. Manufacturers of generic or biosimilar drugs may challenge the scope, validity or enforceability of our patents in court or before a patent office, and we may not be successful in enforcing or defending those intellectual property rights and, as a result, may not be able to develop or market the relevant product exclusively, which would materially adversely affect any potential sales of that product.

Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new drug candidates, patents protecting such drug candidates might expire before or shortly after such drug candidates are commercialized. As a result, our patents and patent applications may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. Even if we believe that we are eligible for certain patent term extensions, there can be no assurance that the applicable authorities, including the FDA and the USPTO in the United States, and any equivalent regulatory authority in other countries, will agree with our assessment of whether such extensions are available, and such authorities may refuse to grant extensions to our patents, or may grant more limited extensions than we request. For example, depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of any FDA marketing approval of any product candidates we may develop, one or more of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Action of 1984, or Hatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent extension term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. A patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval, only one patent may be extended and only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it, or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. However, we may not be granted an extension because of, for example, failing to exercise due diligence during the testing phase or regulatory review process, failing to apply within applicable deadlines, failing to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents, or otherwise failing to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the applicable time period or the scope of patent protection afforded could be less than we request. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or

term of any such extension is less than we request, our competitors may obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration, and our business could be harmed.

The pending patent applications, if issued, for our product candidates are expected to expire on various dates as described in “Business—Intellectual Property.” Upon the expiration of our patents that may issue from our pending patent applications, we will not be able to assert such patent rights against potential competitors, which would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship or ownership of our patent rights and other intellectual property.

We generally enter into confidentiality and intellectual property assignment arrangements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors. However, these agreements may be breached and may not effectively assign intellectual property rights to us. For example, disputes may arise from conflicting obligations of consultants or others who are involved in developing our technology and product candidates. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship or ownership. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate our patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets or other intellectual property. In addition, our patents also are, and may in the future become, involved in inventorship or priority disputes. To counter or defend against infringement, misappropriation, violation or unauthorized use, we may be required to file claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming and divert the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated their patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets or other intellectual property. In addition, in a patent infringement proceeding, there is a risk that a court will decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue. There is also a risk that, even if the validity of such patents is upheld, the court will construe the patent’s claims narrowly or decide that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the invention. An adverse outcome in a litigation or proceeding involving our patents could limit our ability to assert our patents against those parties or other competitors, could put one or more of our owned patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and may curtail or preclude our ability to exclude third parties from making and selling similar or competitive products. Similarly, if we assert trademark infringement claims, a court may determine that the marks we have asserted are invalid or unenforceable, or that the party against whom we have asserted trademark infringement has superior rights to the marks in question. In this case, we could ultimately be forced to cease use of such trademarks.

In any infringement or other intellectual property-related litigation, any award of monetary damages we receive may not be commercially valuable. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our ADSs. Moreover, there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient financial or other resources to file and pursue such infringement,

misappropriation or violation claims, which typically last for years before they are concluded. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent or other intellectual property litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace. Even if we ultimately prevail in such claims, the monetary cost of such litigation and the diversion of the attention of our management and scientific personnel for significant periods of time during such litigation could outweigh any benefit we receive as a result of the proceedings. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating, violating or successfully challenging our intellectual property rights. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent or other intellectual property litigation or other proceedings could have a negative impact on our ability to compete in the marketplace.

If we initiate legal proceedings against a third-party to enforce a patent covering a product candidate we may develop or our technologies, the defendant could counterclaim that such patent is invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Third parties may raise challenges to the validity of certain of our patent claims before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include re-examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, interference proceedings, derivation proceedings, and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions (e.g., opposition proceedings). Such proceedings could result in the revocation of, cancellation of, or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover our technologies or product candidates that we may develop. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we or our licensing partners and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a third party were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our technologies or product candidates that we may develop. Such a loss of patent protection would have a material adverse impact on our business.

Conversely, we may choose to challenge the patentability of claims in a third-party’s U.S. patent by requesting that the USPTO review the patent claims in re-examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, interference proceedings, derivation proceedings, and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions (e.g., opposition proceedings). We may also in the future choose to challenge, third party patents in patent opposition proceedings in the EPO or another foreign patent office. Even if successful, the costs of these opposition proceedings could be substantial, and may consume our time or other resources. If we fail to obtain a favorable result at the USPTO, EPO or other patent office then we may be exposed to litigation by a third party alleging that the patent may be infringed by our product candidates, proprietary and modular CAR-T cell technology or other or proprietary technologies.

Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our ADSs. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing, or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more

mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.

In addition to seeking patent and trademark protection for our technology and product candidates, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary technology, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality arrangement with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, CROs and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or intellectual property assignment arrangement with our employees, CROs and other third parties. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such arrangement with each party that may have or have had access to our trade secrets or proprietary technology and processes. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the arrangements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures of our intellectual property is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be effective. In addition, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts in the United States or in other jurisdictions are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets.

In addition to contractual measures, we try to protect the confidential nature of our proprietary information through other appropriate precautions, such as physical and technological security measures. However, trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. These measures may not, for example, in the case of misappropriation of a trade secret by an employee or third party with authorized access, provide adequate protection for our proprietary information. Our security measures may not prevent an employee or consultant from misappropriating our trade secrets and providing them to a competitor, and any recourse we might take against this type of misconduct may not provide an adequate remedy to protect our interests fully.

Moreover, our competitors or other third parties may independently develop knowledge, methods and know-how equivalent to our trade secrets. Competitors or other third parties could purchase our products and replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts for technologies on which we do not have patent protection. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third parties, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor or other third parties, our competitive position would be harmed.

In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are sometimes less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If we choose to go to court to stop a third party from using any of our trade secrets, we may incur substantial costs. Even if we are successful, these types of lawsuits may consume our time and other resources. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business

We are currently party to several in-license agreements under which we have the rights to use, develop, manufacture and/or commercialize certain of our technology platforms and resulting product candidates. If we breach our obligations under these agreements, we may be required to pay damages, lose our rights to these technologies or both, which would adversely affect our business and prospectus.

We rely, in part, on license and other strategic agreements, which subject us to various obligations, including diligence obligations with respect to development and commercialization activities, payment

obligations for achievement of certain milestones and royalties on product sales, negative covenants and other material obligations. For example, we received a license from ProMab Biotechnologies, Inc. to develop and commercialize certain CAR-T technology related to our GC007g product candidate in the field of human therapeutics in Greater China. If we fail to comply with the obligations under our license agreements, including as a result of COVID-19 impacting our operations, or use the intellectual property licensed to us in an unauthorized manner, we may be required to pay damages and our licensors may have the right to terminate the license. If our license agreements are terminated, we may not be able to develop, manufacture, market or sell the products covered by our agreements and those being tested or approved in combination with such products. Such an occurrence could materially adversely affect the value of the product candidates being developed under any such agreement.

Disputes may arise regarding intellectual property subject to, and any of our rights and obligations under, any license or other strategic agreement, including:

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the scope of rights granted under the license agreement and other interpretation-related issues;

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the extent to which our technology and processes infringe, misappropriate or violate the intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the license agreement;

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our diligence obligations under the license agreement and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations;

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the sublicensing of patent and other rights to third parties under any such agreement or collaborative relationships;

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the inventorship and ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors and us and our partners; and

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the priority of invention of patented technology.

In addition, the agreements under which we license intellectual property or technology to or from third parties are complex, and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Moreover, if disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on commercially acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected product candidates.

Our business also would suffer if any current or future licensors fail to abide by the terms of the license, if the licensors fail to enforce licensed patents against infringing third parties, if the licensed patents or other rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, or if we are unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms. Moreover, our licensors may own or control intellectual property that has not been licensed to us and, as a result, we may be subject to claims, regardless of their merit, that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the licensor’s rights.

If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party intellectual property rights or maintain the existing intellectual property rights we have, we may have to seek alternative options, such as developing new product candidates with design-around technologies, which may require more time and investment, or abandon development of the relevant research programs or product candidates and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could suffer.

We may need to license intellectual property from third parties, and such licenses may not be available or may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

A third-party may hold intellectual property rights, including patent rights, that are important or necessary to the development or manufacture of our product candidates. It may be necessary for us to use the patented or proprietary technology of third parties to commercialize our product candidates, in which case we would be required to obtain a license from these third parties. Such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and we could be forced to accept unfavorable contractual terms. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to redesign our technology, product candidates, or the methods for manufacturing them or to develop or license replacement technology, all of which may not be feasible on a technical or commercial basis. If we are unable to do so, our business could be harmed.

The licensing or acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and several more established companies may pursue strategies to license or acquire third party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive or necessary. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, capital resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. We also may be unable to license or acquire third party intellectual property rights on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return on our investment or at all. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third party intellectual property rights or maintain the existing intellectual property rights we have, we may have to abandon development of the relevant program or product candidate, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

We may wish to form collaborations in the future with respect to our product candidates, but may not be able to do so or to realize the potential benefits.

The development and potential commercialization of our product candidates will require substantial additional capital to fund expenses. We may, in the future, decide to collaborate with other biopharmaceutical companies for the development and potential commercialization of those product candidates, including in territories outside the United States or for certain indications. We will face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators. We may not be successful in our efforts to establish a strategic partnership or other alternative arrangements for our product candidates because they may be deemed to be at a stage of development too early for collaborative effort and third parties may not view our product candidates as having the requisite potential to demonstrate safety and efficacy. If and when we collaborate with a third-party for development and commercialization of a product candidate, we can expect to relinquish some or all of the control over the future success of that product candidate to the third-party. Our ability to reach a definitive agreement for a collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of our technologies, product candidates and market opportunities. The collaborator may also consider alternative product candidates or technologies for similar indications that may be available to collaborate on and whether such a collaboration could be more attractive than the one with us for our product candidate. We may also be restricted under any license agreements from entering into agreements on certain terms or at all with potential collaborators.

Collaborations are complex and time-consuming to negotiate and document. In addition, there have been a significant number of recent business combinations among large pharmaceutical companies that have resulted in a reduced number of potential future collaborators and changes to the strategies of the combined company. As a result, we may not be able to negotiate collaborations on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to do so, we may have to curtail the development of such product candidate, reduce or delay one or more of our other development programs, delay the potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any planned sales or marketing activities for such product candidate, or increase our expenditures and undertake development, manufacturing or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development, manufacturing or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional

capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates or bring them to market and generate product revenue.

Additionally, we may collaborate with academic institutions to accelerate our preclinical research or development under written agreements with these institutions. In certain cases, these institutions provide us with an option to negotiate a license to any of the institution’s rights in technology resulting from the collaboration. Even if we hold such an option, we may be unable to negotiate a license from the institution within the specified timeframe or under terms that are acceptable to us. If we are unable to do so, the institution may offer the intellectual property rights to others, potentially blocking our ability to pursue our program.

Our product candidates may also require specific components to work effectively and efficiently, and rights to those components may be held by others. We may be unable to in-license any compositions, methods of use, processes or other third-party intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms or at all, which would harm our business. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to develop or license replacement technology.

Any trademarks we may obtain may be infringed or successfully challenged, resulting in harm to our business.

We expect to rely on trademarks as one means to distinguish any of our product candidates that are approved for marketing from the products of our competitors. We have not yet selected trademarks for our product candidates and have not yet begun the process of applying to register trademarks for our product candidates. Once we select trademarks and apply to register them, our trademark applications may not be approved. Third parties may oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition and could require us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands. Our competitors may infringe our trademarks and we may not have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks.

In addition, any proprietary name we propose to use with our clinical-stage product candidates or any other product candidate in the United States must be approved by the FDA, regardless of whether we have registered it, or applied to register it, as a trademark. The FDA typically conducts a review of proposed product names, including an evaluation of the potential for confusion with other product names. If the FDA objects to any of our proposed proprietary product names, we may be required to expend significant additional resources in an effort to identify a suitable proprietary product name that would qualify under applicable trademark laws, not infringe the existing rights of third parties and be acceptable to the FDA. The NMPA may also object to our proposed proprietary product name that infringes the existing rights of third parties.

If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be adversely affected. Over the long term, if we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected. Our efforts to enforce or protect our proprietary rights related to trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, copyrights or other intellectual property may be ineffective and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States could

be less extensive than those in the United States. In some cases, we may not be able to obtain patent protection for certain technology outside the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States, even in jurisdictions where we do pursue patent protection. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States, even in jurisdictions where we do pursue patent protection or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions.

Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not pursued and obtained patent protection to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our product candidates and preclinical programs and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents, if pursued and obtained, or marketing of competing products in violation of our intellectual property and other proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license. Moreover, the initiation of proceedings by third parties to challenge the scope or validity of our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.

Many countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of such patent. If we or any of our licensors is forced to grant a license to third parties with respect to any patents relevant to our business, our competitive position may be impaired, and our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may be adversely affected.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other government fees on patents and applications are due to be paid to the USPTO and patent agencies outside the United States in several stages over the lifetime of the patent and applications. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent

applications covering our products or product candidates, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would harm our business.

Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations and may not adequately protect our business or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. For example:

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any product candidates we may develop will eventually become commercially available in generic or biosimilar product forms;

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others may be able to make products that are similar to any product candidates we may develop or utilize similar technology but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that we may own or license now or in the future;

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we, or any future license partners or collaborators, might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by the issued patent or pending patent application that we own or license now or in the future;

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we, or any future license partners or collaborators, might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our or their inventions;

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others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;

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it is possible that our pending patent applications or those that we may own in the future will not lead to issued patents;

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it is possible that there are prior public disclosures that could invalidate our issued patents, or parts of our issued patents;

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it is possible that there are unpublished applications or patent applications maintained in secrecy that may later issue with claims covering our product candidates or technology similar to ours;

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issued patents that we hold rights to may be held invalid or unenforceable, including as a result of legal challenges by our competitors;

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the claims of our patent applications, if and when issued, may not cover our product candidates;

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our competitors might conduct research and development activities in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive products for sale in our major commercial markets;

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the laws of foreign countries may not protect our proprietary rights or the proprietary rights of license partners or current or future collaborators to the same extent as the laws of the United States;

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the inventors of our patent applications may become involved with competitors, develop products or processes that design around our patents, or become hostile to us or the patents or patent applications on which they are named as inventors;

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we engage in scientific collaborations and will continue to do so in the future, and our collaborators may develop adjacent or competing products that are outside the scope of our patents;

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any product candidates we develop may be covered by third parties’ patents or other exclusive rights;

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the patents of others may harm our business;

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we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; and

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we may choose not to file a patent in order to maintain certain trade secrets or know-how, and a third-party may subsequently file a patent covering such intellectual property.

Should any of these events occur, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

The uncertainties in the PRC legal system may subject our contractual arrangements to different interpretations or enforcement challenges, or subject us to severe penalties or force us to relinquish our interests in our operations.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and we obtain control over our VIE, Gracell Biotechnologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Gracell Biotech, through our wholly owned PRC subsidiary, Gracell Bioscience (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Gracell Bioscience or our WFOE, by entering into a series of contractual arrangements by and among our WFOE, our VIE, and its shareholders, which enable us to (i) exercise effective control over our VIE, (ii) receive economic benefits from our VIE that potentially could be significant to our VIE, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests and assets in our VIE, when and to the extent permitted by PRC laws. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have control over and are the primary beneficiary of our VIE and hence consolidate its financial results under U.S. GAAP. See “Corporate History and Structure” for further details.

Our PRC legal counsel, AllBright Law Offices, based on its understanding of the relevant laws and regulations, is of the opinion that (i) the ownership structure of our WFOE, our VIE and its subsidiary are in compliance with applicable PRC laws or regulations and (ii) such contractual arrangements constitute valid, legal and binding obligations enforceable against each party of such agreements in accordance with the terms of each agreement, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel.

If we or our VIE are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including:

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revoking the business licenses and/or operating licenses of such entities;

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discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operation through any transactions between our WFOE and our VIE;

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imposing fines, confiscating the income from our WFOE or our VIE, or imposing other requirements with which we or our VIE may not be able to comply;

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requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with our VIE and deregistering the equity pledges of our VIE, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over our VIE;

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restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our business and operations in China, and taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business;

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confiscating any of our income deemed to be obtained through illegal operations;

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discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations;

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imposing additional conditions or requirements with which we may not be able to comply; or

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taking other regulatory or enforcement actions against us that could be harmful to our business.

The imposition of any of these penalties would result in a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business. In addition, it is unclear what impact the PRC government actions would have on us and on

our ability to consolidate the financial results of our VIE in our consolidated financial statements, if the PRC government authorities were to find our legal structure and contractual arrangements to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations. If the imposition of any of these government actions causes us to lose our right to direct the activities of our VIE or our right to receive substantially all the economic benefits and residual returns from our VIE and we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we would no longer be able to exert effective control over or consolidate the financial results of our VIE in our consolidated financial statements. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on us in this event, would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our VIE to use, or otherwise benefit from, the foreign restricted licenses and permits, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with Shanghai Gracell Biotech, our VIE, and its shareholders, and its subsidiary to operate our business in China. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our VIE. For example, our VIE and its shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests.

If we had direct ownership of our VIE, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIE, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our VIE and its shareholders of their respective obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our VIE. The shareholders of our VIE may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portion of our business through the contractual arrangements with our VIE. If any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through arbitration, litigation or other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our VIE may not be as effective in controlling our business operations as direct ownership.

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current structure, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

On March 15, 2019, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the PRC passed the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China (“Foreign Investment Law”), which took effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced three existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the PRC Equity Joint Venture Law, the PRC Cooperative Joint Venture Law and the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. Among other things, the Foreign Investment Law defines the “foreign investment” as the investment activities in China conducted by foreign individuals, enterprises and other organizations (collectively, the “Foreign Investors”) in a direct or indirectly manner, including any of the following circumstances: (1) the foreign investor establishes a foreign-invested enterprise within the territory of China, independently or jointly with any other investor; (2) the foreign investor acquires shares, equities, property shares or any other similar rights and interests of an enterprise within the territory of China; (3) the foreign investor makes investment to initiate a new project within the territory of China, independently or jointly with any other investor; and (4) the foreign investor makes investment in any other way stipulated by laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council. The Foreign Investment Law leaves uncertainty with respect to whether Foreign Investors control PRC onshore variable interest entities via contractual arrangements will be recognized as “foreign investment”. PRC governmental authorities will administrate foreign investment by applying the principal of pre-entry national treatment together with a “negative list” (the “Negative List”, which shall be promulgated by or promulgated with approval by the State Counsel), to be specific, Foreign Investors are prohibited from making any investments in the fields which are

catalogued into prohibited industries for foreign investment based on the Negative List, while Foreign Investors are allowed to make investments in the restricted industries provided that all the requirements and conditions as set forth in the Negative List have been satisfied; when Foreign Investors make investments in the fields other than those included in the Negative List, the national treatment principle shall apply. Besides, certain approval and/or filing requirements shall be fulfilled in accordance with applicable foreign investment laws and regulations.

The operations that we conduct through our VIE and its subsidiary may be subject to the latest version of the “negative list”, namely, the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2020), which became effective on July 23, 2020 (the “2020 Negative List”), or any successor regulations. If our control over our VIE through contractual arrangements are deemed as foreign investment in the future, and any business of our VIE is restricted or prohibited from foreign investment under the “negative list” effective at the time, we may be deemed to be in violation of the Foreign Investment Law, the contractual arrangements that allow us to have control over our VIE may be deemed as invalid and illegal, and we may be required to unwind such contractual arrangements and/or restructure our business operations, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business operation and consequently affecting our ability to prepare for and seek approval and commercialization of our product candidates both in China and elsewhere.

The shareholders of our VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us and fail to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements, which, in turn, may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The shareholders of our VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us. For example, Dr. William Wei Cao is one of the shareholders of our VIE. Dr. Cao is also our founder, chairman and chief executive officer. Any shareholder of our VIE may breach, or cause our VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with any of them and our VIE, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our VIE and receive substantially all the economic benefits from them. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIE to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. There can be no assurance that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company, except that we could exercise our purchase option under the exclusive option agreements with these shareholders to request them to transfer all of their equity interests in our VIE to a PRC entity or individual designated by us, to the extent permitted by PRC laws. For the shareholders who are also our directors and executive officers, we rely on them to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands and China, which provide that directors owe a fiduciary duty to the company that requires them to act in good faith and in what they believe to be the best interests of the company and not to use their position for personal gain. There is currently no specific and clear guidance under PRC laws that addresses any conflict between PRC laws and laws of Cayman Islands in respect of any conflict relating to corporate governance. The shareholders of our VIE have executed powers of attorney to appoint our WFOE to vote on their behalf and exercise voting rights as shareholders of our VIE. If we cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between us and the shareholders of our VIE, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which may be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to our operations. There is also substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

Under our current contractual arrangements, (i) the spouse of the individual shareholders of our VIE has executed a spousal consent letter, under which such spouse agrees that she will not raise any claims against the equity interest, and will take every action to ensure the performance of the contractual arrangements, and (ii) the VIE and its shareholders shall not assign any of their respective rights or obligations to any third party without the prior written consent of our WFOE. However, we cannot assure you that these undertakings and

arrangements will be complied with or effectively enforced. The shareholders of our VIE may be involved in personal disputes with third parties or other incidents that may have an adverse effect on their respective equity interests in our VIE and the validity or enforceability of our contractual arrangements with its shareholders. For example, in the event that any of the shareholders of our VIE divorces his or her spouse, the spouse may claim that the equity interest of our VIE held by such shareholder is part of their community property and should be divided between such shareholder and his or her spouse. If such claim is supported by the court, the relevant equity interest may be obtained by the shareholder’s spouse or another third-party who is not subject to obligations under our contractual arrangements, which could result in a loss of the effective control over our VIE by us. Similarly, if any of the equity interests of our VIE is inherited by a third-party with whom the current contractual arrangements are not binding, we could lose our control over our VIE or have to maintain such control by incurring unpredicted costs, which could cause significant disruption to our business and operations and harm our financial condition and results of operations.

Contractual arrangements in relation to our VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our VIE owes additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. The Enterprise Income Tax Law requires every enterprise in China to submit its annual enterprise income tax return together with a report on transactions with its related parties to the relevant tax authorities. The tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arm’s length principles. We may face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine the contractual arrangements among our WFOE, our VIE and VIE’s shareholders were not entered into on an arm’s length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust the income of our VIE in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIE for PRC tax purposes, which could increase our tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIE for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our VIE’s tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our VIE and its subsidiary that are important to our business if our VIE and its subsidiary declare bankruptcy or become subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

As part of our contractual arrangements with our VIE, our VIE and its subsidiary hold certain assets that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business, including permits, domain names and certain of our IP rights. If our VIE and its subsidiary declare bankrupt and all or part of their assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Under the contractual arrangements, our VIE may not, in any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of its assets or legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. If our consolidated affiliated entity undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, the independent third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If the chops of our PRC subsidiary, our VIE and its subsidiary, are not kept safely, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised.

In China, a company chop or seal serves as the legal representation of the company towards third parties even when unaccompanied by a signature. Each legally registered company in China is required to maintain a

company chop, which must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau. In addition to this mandatory company chop, companies may have several other chops which can be used for specific purposes. The chops of our WFOE and VIE are generally held securely by personnel designated or approved by us in accordance with our internal control procedures. To the extent those chops are not kept safely, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised and those corporate entities may be bound to abide by the terms of any documents so chopped, even if they were chopped by an individual who lacked the requisite power and authority to do so. In addition, if the chops are misused by unauthorized persons, we could experience disruption to our normal business operations. We may have to take corporate or legal action, which could involve significant time and resources to resolve while distracting management from our operations.

Our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law, and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures, which may not protect you as much as those of other jurisdictions, such as the United States.

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements with our VIE and its equity owners are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a VIE should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our VIE, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

The pharmaceutical industry in China is highly regulated and such regulations are subject to change which may affect approval and commercialization of our drugs.

Currently, a material portion of our research and development operations and manufacturing facilities are in China, which we believe confers clinical, commercial and regulatory advantages. The pharmaceutical industry in China is subject to comprehensive government regulation and supervision, encompassing the approval, registration, manufacturing, packaging, licensing and marketing of new drugs. See “Regulation—PRC Regulation” for a discussion of the regulatory requirements that are applicable to our current and planned business activities in China. For example, under PRC law, before we or our subsidiaries commence a clinical trial with a PRC partner, an approval or filing, as the case may be, needs to be obtained in advance for any projects involving international collaboration in respect of human genetic resources in order to collect any biological samples that contain the genetic material of Chinese human subjects. Any failure to obtain such approval or filing could cause relevant collaboration projects to be suspended by governing authorities, may result in fines and also may constitute a breach under our agreements with certain CROs. Investigator-initiated trials cannot be implemented in a medical and healthcare institution without first being approved by such medical and healthcare institution. Such medical and healthcare institution shall file such approval to the medical and healthcare authority which issues its operating license for record. Furthermore, under relevant PRC laws, a license for use of laboratory animals is required for performing experimentation on animals. Any failure of fully comply with such requirement may result in the invalidation of our experimental data. In recent years, the regulatory framework in

China regarding the pharmaceutical industry has undergone significant changes, and we expect that it will continue to undergo significant changes. Any such changes or amendments may result in increased compliance costs on our business or cause delays in or prevent the successful development or commercialization of our drug candidates in China and reduce the current benefits we believe are available to us from developing and manufacturing drugs in China. PRC authorities have become increasingly vigilant in enforcing laws in the pharmaceutical industry and any failure by us or our partners to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations or obtain and maintain required licenses and permits may result in the suspension or termination of our business activities in China. We believe our strategy and approach are aligned with the PRC government’s regulatory policies, but we cannot ensure that our strategy and approach will continue to be aligned.

The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including a higher level of government involvement, the ongoing development of a market-oriented economy, a higher level of control over foreign exchange, and a less efficient allocation of resources.

While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth since the late 1970s, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. These measures are intended to benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by PRC government control over capital investments or changes in regulations that are applicable to us.

The PRC economy has been transitioning from a centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented economy. Although the PRC government has implemented measures since the late 1970s that emphasize the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

The PRC legal system contains uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to you and to us.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. Our PRC subsidiary is subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign-invested enterprises in China. In particular, they are subject to PRC laws, rules and regulations governing foreign companies’ ownership and operation of pharmaceutical businesses. Such laws and regulations are subject to change, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to us and our investors. In addition, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement of such laws, or the preemption of local regulations by PRC laws, rules and regulations.

Moreover, China has a civil law system based on written statutes, which, unlike common law systems, is a system in which decided judicial cases have little precedential value. Furthermore, interpretation of statutes and regulations may be subject to government policies reflecting domestic political changes. The relative inexperience of China’s judiciary in many cases creates additional uncertainty as to the outcome of litigation. In addition, enforcement of existing laws or contracts based on existing laws may be uncertain and sporadic, and it may be difficult to obtain swift and equitable enforcement within China. All such uncertainties could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the prospectus based on foreign laws. It may also be difficult for overseas regulators or you to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We conduct a material portion of our operations in China and a material portion of our assets are located in China. In addition, many of our senior executive officers and directors reside within China for a significant portion of the time and some of them are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside China. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law and other applicable laws, regulations and interpretations based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or the public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.

It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information, documents and materials needed for regulatory investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators and relevant authorities, no entity or individual may provide the documents and materials relating to securities business activities to overseas parties. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.

We may be restricted from transferring our scientific data abroad.

On March 17, 2018, the General Office of the PRC State Council promulgated the Measures for the Management of Scientific Data, or the Scientific Data Measures, which provide a broad definition of scientific data and relevant rules for the management of scientific data. According to the Scientific Data Measures, enterprises in China must seek governmental approval before any scientific data involving a state secret may be transferred abroad or to foreign parties. Further, researchers conducting research funded, at least in part, by the PRC government may be required to submit relevant scientific data for management by the entity to which such researcher is affiliated before such data may be published in any foreign academic journal. Currently, as the term “state secret” is not clearly defined, there is no assurance that we can always obtain relevant approvals for

sending scientific data (such as the results of our pre-clinical studies or clinical trials conducted within China) abroad, or to our foreign partners in China.

If we are unable to obtain the necessary approvals in a timely manner, or at all, our research and development of drug candidates may be hindered, which may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial conditions and prospects. If relevant government authorities consider the transmission of our scientific data to be in violation of the requirements under the Scientific Data Measures, we may be subject to specific administrative penalties imposed by those government authorities.

Changes in U.S. and international trade policies, particularly with regard to China, may adversely impact our business and operating results.

The U.S. government has recently made statements and taken certain actions that may lead to potential changes to U.S. and international trade policies, including imposing several rounds of tariffs affecting certain products manufactured in China. In March 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum entering the United States and in June 2018 announced further tariffs targeting goods imported from China. Recently both China and the United States have each imposed tariffs indicating the potential for further trade barriers. It is unknown whether and to what extent new tariffs (or other new laws or regulations) will be adopted, or the effect that any such actions would have on us or our industry. While we have not started commercialization of drug candidates, any unfavorable government policies on international trade, such as capital controls or tariffs, may affect the demand for our drug products, the competitive position of our drug products, the hiring of scientists and other research and development personnel, and import or export of raw materials in relation to drug development, or prevent us from selling our drug products in certain countries. If any new tariffs, legislation and/or regulations are implemented, or if existing trade agreements are renegotiated or, in particular, if the U.S. government takes retaliatory trade actions due to the recent U.S.-China trade tension, such changes could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business benefits from certain financial incentives and discretionary policies granted by local governments. Expiration of, or changes to, these incentives or policies would have an adverse effect on our operations.

In the past, local governments in China granted certain financial incentives from time to time to our VIE and its subsidiary as part of their efforts to encourage the development of local businesses. The timing, amount and criteria of government financial incentives are determined within the sole discretion of the local government authorities and cannot be predicted with certainty before we actually receive any financial incentive. We generally do not have the ability to influence local governments in making these decisions. Governments authorities may decide to reduce or eliminate incentives or may amend or terminate the relevant financial incentive policies at any time. In addition, some of the government financial incentives are granted on a project basis and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including compliance with the applicable agreements and completion of the specific obligations therein. We cannot guarantee that we will satisfy all relevant conditions, and if we fail to satisfy any such conditions, we may be deprived of the relevant incentives. We cannot assure you of the continued availability of the government incentives currently enjoyed by us. Any reduction or elimination of incentives would have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, according to relevant PRC tax laws and regulations, enterprises in the PRC are entitled to tax preferences when certain requirements and qualifications are satisfied.

We may rely on dividends paid by our subsidiaries for our cash needs, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

As a holding company, we conduct substantially all of our business through our consolidated subsidiaries incorporated in China. We may rely on dividends paid by these PRC subsidiaries for our cash needs, including

the funds necessary to pay any dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. The payment of dividends by entities established in China is subject to limitations. Regulations in China currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. In accordance with the Article 166, 168 of the Company Law of the PRC (Amended in 2018), each of our PRC subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards each year to its general reserves or statutory capital reserve fund until the aggregate amount of such reserves reaches 50% of its respective registered capital. A company may discontinue the contribution when the aggregate sum of the statutory surplus reserve is more than 50% of its registered capital. The statutory common reserve fund of a company shall be used to cover the losses of the company, expand the business and production of the company or be converted into additional capital. As a result, our PRC subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to us in the form of dividends. In addition, if any of our PRC subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Any limitations on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to transfer funds to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends and otherwise fund and conduct our business. As of September 30, 2020, our PRC subsidiaries have not generated any after-tax profit and therefore have not set aside any capital reserve fund.

Dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC may be subject to PRC withholding tax, which could materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay our shareholders.

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law classifies enterprises as resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law provides that an income tax rate of 20% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-resident investors, which (i) do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or (ii) have an establishment or place of business in the PRC but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The State Council of the PRC reduced such rate to 10% through the implementation regulations of the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law. Further, pursuant to the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement between Hong Kong and Mainland China, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement, and the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties issued in February 2009 by the State Administration of Taxation of the PRC, or the SAT, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns more than 25% of the equity interest in a company in China at all times during the 12-month period immediately prior to obtaining a dividend from such company, the 10% withholding tax on dividends is reduced to 5% provided that certain other conditions and requirements under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable PRC laws are satisfied at the discretion of relevant PRC tax authority.

If our British Virgin Island subsidiary and our Hong Kong subsidiary are considered as non-resident enterprises and our Hong Kong subsidiary is considered as a Hong Kong resident enterprise under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied relevant conditions and requirements, then the dividends paid to our Hong Kong subsidiary by its PRC subsidiary may be subject to the reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. However, based on the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment. In addition, based on the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Relating to Beneficial Owner in Tax Treaties, effective from April 1, 2018, under certain conditions a company cannot be defined as a beneficial owner under the treaty and thus are not entitled to the abovementioned reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. If we are required under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our subsidiaries in China, or if our Hong Kong subsidiary is determined by PRC government authority as receiving benefits from reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, it would materially and adversely

affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay to our shareholders and may also have an adverse impact on the value of our ADSs or ordinary shares.

If we are classified as a “resident enterprise” of China under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we and our non-PRC shareholders could be subject to unfavorable tax consequences, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, SAT issued a circular, known as SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of board members with voting rights or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe that we are not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders, including our ADS holders, may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders, including our ADS holders, and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20%, which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, it is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares.

SAT Public Notice 7 further clarifies that, if a non-resident enterprise derives income by acquiring and selling shares in an offshore listed enterprise in the public market, such income will not be subject to PRC tax. However, there is uncertainty as to the application of SAT Bulletin 37 and SAT Public Notice 7, we and our non-PRC resident shareholders may be required to file a return and being taxed under SAT Bulletin 37 and SAT Public Notice 7.

In addition to the uncertainty as to the application of the “resident enterprise” classification, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not amend or revise the taxation laws, rules and regulations to impose stricter tax requirements or higher tax rates. Any of such changes could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

Currently, the RMB cannot be freely converted into any foreign currency. The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiary to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency dominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, for most capital account items, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of bank loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs.

Fluctuation in exchange rates could have a negative effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions in China and by China’s foreign exchange policies. Since June 2010, the RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, the RMB is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. Since the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress toward interest rate liberalization and RMB internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that the RMB will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Significant revaluation of the RMB may have a negative effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this offering into RMB for our operations, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency or to convert foreign currency into RMB.

PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents and enterprises may increase our administrative burden and restrict our overseas and cross-border investment activity. If our PRC resident and enterprise shareholders fail to make any required applications and filings under such regulations, we may be unable to distribute profits to such shareholders and may become subject to liability under PRC law.

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, which replaces the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents to Engage in Financing and Round-tripping Investment via Overseas Special Purpose, or SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents, including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities, to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we may make in the future.

Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, are required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any change of basic information or material events. If any PRC resident shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiaries in China. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, shall be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. Qualified banks should examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE. Due to the inherent uncertainty in PRC government authorities’ implementation of the regulations, SAFE Circular 37 registration may not always be practically available under all circumstances prescribed in these regulations.

We may not be aware of the identities of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents. To our knowledge, some of our beneficial owners have not complied with SAFE registration requirements under SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules on time or at all. However, we do not have control over our beneficial owners and cannot compel them to comply with SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules. Therefore, we cannot assure you that any required registration under SAFE Circular 37 and any amendment has been or will be completed in a timely manner, or at all. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their foreign exchange registrations pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiary to fines and legal sanctions, or could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions, including (i) the requirement by SAFE to return the foreign exchange remitted overseas or into the PRC within a period of time specified by SAFE, with a fine of up to 30% of the total amount of foreign exchange remitted overseas or into PRC and deemed to have been evasive or illegal and (ii) in circumstances involving serious violations, a fine of no less than 30% of and up to the total amount of remitted foreign exchange deemed evasive or illegal. Failure to register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiary and limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to distribute dividends to us. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations and their interpretation and implementation have been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border investments and transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented

by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiary.

As an offshore holding company of our PRC operating subsidiary, we may make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, subject to satisfaction of applicable governmental registration and approval requirements.

Any loans we extend to our PRC subsidiary, which is treated as a foreign-invested enterprise under PRC law, cannot exceed the statutory limit and must be registered with the local counterpart of the SAFE.

We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiary by means of capital contributions. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises in China, these capital contributions are subject to registration with State Administration for Market Regulation or its local counterparts. In addition, the PRC government also restricts the convertibility of foreign currencies into RMB and use of the proceeds. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Reforming the Management Method for the Settlement of Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, which took effect and replaced certain previous SAFE regulations from June 1, 2015. SAFE further promulgated the Circular on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Management of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital Accounts, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amends certain provisions of SAFE Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. Violations of the applicable circulars and rules may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines as set forth in the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations. These circulars may limit our ability and speed to transfer the net proceeds from this offering to our PRC subsidiary. On October 23, 2019, SAFE promulgated the Circular to Further Facilitating Cross-border Trade and Investment, or SAFE Circular 28, which took effect on the same day. SAFE Circular 28 cancels restrictions on domestic equity investments made with capital funds by non-investing foreign-funded enterprises. If a non-investing foreign-funded enterprise makes domestic equity investment with capital funds obtained from foreign exchange settlement, the investee shall undergo registration formalities for accepting domestic reinvestment and open the “capital account—account for settled foreign exchange to be paid” to receive the corresponding funds according to relevant provisions. However, it still remains unclear how SAFE and competent banks will carry this out in practice. Despite the restrictions and procedural requirements under these SAFE circulars, our PRC subsidiary may use RMB funds converted from foreign currency registered capital to carry out any activities within their normal course of business and business scope, including to fund operational needs, and to make equity investments in domestic companies.

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we have completed or will be able to complete the necessary government registrations, meet the relevant government requirements or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, or at all, with respect to existing or future loans to our PRC subsidiary or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain

such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we expect to receive from this offering to fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Under the applicable regulations and SAFE rules, PRC citizens who participate in an employee stock ownership plan or a stock option plan in an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE and complete certain other procedures. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly Listed Companies, or the Stock Option Rules, which replaced the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plans of Overseas Publicly Listed Companies issued by SAFE in March 2007. Pursuant to the Stock Option Rules, if a PRC resident participates in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, a qualified PRC domestic agent must, among other things, file on behalf of such participant an application with SAFE to conduct the SAFE registration with respect to such stock incentive plan and obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options or stock such participant holds. Such participating PRC residents’ foreign exchange income received from the sale of stock and dividends distributed by the overseas publicly listed company must be fully remitted into a PRC collective foreign currency account opened and managed by the PRC agent before distribution to such participants. We and our PRC resident employees who have been granted stock options or other share-based incentives of ours will be subject to the Stock Option Rules when our company becomes an overseas listed company upon the completion of this offering. If we or our PRC resident participants fail to comply with these regulations, we and/or our PRC resident participants may be subject to fines and legal sanctions. In addition, the State Administration of Taxation has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, our employees working in China who exercise share options and/or are granted restricted shares in the future will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC subsidiaries have obligations to file documents related to employee share options and/or restricted shares with tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options. If our employees fail to pay or we fail to withhold their income taxes according to laws and regulations, we may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC government authorities.

We may be required to obtain prior approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission for the listing and trading of the ADSs on Nasdaq.

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, promulgated the Provisions on the Merger or Acquisition of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009. This regulation, among other things, requires offshore SPVs formed for the purpose of an overseas listing and controlled by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the CSRC approval prior to listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The application of this regulation remains unclear. Our PRC legal counsel has advised us that, based on their understanding of the current PRC laws, the CSRC approval is not required under the M&A Rules in the context of this offering because (i) the ownership structure of our PRC subsidiary was established by direct investment instead of through acquisition of equity interests or assets of any PRC domestic company by foreign entities using equity as consideration as defined under the M&A Rules; and (ii) no explicit provision in the M&A Rules classifies the contractual arrangement as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules.

However, we have been advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of the PRC laws and regulations, and there can be no assurance that the PRC

government will ultimately take a view that is not contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. If it is determined that the CSRC approval is required for this offering, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies for failure to seek the CSRC approval for this offering. These sanctions may include fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC although, to our knowledge, no definitive rules or interpretations have been issued to determine or quantify such fines or penalties, delays or restrictions on the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into the PRC, restrictions on or prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our PRC subsidiary, or other actions that may have a material adverse effect on our business and the trading price of the ADSs. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable to us, to halt this offering before the settlement and delivery of the ADSs that we are offering. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to the settlement and delivery of the ADSs we are offering, you would be doing so at the risk that the settlement and delivery may not occur.

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The M&A Rules and relevant regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. The M&A Rules require that the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have an impact on the national economic security; or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. The approval from MOFCOM shall be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies.

The Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or NPC, which became effective in August 2008, requires that when a concentration of undertakings occurs and reaches statutory thresholds, the undertakings concerned shall file a prior notification with the anti-monopoly enforcement agency of the State Council. Without the clearance from such agency, no concentration of undertakings shall be implemented and effected. Mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to the anti-monopoly enforcement agency of the State Council, when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the Prior Notification Rules, issued by the State Council in August 2008 and amended in September 2018 is triggered. If such prior notification is not obtained, the anti-monopoly enforcement agency may order the concentration to cease its operations, dispose of shares or assets, transfer the business of the concentration within a time limit, take any other necessary measures to restore the situation as it was before the concentration, and may impose administrative fines.

In addition, the Implementing Rules Concerning Security Review on the Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Investors of Domestic Enterprises, issued by the MOFCOM in August 2011, specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors involved in “an industry related to national security” are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and prohibit any activities attempting to bypass such security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the abovementioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions.

We cannot preclude the possibility that the MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish explanations contrary to our understanding or broaden the scope of such security reviews in the future, in which

case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.

We and our shareholders face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises, assets attributed to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company or immovable properties located in China owned by non-PRC companies.

In February 2015, SAT issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or SAT Public Notice 7. SAT Public Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Public Notice 7 provides clear criteria for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Public Notice 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. In October 2017, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. The Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of nonresident enterprise income tax. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an indirect transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer other than transfer of shares of ADSs acquired and sold on public markets may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions that involve PRC taxable assets, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is the transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is the transferee in such transactions, under SAT Public Notice 7 or Bulletin 37, or both.

The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection. In addition, various legislative and regulatory developments related to U.S.-listed China based companies due to lack of PCAOB inspection may have a material adverse impact on our listing and trading in the U.S. and the trading prices of our ADSs, and we could be delisted if we are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirements in time.

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit report included in our prospectus filed with the SEC, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and applicable professional standards. Because our auditor is located in, and organized under the laws of, the PRC, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our auditors are not currently inspected by the PCAOB.

On May 24, 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC and the PRC Ministry of

Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations undertaken by the PCAOB, the CSRC or the PRC Ministry of Finance in the United States and the PRC, respectively. The PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance to permit joint inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with the PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. On April 21, 2020, the SEC and the PCAOB issued another joint statement reiterating the greater risk that disclosures will be insufficient in many emerging markets, including China, compared to those made by U.S. domestic companies. In discussing the specific issues related to the greater risk, the statement again highlighted the PCAOB’s inability to inspect audit documentation and practices of accounting firms in China, with respect to their audit work of U.S. reporting companies. These statements reflect a heightened interest in an issue that has vexed U.S. regulators in recent years. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and PCAOB will take to address the problem.

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside of China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside China that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

On June 4, 2020, the U.S. President issued a memorandum ordering the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, or the PWG, to submit a report to the President within 60 days of the memorandum that includes recommendations for actions that can be taken by the executive branch and by the SEC or PCAOB to further protect investors in Chinese companies listed in the United States in response to the PCAOB’s lack of access to the work of such companies’ auditors. In August 2020, the PWG, released the Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies, which outlined the PWG’s five recommendations to the SEC. In particular, the PWG recommends that the SEC work to enhance U.S. exchanges’ listing standards to address the concern over the PCAOB’s lack of access to audit work papers. This would require, as a condition to initial and continued exchange listing, PCAOB access to work papers of the principal audit firm for the audit of the listed company. The PWG proposed a concept under which companies that are unable to satisfy this standard as a result of governmental restrictions on access to audit work papers and practices in non-cooperating jurisdictions, or NCJs, may satisfy this standard by providing a co-audit from an audit firm with comparable resources and experience where the PCAOB determines it has sufficient access to audit work papers and practices to conduct an appropriate inspection of the co-audit firm. However, there is currently no legal framework where such a co-audit could be conducted in China. To reduce market disruption, the new listing standards could provide for a transition period until January 1, 2022 for currently listed companies. The report also recommends to require enhanced and prominent issuer disclosures of the risks of investing in NCJs such as China. After this transition period, if currently listed companies were unable to meet the enhances listing standards, then they would become subject to securities exchange rules and processes that could lead to possible de-listing if not cured. The measures in the PWG report are presumably subject to the standard SEC rulemaking process before becoming effective. On August 10, 2020, the SEC announced that SEC Chairman Jay Clayton had directed the SEC staff to prepare proposals in response to the PWG report, and that the SEC was soliciting public comments and information with respect to these proposals.

As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, on May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed S. 945, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the Kennedy Bill. On July 21, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which

contains provisions comparable to the Kennedy Bill. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate to pass the Kennedy Bill. The Kennedy Bill now moves to President for signing before it is enacted. If either of these bills is enacted into law, it would require the SEC to propose rules within 90 days to prohibit securities of any registrant from being listed on any of the U.S. securities exchanges or traded “over the counter” if the auditor of the registrant’s financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspection for three consecutive years after the law becomes effective. We could be delisted if we are unable to cure the situation to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time.

It is unclear if these legislative proposals would be enacted. However, enactment of one or more of these bills or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of the ADSs could be adversely affected. In addition, enactment of these legislative proposals may result in prohibitions on the trading of the ADSs on The Nasdaq Global Market or other U.S. exchange if our auditor fails to be inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years.

Various proceedings and legislative and regulatory developments due to political tensions between the U.S. and China may have an adverse impact on our listing and trading in the U.S., including adverse impact on the trading prices of our ADSs.

Political tensions between the United States and China have escalated due to, among other things, trade disputes, the COVID-19 outbreak, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury on certain officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the central government of the PRC and the executive orders issued by U.S. President Donald J. Trump in August 2020 that prohibit certain transactions with certain Chinese companies and their applications. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trade, investment, technological exchange and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against the “big four” PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, adverse impact on the trading prices of our ADSs, or possible delisting.

In late 2012, the SEC commenced administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the “big four” PRC-based accounting firms (including our auditors). The Rule 102(e) proceedings initiated by the SEC relate to these firms’ inability to produce documents, including audit work papers, in response to the request of the SEC pursuant to Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as the auditors located in China are not in a position lawfully to produce documents directly to the SEC because of restrictions under PRC laws and specific directives issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC. The issues raised by the proceedings are not specific to our auditors or to us, but affect equally all audit firms based in China and all China-based businesses with securities listed in the United States.

In January 2014, the administrative judge reached an initial decision that each of these firms should be barred from practicing before the SEC for six months. Thereafter, the accounting firms filed a petition for review of the initial decision, prompting the SEC commissioners to review the initial decision, determine whether there had been any violation and, if so, determine the appropriate remedy to be placed on these audit firms.

In February 2015, “big four” PRC-based accounting firms (including our auditors) each agreed to censure and pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC and audit U.S. listed companies. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures and to seek to provide the SEC with access to the Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four China-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice four years after entry of the settlement. The four-year mark occurred on February 6, 2019

While we cannot predict if the SEC will further challenge the four China-based accounting firms’ compliance with U.S. law in connection with U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such a challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions, if the accounting firms are subject to additional remedial measures, our ability to file our financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could be impacted. A determination that we have not timely filed financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ADSs or the termination of the registration of our ADSs under the Exchange Act, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in China, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and could result in delisting. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, United States-listed companies and the market price of our shares may be adversely affected. If our independent registered public accounting firm was denied, temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

Our business may be significantly affected by the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and the “negative list.”

The Foreign Investment Law grants foreign invested entities the same treatment as PRC domestic entities, except for those foreign invested entities that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in the “negative list” published by the State Council. We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our PRC subsidiary, Gracell Bioscience (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Gracell Bioscience, is currently considered to be a foreign invested entity in China.

The 2020 Negative List provides that foreign investment is prohibited in the development and application of human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. As of the date of this prospectus, there has been no official interpretation of the scope of “human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies” and the application of this regulation remains unclear. If our CAR-T cell therapies or other technologies that are being researched and developed are deemed by relevant PRC regulatory agencies as falling into the category of “human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies,” Gracell Bioscience would be prohibited from engaging in the research or development of such technologies in the future. For risks relating to the “negative list” in connection with our VIE structure, see “—Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current structure, our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

Our leased property interest may be defective and our right to lease the properties may be challenged, which could cause significant disruption to our business.

In China, we lease certain premises used in our operations from third parties. We lease our research and development site in Shanghai from a third-party landlord who was granted the land use right on this site from the local government authority for free. According to the relevant regulations in the PRC, approval of the relevant government department is required for leasing allocated land. The third-party landlord for this particular leased site has not made the required filing. If a granted land use right for free is assigned, leased or mortgaged without approval , such landlord maybe subject to the confiscation of the illegal revenue and fine in the light of the seriousness of the case. As a result, our lease may be negatively affected. Certain lessors have not provided us with valid ownership certificates, or authorization of sublease for our leased properties. Under the relevant PRC laws and regulations, if the lessors are unable to obtain certificates of title because such properties were built

illegally or failed to pass the inspection or other reasons, or relevant lease has not been approved by competent government authority in accordance with applicable law, such lease contracts may be recognized as void and, as a result, we may be required to vacate the relevant properties. In addition, if our lessors are not the owners of the properties and they have not obtained consents from the owners or their lessors, our leases could be invalidated. If this occurs, we may have to renegotiate the leases with the owners or the parties who have the right to lease the properties, and the terms of the new leases may be less favorable to us, or we may be required to vacate the relevant properties if the terms of the new leases are not reached.

Under PRC laws, all lease agreements are required to be registered with the local housing authorities. We have not registered certain of our lease agreements with the relevant government authorities. Failure to complete these required registrations may expose our landlords, lessors and us to potential monetary fines.

Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

China’s overall economy and the average wage level in China have increased in recent years and are expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase.

In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering into labor contracts with our employees, protecting occupational health and safety, and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing funds, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all labor-related laws and regulations including those relating to obligations to make social insurance payments and contribute to the housing provident funds. We have not fully paid the housing provident funds for all of our employees as required by applicable PRC regulations. We may be required to make up the contributions for our employees, resulting in financial conditions and results of operations to be adversely affected. Furthermore, certain overseas employee of our PRC subsidiary has not obtained required work permit or residence permit, which may subject our PRC subsidiary to fines and penalty.

We have granted, and may continue to grant, options and other types of awards under our share incentive plans, which may result in significant share-based compensation expenses and you will incur immediate and substantial dilution.

We have adopted an employee stock option plan, which was amended and restated in October 2020, for the purpose of granting share-based compensation awards to employees, directors and consultants to incentivize their performance and align their interests with ours. In addition, our shareholders and board of directors have approved a share incentive plan in December 2020 which will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering. As of the date of this prospectus, options to purchase a total of 7,383,599 ordinary shares have been granted and outstanding under our employee stock option plan. See “Management—Share Incentive Plans.” As of the date of this prospectus, we have not incurred any share-based compensation expenses relating to awards granted under our employee stock option plan. Pursuant to our employee stock option plan, the performance condition for options granted thereunder will be satisfied upon completion of this offering; and as a result, we will, upon the date of the completion of this offering, record a significant amount of cumulative share-based compensation expenses for those options for which the vesting conditions have been satisfied as of such date. We believe the granting of share-based compensation is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based compensation awards to employees in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations. We may re-evaluate the vesting schedules, lock-up period, exercise price or other key terms applicable to the grants under our currently effective employee stock option plans from time to time. If we choose to do so, we may experience substantial change in our share-based compensation charges in the reporting periods following this offering.

Risks Related to this Offering, Our Securities and Our Status as a Public Company

An active trading market for our ADSs may not develop and you may not be able to resell your ADSs at or above the initial offering price, or at all.

This offering constitutes the initial public offering of our ADSs, and no public market has previously existed for our ADSs. Any delay in the commencement of trading of our ADSs on Nasdaq would impair the liquidity of the market for the ADSs and make it more difficult for holders to sell the ADSs. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the ADSs will develop or be sustained after this offering is completed. The lack of an active trading market may also reduce the fair market value of the ADSs. The initial offering price was determined by negotiations among the lead underwriters and us. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were our future prospects and the prospects of our industry in general, our revenue, net income and certain other financial and operating information in recent periods, and the market prices of securities and certain financial and operating information of companies engaged in activities similar to ours. However, there can be no assurance that, following the completion of this offering, the ADSs will trade at a price equal to or greater than the initial public offering price.

If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will suffer immediate dilution of your investment.

The initial public offering price of our ADSs is substantially higher than the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS. Therefore, if you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay a price per ADS that substantially exceeds our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Based on the initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, you will experience immediate dilution of US$ per ADS, representing the difference between our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after this offering and the initial public offering price per ADS. After this offering, we will also have outstanding options under our share incentive plans to purchase ordinary shares with exercise prices lower than the initial public offering price. To the extent these outstanding options are exercised, there will be further dilution to investors in this offering. For further information regarding the dilution resulting from this offering, see the section titled “Dilution” in this prospectus.

A significant portion of our total outstanding shares are restricted from immediate resale, but may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of our ADSs to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market could occur at any time. If our shareholders sell, or the market perceives that our shareholders intend to sell, substantial amounts of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market following this offering, the market price of our ADSs could decline significantly.

Upon completion of this offering, we will have ordinary shares outstanding, including ordinary shares represented by ADSs, based on the number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020. Of these shares, the ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable immediately. Up to ordinary shares underlying ADSs will be available for sale in the public market beginning 180 days after the date of this prospectus following the expiration of lock-up agreements entered into by our shareholders in connection with the offering. The representatives of the underwriters may agree to release these shareholders from their lock-up agreements at any time and without notice, which would allow for earlier sales of shares in the public market. Sales of a substantial number of such shares upon expiration of the lock-up agreements, the perception that such sales may occur, or early release of restrictions in the lock-up agreements, could cause the market price of our ADSs to fall or make it more difficult for you to sell your ADSs at a time and price that you deem appropriate.

In addition, promptly following the completion of this offering, we intend to file one or more registration statements registering the issuance of approximately ordinary shares (which may be in the form of ADSs) subject to options or other equity awards issued or reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive

plans. Shares registered under these registration statements will be available for sale in the public market subject to vesting arrangements and exercise of options, the lock-up agreements described above and, in the case of our affiliates, the restrictions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

Additionally, after this offering, the holders of an aggregate of approximately of our ordinary shares, or their transferees, will have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file one or more registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other shareholders. If we were to register the resale of these shares, they could be freely sold in the public market. If these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our ADSs could decline.

Upon becoming a public company, we will be subject to reporting obligations under U.S. securities laws, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404(a), will require that, beginning with our second annual report following our initial public offering, management assess and report annually on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting and identify any material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting. Although Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404(b), requires our independent registered public accounting firm to issue an annual report that addresses the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, we have opted to rely on the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act, and consequently will not be required to comply with SEC rules that implement Section 404(b) until such time as we are no longer an emerging growth company.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control and procedures and we were never required to evaluate our internal control within a specified period, and, as a result, we have experienced and may experience difficulty in meeting these reporting requirements in a timely manner.

During the audit of our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, one material weakness was identified in our internal control over financial reporting. Under standards established by the PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weakness that has been identified relate to our lack of sufficient and competent financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements.

We are in the process of implementing a number of measures to address the material weakness that has been identified including: (i) hiring additional accounting and financial reporting personnel with U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting experience and qualifications, (ii) expanding the capabilities of existing accounting and financial reporting personnel through continuous training and education in the accounting and reporting requirements under U.S. GAAP, and SEC rules and regulations, and (iii) enhancing internal audit function as well as engaging an external consulting firm to assist us in assessing compliance with the SEC requirements and improve overall internal control.

We may incur significant costs in the implementation of such measures. We cannot assure you that all these measures will be sufficient to remediate our material weakness in time, or at all. Additionally, we cannot assure you that we have identified all, or that we will not in the future have additional, material weaknesses. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions

include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting.

The presence of material weaknesses could result in financial statement errors which, in turn, could lead to errors in our financial reports or delays in our financial reporting, which could require us to restate our operating results or result in our auditors issuing a qualified audit report. In order to establish and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, we will need to expend significant resources and provide significant management oversight. Developing, implementing and testing changes to our internal controls may require specific compliance training of our directors and employees, entail substantial costs in order to modify our existing accounting systems, take a significant period of time to complete and divert management’s attention from other business concerns. These changes may not, however, be effective in establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls.

If either we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting or, at the appropriate time, our independent auditors are unwilling or unable to provide us with an unqualified report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting as required by Section 404(b), investors may lose confidence in our operating results, the price of our ADSs could decline and we may be subject to litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. In addition, if we are unable to meet the requirements of Section 404, we may not be able to remain listed on the Nasdaq.

We will have broad discretion in the use of proceeds from this offering and may invest or spend the proceeds in ways with which you do not agree and in ways that may not increase the value of your investment.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our ADSs. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a negative impact on our business, cause the price of our ADSs to decline and delay the development of our product candidates and preclinical program. Pending their use, we may invest our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value. See the section titled “Use of Proceeds” for additional information.

Holders of our ADSs have fewer rights than our shareholders and must act through the depositary to exercise their rights.

Holders of our ADSs do not have the same rights as our shareholders and may only exercise their voting rights with respect to the underlying ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Holders of the ADSs will appoint the depositary or its nominee as their representative to exercise the voting rights attaching to the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. When a general meeting is convened, if you hold ADSs, you may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders’ meeting to permit you to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs to allow you to vote with respect to any specific matter. We will make all commercially reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to you in a timely manner, but we cannot assure you that you will receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, and it is possible that you, or persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote. Furthermore, the depositary will not be liable for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may lack recourse if your ADSs are not voted as you request. In addition, in your capacity as an ADS holder, you will not be able to call a shareholders’ meeting.

ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could augur less favorable results to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our shares provides that holders and beneficial owners of ADSs, including those who purchase our ADSs in a secondary transaction, irrevocably waive the right

to a trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the deposit agreement, our shares or the ADSs or the transactions contemplated thereby, including claims under federal securities laws, against us or the depositary to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. If this jury trial waiver provision is prohibited by applicable law, an action could nevertheless proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a jury trial waiver under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by a federal court. However, we believe that a jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a court of the State of New York or a federal court in New York, which have non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement, applying such law. In determining whether to enforce a jury trial waiver provision, New York courts and federal courts will consider whether the visibility of the jury trial waiver provision within the agreement is sufficiently prominent such that a party has knowingly waived any right to trial by jury. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement, our shares and the ADSs and the transactions contemplated thereby. In addition, New York courts will not enforce a jury trial waiver provision in order to bar a viable setoff or counterclaim sounding in fraud or one which is based upon a creditor’s negligence in failing to liquidate collateral upon a guarantor’s demand, or in the case of an intentional tort claim (as opposed to a contract dispute), none of which we believe are applicable in the case of the deposit agreement, our shares or the ADSs or the transactions contemplated thereby. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any provision of the federal securities laws. If you or any other holder or beneficial owner of ADSs brings a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement, our shares or the ADSs or the transactions contemplated thereby, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and/or the depositary, lead to increased costs to bring a claim, limited access to information and other imbalances of resources between such holder and us, or limit such holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such holder finds favorable. If a lawsuit is brought against us and/or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may augur different results than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action, depending on, among other things, the nature of the claims, the judge or justice hearing such claims, and the venue of the hearing.

You may not receive distributions on our ordinary shares represented by the ADSs or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to holders of ADSs.

Although we do not have any present plans to declare or pay any dividends on our ordinary shares after this offering, in the event we declare and pay any dividends, the depositary for the ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of our ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, in accordance with the limitations set forth in the deposit agreement, it may be unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to holders of ADSs. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any offering of ADSs, ordinary shares or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit distribution on the ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of the ADSs. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value from them if it is unlawful or impractical to make them available to you. These restrictions may have an adverse effect on the value of your ADSs.

Your right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to your holdings.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to you in the United States unless we register the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Also, under the deposit agreement, the depositary bank will not make rights available to you unless

either both the rights and any related securities are registered under the Securities Act, or the distribution of them to ADS holders is exempted from registration under the Securities Act. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. Moreover, we may not be able to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. If the depositary does not distribute the rights, it may, under the deposit agreement, either sell them, if possible, or allow them to lapse. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in your holdings.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our ADSs in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gains and you may never receive a return on your investment.

We have never declared or paid a dividend on our ordinary shares in the past, and we currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in our ADSs to provide dividend income. Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or out of the credit standing in our company’s share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, our shareholders may, subject to our memorandum and articles of association, by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, on our ADSs will be your sole source of gains for the foreseeable future. Investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our ADSs in this offering.

If we are or become classified as a passive foreign investment company, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result.

Generally, for any taxable year, if at least 75% of our gross income is passive income, or at least 50% of the value of our assets is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income, including cash, we would be characterized as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of these tests, passive income includes dividends, interest, gains from commodities and securities transactions, the excess of gains over losses from the disposition of assets which produce passive income (including amounts derived by reason of the temporary investment of funds raised in offerings of our shares) and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. If we are characterized as a PFIC, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of our ordinary shares treated as ordinary income, rather than capital gain, the non-availability of the preferential rate applicable to dividends received by U.S. non-corporate holders, and having interest charges apply to distributions by us and gains from the sales of our shares.

Based on our operating history and the projected composition of our income and valuation of our assets, including goodwill, we do not expect to be a PFIC for the taxable year ending December 31, 2020. The determination of whether we are a PFIC is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis and the applicable law is subject to varying interpretation. In particular, the characterization of our assets as active or passive may depend in part on our current and intended future business plans, which are subject to change. Our status as a PFIC will depend on the nature and composition of our income and the nature, composition and value of our assets (which may be determined based on the fair market value of each asset, with the value of goodwill and going concern value determined in large part by reference to the market value of our ADSs, which may be volatile). Therefore, declines in our market capitalization could adversely affect our PFIC status for any taxable

year. Our status may also depend, in part, on how quickly we utilize our current cash balances and the cash proceeds from this offering in our business. Furthermore, prior to the commercialization of any of our product candidates, for any taxable year interest or other passive income may constitute 75% or more of our total gross income. Moreover, it is not entirely clear how the contractual arrangements between us, our VIE and its nominal shareholders will be treated for purposes of the PFIC rules, and we may be or become a PFIC if our VIE is not treated as owned by us for these purposes. Even if we determine that we are not a PFIC for a taxable year, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, will agree with our conclusion and that the IRS would not successfully challenge our position. Accordingly, our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for our taxable year ending December 31, 2019, and also expresses no opinion with regard to our expectations regarding our PFIC status for the current taxable year or any future taxable year.

The tax consequences that would apply if we are classified as a PFIC will be different from those described above if a U.S. shareholder were able to make a valid qualified electing fund, or QEF, election. At this time, we do not expect to provide U.S. holders with the information necessary for a U.S. shareholder to make a QEF election. Prospective investors should assume that a QEF election will not be available.

Tax authorities may disagree with our positions and conclusions regarding certain tax positions, resulting in unanticipated costs, taxes or non-realization of expected benefits.

A tax authority may disagree with tax positions that we have taken, which could result in increased tax liabilities. For example, the IRS or another tax authority could challenge our allocation of income by tax jurisdiction and the amounts paid between our affiliated companies pursuant to our intercompany arrangements and transfer pricing policies, including amounts paid with respect to our intellectual property development. Similarly, a tax authority could assert that we are subject to tax in a jurisdiction where we believe we have not established a taxable connection, often referred to as a “permanent establishment” under international tax treaties, and such an assertion, if successful, could increase our expected tax liability in one or more jurisdictions. A tax authority may take the position that material income tax liabilities, interest and penalties are payable by us, in which case, we expect that we might contest such assessment. Contesting such an assessment may be lengthy and costly, and if we were unsuccessful in disputing the assessment, the implications could increase our anticipated effective tax rate, where applicable.

Immediately following the completion of this offering, Dr. William Wei Cao, through Gracell Venture Holdings Limited, will beneficially own approximately % of our ordinary shares. As a result, Dr. Cao will exercise significant influence over all matters requiring a shareholder vote, including the election of directors; mergers, consolidations and acquisitions; the sale of all or substantially all of our assets and other decisions affecting our capital structure; the amendment of our amended and restated memorandum of association; and our winding up and dissolution. This concentration of ownership may delay, deter or prevent acts that would be favored by our other shareholders. The interests of Dr. Cao may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control of us. Also, Dr. Cao may seek to cause us to take courses of action that, in his judgment, could enhance his investment in us, but which might involve risks to our other shareholders or adversely affect us or our other shareholders, including investors in this offering. As a result, the market price of our shares could decline or shareholders might not receive a premium over the then-current market price of our shares upon a change in control. In addition, this concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our shares because investors may perceive disadvantages in owning shares in a company with significant shareholders.

We are an “emerging growth company” and as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, our ADSs may be less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404, exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As an emerging growth company, we are required to report only two years of financial results and selected financial data compared to three and five years, respectively, for comparable data reported by other public companies. We may take advantage of these exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the aggregate market value of our ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented by ADSs, held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the end of our second fiscal quarter before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31st (the last day of our fiscal year). Emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies Additionally, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our ADSs less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our ADSs less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our ADSs and the price of our ADSs may be more volatile.

We qualify as a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we will not be subject to U.S. proxy rules and will be subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that permit less detailed and frequent reporting than that of a U.S. domestic public company.

Upon the closing of this offering, we will report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, foreign private issuers are not required to file their annual report on Form 20-F until 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, while U.S. domestic issuers that are accelerated filers are required to file their annual report on Form 10-K within 75 days after the end of each fiscal year.

Foreign private issuers also are exempt from Regulation FD, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. As a result of the above, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are not foreign private issuers.

If we lose our status as a foreign private issuer, we would be required to comply with the Exchange Act reporting and other requirements applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, which are more detailed and extensive than the requirements for foreign private issuers. We may also be required to make changes in our corporate governance practices in accordance with various SEC and Nasdaq rules. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws if we are required to comply with the reporting requirements applicable to a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher than the cost we would incur as a foreign private issuer. As a result, we expect that a loss of foreign private issuer status would increase our legal and financial compliance costs and

would make some activities highly time-consuming and costly. We also expect that if we were required to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, it would make it more difficult and expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These rules and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors.

As an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards.

We are entitled to rely on a provision in Nasdaq’s corporate governance rules that allows us to follow Cayman Island’s corporate law with regard to certain corporate governance matters. This allows us to follow certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the Nasdaq. The corporate governance practice in our home country, the Cayman Islands, does not require a majority of our board to consist of independent directors or the implementation of a nominating and corporate governance committee. Since a majority of our board of directors will not consist of independent directors as long as we rely on the foreign private issuer exemption, fewer board members will be exercising independent judgment and the level of board oversight on the management of our company may decrease as a result.

Our amended and restated articles of association to be in effect prior to the completion of this offering designate specific courts in Cayman Islands and the United States as the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by the holders of our ordinary shares, ADSs or other securities, which could limit their ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.

Pursuant to our amended and restated articles of association to be in effect prior to the completion of this offering, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear, settle and/or determine any dispute, controversy or claim (including any non-contractual dispute, controversy or claim) whether arising out of or in connection with these articles or otherwise, including any questions regarding their existence, validity, formation or termination, or the Cayman Forum Provision. The Cayman Forum Provision will not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or Exchange Act. Our amended and restated articles of association further provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by relevant law, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, regardless of whether such legal suit, action, or proceeding also involves parties other than us, or the Federal Forum Provision. In addition, our amended and restated articles of association provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any shares or other securities in us, or purchasing or otherwise acquiring ADSs issued pursuant to the deposit agreements is deemed to have notice of and consented to the Cayman Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision.

We recognize that the Cayman Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision in our amended and restated articles of association may impose additional litigation costs on holders of our ordinary shares, ADSs or other securities in pursuing their claims, particularly if the holders do not reside in or near the Cayman Islands or the United States. Additionally, the forum selection clauses in our amended and restated articles of association may limit the holders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage the filing of lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees, even though an action, if successful, might benefit holders of our securities. In addition, while the Delaware Supreme Court ruled in March 2020 that federal forum selection provisions purporting to require claims under the Securities Act be brought in federal court were “facially valid” under Delaware law and the California Supreme Court made a similar ruling under the California law, there is uncertainty as to whether other courts will enforce our Federal Forum Provision. If the Federal Forum Provision is found to be

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unenforceable, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on holders of our securities who assert that the provision is not enforceable or invalid.

Since shareholder rights under Cayman Islands law differ from those under U.S. law, you may have difficulty protecting your shareholder rights.

We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records, other than the memorandum and articles of association and any special resolutions passed by such companies, and the registers of mortgages and charges of such companies. The Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands shall make available the list of the names of the current directors of the Company (and where applicable the current alternate directors of the Company) for inspection by any person upon payment of a fee by such person. Our directors have discretion under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to any corporate governance matter. However, if we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of our board of directors or our controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be effective in connection with the closing of this offering may prevent or frustrate attempts by our shareholders to change our management and hinder efforts to acquire a controlling interest in us, and the market price of our ADSs may be lower as a result.

There are provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be effective in connection with the closing of this offering that may make it difficult for a third-party to acquire, or attempt to

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acquire, control of our company, even if a change of control was considered favorable by you and other shareholders. For example, our board of directors will have the authority to issue up to 1,000,000 shares of an additional class or classes of shares, which could include preference shares. The board of directors can fix the price, rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the other classes of shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders. The issuance of such shares may delay or prevent a change of control transaction. As a result, the market price of our ADSs and the voting and other rights of our shareholders may be adversely affected. An issuance of other classes of shares may result in the loss of voting control to other shareholders.

Our charter documents will also contain other provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect, including:

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only one of our three classes of directors will be elected each year;

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shareholders will be entitled to remove directors only for cause;

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shareholders will not be permitted to take actions by written consent;

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shareholders must give advance notice to nominate directors or submit proposals for consideration at annual general meetings.

These provisions could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change of control transaction. They could also have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers, including transactions that may be in your best interests. These provisions may also prevent changes in our management or limit the price that investors are willing to pay for our ADSs.

You may be subject to limitations on transfers of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when deemed necessary or advisable by it in good faith in connection with the performance of its duties or at our reasonable written request, subject in all cases to compliance with applicable U.S. securities laws. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deems it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

General Risk Factors

The COVID-19 coronavirus could adversely impact our business, including our clinical trials.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, was first reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, the COVID-19 coronavirus has spread globally. The outbreak and government measures taken in response have also had a significant impact, both direct and indirect, on businesses, as worker shortages have occurred; supply chains have been disrupted; facilities and production have been suspended; and demand for certain goods and services, such as medical services and supplies, has spiked. As a result, we may experience disruptions that could severely impact our business and clinical trials, including:

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limitation in patient enrollment, disruptions to patient follow-up during the lockdown periods, and curtailed screening visits;

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delays or difficulties in enrolling patients in our clinical trials;

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delays or difficulties in clinical site initiation, including difficulties in recruiting clinical site investigators and clinical site staff;

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delays in clinical sites receiving the supplies and materials needed to conduct our clinical trials;

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diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials, including the diversion of hospitals serving as our clinical trial sites and hospital staff supporting the conduct of our clinical trials;

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interruption of key clinical trial activities, such as clinical trial site monitoring, due to limitations on travel imposed or recommended by governments, employers and others;

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limitations in employee resources that would otherwise be focused on the conduct of our clinical trials, including because of sickness of employees or their families or the desire of employees to avoid contact with large groups of people;

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delays in receiving approval from local regulatory authorities to initiate our planned clinical trials;

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interruption in global shipping that may affect the transport of clinical trial materials;

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changes in local regulations as part of a response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak which may require us to change the ways in which our clinical trials are conducted, which may result in unexpected costs, or to discontinue the clinical trials altogether;

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delays in necessary interactions with local regulators, ethics committees and other important agencies and contractors due to limitations in employee resources or forced furlough of government employees; and

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refusal of the relevant regulatory authorities to accept data from clinical trials in these affected geographic regions.

The extent to which the COVID-19 coronavirus may impact our business and clinical trials is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak and social distancing regulations, travel restrictions, business closures or business disruptions and the effectiveness of actions taken to contain and treat the disease.

Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations, and those of our vendors and suppliers, could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics and other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions, for which we are predominantly self-insured. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. We currently rely on third-party suppliers to produce and process our product candidates on a patient-by-patient basis. Our ability to obtain clinical supplies of our product candidates could be disrupted if the operations of these suppliers are affected by a man-made or natural disaster or other business interruption.

We may be subject to claims by third parties asserting that we or our employees, consultants or advisors have misappropriated, wrongfully used or disclosed their trade secrets or other intellectual property, or claiming ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.

Many of our employees, consultants and advisors are currently or were previously employed at universities or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees, consultants and advisors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of third parties in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have inadvertently or otherwise used intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such individual’s former employer. We may also in the future be subject to claims that we have caused such individual to breach the terms of his or her non-competition or non-solicitation agreement. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these potential claims.

In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the conception, development or reduction to practice of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who, in fact,

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conceives, develops or reduces to practice intellectual property that we regard as our own or such employees and contractors may breach the agreement and claim the developed intellectual property as their own. Our assignment agreements may not be self-executing or may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties or defend claims they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. Such claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. A court could prohibit us from using technologies or features that are essential to our product candidates if such technologies or features are found to incorporate or be derived from the trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers. Even if we are successful in prosecuting or defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and could be a distraction to management. In addition, any litigation or threat thereof may adversely affect our ability to hire employees or contract with independent service providers. Moreover, a loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize our products.

The trading price of our ADSs may be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The trading price of our ADSs following this offering is likely to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control, including limited trading volume. The stock market in general and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their ADSs at or above the price paid for the ADSs. In addition to the factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this prospectus, these factors include:

•

the commencement, enrollment or results of our planned and future clinical trials;

•

positive or negative results from, or delays in, testing and clinical trials by us, collaborators or competitors;

•

the loss of any of our key scientific or management personnel;

•

regulatory or legal developments in the United States, China and other countries;

•

the success of competitive products or technologies;

•

adverse actions taken by regulatory agencies with respect to our clinical trials or manufacturers;

•

changes or developments in laws or regulations applicable to our product candidates and preclinical program;

•

changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;

•

changes to our relationships with collaborators, manufacturers or suppliers;

•

concerns regarding the safety of our product candidates or CAR-T cells in general;

•

announcements concerning our competitors or the pharmaceutical industry in general;

•

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;

•

changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;

•

potential acquisitions, financing, collaborations or other corporate transactions;

•

the results of our efforts to discover, develop, acquire or in-license additional product candidates;

•

the trading volume of our ADSs on Nasdaq;

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•

sales of our ADSs or ordinary shares by us, members of our senior management and directors or our shareholders or the anticipation that such sales may occur in the future;

•

general economic, political, and market conditions and overall fluctuations in the financial markets in the United States or China;

•

stock market price and volume fluctuations of comparable companies and, in particular, those that operate in the biopharmaceutical industry;

•

investors’ general perception of us and our business; and

•

other events and factors, many of which are beyond our control.

These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for our ADSs to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from selling their ADSs at or above the price paid for the ADSs and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our ADSs. In addition, the stock market in general, and biopharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies.

Some companies that have experienced volatility in the trading price of their shares have been the subject of securities class action litigation. Any lawsuit to which we are a party, with or without merit, may result in an unfavorable judgment. We also may decide to settle lawsuits on unfavorable terms.

Any such negative outcome could result in payments of substantial damages or fines, damage to our reputation or adverse changes to our business practices. Defending against litigation is costly and time-consuming, and could divert our management’s attention and our resources. Furthermore, during the course of litigation, there could be negative public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, which could have a negative effect on the market price of our ADSs.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our holders, including purchasers of our ADSs in this offering, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.

We expect that significant additional capital may be needed in the future to continue our planned operations, including conducting clinical trials, commercialization efforts, expanded research and development activities and costs associated with operating a public company. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through any or a combination of securities offerings, debt financings, license and collaboration agreements and research grants. If we raise capital through securities offerings, such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing shareholders, and new investors could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to the holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares, including ADSs sold in this offering.

To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a shareholder. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, could result in fixed payment obligations, and we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios or restrict our ability to pay dividends or make acquisitions.

If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may be required to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. In addition, we could also be required to seek funds through arrangements with collaborators or others at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable. If we raise funds through research grants, we may be subject to

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certain requirements, which may limit our ability to use the funds or require us to share information from our research and development. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to a third-party to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves. Raising additional capital through any of these or other means could adversely affect our business and the holdings or rights of our shareholders, and may cause the market price of our ADSs to decline.

We will incur significantly increased costs as a result of operating as a company whose ADSs are publicly traded in the United States, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.

As a public company in the United States, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur previously. These expenses will likely be even more significant after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of Nasdaq and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies in the United States, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our senior management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, which in turn could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified senior management personnel or members for our board of directors.

However, these rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices.

Pursuant to Section 404, we will be required to furnish a report by our senior management on our internal controls over financial reporting. However, while we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal controls over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. To prepare for eventual compliance with Section 404, we will be engaged in a process to document and evaluate our internal controls over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal controls over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal controls over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that we will not be able to conclude, within the prescribed time frame or at all, that our internal controls over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404.

If equity research analysts do not publish research or reports, or publish unfavorable research or reports, about us, our business or our market, the price and trading volume of our ADSs could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs will be influenced by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by equity research analysts. Equity research analysts may elect not to provide research coverage of our ADSs after the completion of this offering, and such lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our ADSs. In the event we do have equity research analyst coverage, we will not have any control over the analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our ADSs could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our ADSs or issue other unfavorable commentary or research about us. If one or

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more equity research analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our ADSs could decrease, which in turn could cause the trading price or trading volume of our ADSs to decline.

We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management’s attention.

The market price of our ADSs may be volatile and, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled “Prospectus summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business.” Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases, such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:

•

the ability of our investigator-initiated trials and clinical trials to demonstrate acceptable safety and efficacy of our product candidates, and other positive results;

•

the timing, progress and results of preclinical studies, investigator-initiated trials and clinical trials for product candidates we may develop, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available, and our research and development programs;

•

the timing, scope and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including final regulatory approval of our product candidates;

•

our ability to develop and advance our current product candidates and programs into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;

•

our manufacturing, commercialization, and marketing capabilities and strategy;

•

our plans relating to commercializing our product candidates, if approved, including the geographic areas of focus and sales strategy;

•

the need to hire additional personnel and our ability to attract and retain such personnel;

•

the size of the market opportunity for our product candidates, including our estimates of the number of patients who suffer from the diseases we are targeting;

•

our expectations regarding the approval and use of our product candidates as first, second or subsequent lines of therapy or in combination with other drugs;

•

our ability to implement measures to address the material weakness that has been identified;

•

our competitive position and the success of competing therapies that are or may become available;

•

our estimates of the number of patients that we will enroll in our clinical trials;

•

the beneficial characteristics, safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of our product candidates;

•

our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates;

•

our plans relating to the further development of our product candidates, including additional indications we may pursue;

•

our intellectual property position, including our ability to obtain, maintain, expand, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights covering product candidates we may develop, including the extensions of existing patent terms where available, the validity of intellectual property rights held by third parties, and our ability not to infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third-party intellectual property rights;

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•

our continued reliance on third parties to conduct additional clinical trials of our product candidates, and for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical studies and clinical trials;

•

our ability to obtain, and negotiate favorable terms of, any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements that may be necessary or desirable to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidates;

•

the pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates we may develop, if approved;

•

the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates we may develop;

•

our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing;

•

our financial performance;

•

the period over which we estimate our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our future operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements;

•

the impact of laws and regulations;

•

our expectations regarding the period during which we will qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act; and

•

our anticipated use of our existing resources and the proceeds from this offering.

These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward- looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. Our actual results could be materially different from our expectations. Important risks and factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations are generally set forth in “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business,” and other sections in this prospectus. You should read thoroughly this prospectus and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

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MARKET, INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA

This prospectus contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business and the markets for our product candidates, including data regarding the estimated size of such markets and the incidence of certain medical conditions. We obtained the industry, market and similar data set forth in this prospectus from our internal estimates and research and from academic and industry research, publications, surveys and studies conducted by third parties, including governmental agencies. In some cases, we do not expressly refer to the sources from which this data is derived. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. While we believe that the data we use from third parties are reliable, we have not separately verified this data. Further, while we believe that our internal research is reliable, such research has not been verified by any third party. You are cautioned not to give undue weight to any such information, projections and estimates.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering of approximately US$ million, or approximately US$ million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us. These estimates are based upon an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, which is the midpoint of the price range shown on the front page of this prospectus.

A US$1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS would increase or decrease, as applicable, the net proceeds to us from this offering by US$ million, assuming the number of ADSs offered by us, as set forth on the front cover of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. An increase or decrease of million in the number of ADSs we are offering would increase or decrease, as applicable, the net proceeds to us from this offering by US$ million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The principal purposes of this offering are to obtain additional capital to support our operations, establish a public market for our ADSs and facilitate our future access to the public capital markets.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, as follows:

•

approximately US$ million to fund the research and development of our lead FasTCAR-enabled product candidate, GC012F, for the treatment of r/r MM;

•

approximately US$ million to fund the research and development of our lead TruUCAR-enabled product candidate, GC027, for the treatment of r/r T-ALL;

•

approximately US$ million to fund the research and development of our other clinical-stage and earlier-stage product candidates;

•

approximately US$ million to fund the expansion of our manufacturing facilities in China and the construction of our research and development center in the United States; and

•

the remaining amounts for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Based on our current operating plan, we believe that the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, will enable us to fund our planned operating expenses and capital expenditures through , including through completion of Phase 1 clinical trials for GC012F for the treatment of r/r MM, and GC027 for the treatment of r/r T-ALL, in the United States and China. However, the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, may be insufficient to fund any of our product candidates through regulatory approval, and we anticipate needing to raise additional capital to complete the development of and commercialize our product candidates. It is difficult to predict the cost and timing required to complete development and obtain regulatory approval of, and commercialize, our product candidates due to, among other factors, the relatively short history of our experience with initiating, conducting and completing clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approval and commercializing our product candidates, the rate of subject enrollment in our clinical trials, filing requirements with various regulatory agencies, clinical trial results and the actual costs of manufacturing and supplying our product candidates.

Our expected use of the net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received upon the completion of this offering or the amounts that we

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will actually spend on the uses set forth above. We believe that opportunities may exist from time to time to expand our current business through licenses with or acquisitions of, or investments in, complementary businesses, products or technologies. While we have no current agreements, commitments or understandings for any specific in-licensing, acquisition or investments at this time, we may use a portion of the net proceeds for these purposes.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from this offering. The amounts and timing of our expenditures will depend upon numerous factors, including the results of our research and development efforts, the timing, cost and success of preclinical studies and any ongoing clinical trials or clinical trials we may commence in the future, the timing of regulatory submissions, our ability to obtain additional financing, the amount of cash obtained through our existing collaborations and future collaborations, if any, and any unforeseen cash needs.

Pending any use described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds of this offering in short- and intermediate-term interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

Our board of directors has discretion on whether to distribute dividends, subject to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of our company and certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or the credit standing in our company’s share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business immediately following the date on which the distribution or dividend is paid. Even if we decide to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.

We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future after this offering. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See “Regulation—PRC Regulation—Other PRC National- and Provincial-Level Laws and Regulations—Regulations Relating to Dividend Distributions.”

If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends, which are payable in respect of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to our ADS holders in proportion to the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Description of American Depositary Shares.” Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of September 30, 2020:

•

on an actual basis;

•

on a pro forma basis to reflect the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares into ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis upon the completion of this offering; and

•

on a pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect (i) the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares into ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis upon the completion of this offering, (ii) the impact of share-based compensation expense for share options to be recorded upon the completion of this offering, and (iii) the sale of ordinary shares in the form of ADSs by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, which is the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming the underwriters do not exercise the over-allotment option.

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The pro forma as adjusted information set forth below is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. You should read this information in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, as well as the sections of this prospectus titled “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”


	As of September 30, 2020
	Actual						Pro Forma⁽¹⁾						Pro Forma As Adjusted⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾
	RMB			US$			RMB			US$			RMB	US$
	(in thousands)
Mezzanine equity:
Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 31,343,284 and 31,343,284 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2020, respectively; and none outstanding on a pro forma basis as of September 30, 2020)		103,373			15,225			—			—
Series B-1 convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; Nil and 21,735,721 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2020, respectively; and none outstanding on a pro forma basis as of September 30, 2020)		139,941			20,611			—			—
Series B-2 convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$ 0.0001 par value; 59,327,653 and 59,327,653 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2020, respectively; and none outstanding on a pro forma basis as of September 30, 2020)		489,616			72,113			—			—

Total mezzanine equity		732,930			107,949			—			—

Shareholders’ deficit:
Ordinary shares (par value of US$0.0001 per share; 500,000,000 and 500,000,000 shares authorized; 99,044,776 and 99,044,776 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2020, respectively; 211,451,432 shares issued and outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of September 30, 2020 (unaudited))		68			10			144			21
Additional paid-in capital		—			—			732,854			107,938
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(5,116	)		(754	)		(5,116	)		(754	)
Accumulated deficit		(464,095	)		(68,354	)		(464,095	)		(68,354	)

Total shareholders’ deficit		(469,143	)		(69,098	)		263,787			38,851

Total mezzanine equity and shareholders’ equity (deficit)		263,787			38,851			263,787			38,851

Total capitalization		263,787			38,851			263,787			38,851

(1)

The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our additional paid-in capital and total shareholders’ (deficit)/ equity following the completion of this offering are subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. Assuming the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus remains the same, and after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, a US$1.00 change in the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease each of additional paid-in capital and total shareholders’ (deficit)/ equity by US$ million.

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DILUTION

If you invest in our ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ADS and our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per ordinary share is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares and holders of our preferred shares which will automatically convert into our ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering.

Our historical net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020, was approximately US$ per ordinary share, equivalent to US$ per ADS. Each ADS represents ordinary shares. Historical net tangible book value per ordinary share represents the amount of total tangible assets, minus the amount of total liabilities and mezzanine equity, divided by the total number of ordinary shares outstanding. Pro forma net tangible book value per ordinary share is calculated after giving effect to: (i) the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding preferred shares on a one-for-one basis into ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering and (ii) the impact of share-based compensation expense for share options to be recorded upon the completion of this offering. Dilution is determined by subtracting pro forma net tangible book value per ordinary share from the assumed public offering price per ordinary share. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value immediately upon the completion of this offering would be US$ per ordinary share and US$ per ADS, and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value to new investors in this offering would be US$ per ordinary share and US$ per ADS.

Without taking into account any other changes in such net tangible book value after September 30, 2020, other than to give effect to our issuance and sale of ADSs in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated public offering price range, and after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised), our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020 would have been US$ per outstanding ordinary share, including ordinary shares underlying our outstanding ADSs, or US$ per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$ per ordinary share, or US$ per ADS, to existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$ per ordinary share, or US$ per ADS, to purchasers of ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:


Initial public offering price per ADS		US$
Net tangible book value per ADS as of September 30, 2020		US$
Pro forma net tangible book value per ADS as of September 30, 2020		US$
Pro forma increase in net tangible book value per ADS as adjusted to investors participating in this offering, as of September 30, 2020		US$
Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS following this offering		US$
Amount of dilution in net tangible book value per ADS to investors participating in this offering		US$

A US$1.00 change in the assumed public offering price of US$ per ADS would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to the offering by US$ million, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS after giving effect to this offering by US$ per ordinary share and US$ per ADS and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS to new investors in this offering by US$ per ordinary share and US$ per ADS, assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The pro forma information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

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The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of September 30, 2020, the differences between our shareholders as of September 30, 2020 and the new investors with respect to the number of ordinary shares purchased from us, the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary share paid at an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS before deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

Ordinary Shares
Purchased

Total
Consideration

Average
Price Per
Ordinary
Share

Average
Price
Per ADS

Number

Percent

Amount

Percent

Existing shareholders

New investors

Total

100

A US$1.00 change in the assumed public offering price of US$ per ADS would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease total consideration paid by new investors, total consideration paid by all shareholders, average price per ordinary share and average price per ADS paid by all shareholders by US$ , US$ , US$ and US$ , respectively, assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The discussion and tables above also assume no exercise of any outstanding stock options outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. As of the date of this prospectus, there were ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options at a weighted average exercise price of US$ per ordinary share, and there were ordinary shares available for future issuance upon exercise of future grants under our share incentive plans. To the extent that any of these options are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors.

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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands to take advantage of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as:

•

political and economic stability;

•

an effective judicial system;

•

tax neutrality;

•

the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and

•

the availability of professional and support services.

However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include but are not limited to:

•

the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and these securities laws provide significantly less protection to investors as compared to those of the United States; and

•

Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.

Our constituent documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.

We have appointed Cogency Global Inc., located at 10E 40th Street, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10016, as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.

Certain of our directors are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and most of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these individuals, or to bring an action against us or these individuals in the United States, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.

Harney Westwood & Riegels, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.

Harney Westwood & Riegels has informed us that although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), the courts of the Cayman Islands would recognize as a valid judgement, a final and conclusive judgement in personam obtained in federal or state courts in the United States under which a sum of money is payable (other than a sum of money payable in respect of multiple damages, taxes or other charges of a like nature, a fine or a penalty or similar fiscal or revenue obligations) or, in certain circumstances, an in personam judgment for non-monetary relief, and would give a judgment based thereon provided that: (a) such courts had proper jurisdiction over the parties subject to such judgment; (b) such courts did not contravene the rules of the natural justice of Cayman Islands; (c) such

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judgment was not obtained by fraud; (d) the enforcement of the judgment would not be contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands; (e) no new admissible evidence relevant to the action is submitted prior to the rendering of the judgment by the courts of the Cayman Islands; and (f) there is due compliance with the correct procedures under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

AllBright Law Offices, our counsel as to PRC law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, and (ii) entertain original actions brought in the PRC against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.

AllBright Law Offices has advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedure Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedure Law. AllBright Law Offices has advised us further that under PRC law, a foreign judgment that does not otherwise violate basic legal principles, state sovereignty, safety or social public interest may be recognized and enforced by a PRC court, based either on bilateral treaties or international conventions contracted by China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. As there currently exists no bilateral treaty, international convention or other form of reciprocity between China and the United States governing the recognition of judgments, including those predicated upon the liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, it would be highly unlikely that a PRC court would enforce judgments rendered by U.S. courts.

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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

We commenced operations in May 2017 through Gracell Biotechnologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in China, which we refer to as Shanghai Gracell Biotech in this prospectus. In April 2018, Shanghai Gracell Biotech incorporated Suzhou Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in China, which we refer to as Suzhou Gracell Biotech in this prospectus. Currently, we conduct research and development activities in biotechnologies and pharmaceutical industries primarily through Suzhou Gracell Biotech and Shanghai Gracell Biotech.

In May 2018, we incorporated Gracell Biotechnologies Inc., or Gracell Cayman, under the laws of the Cayman Islands as our offshore holding company. Shortly after its incorporation, Gracell Cayman established a wholly owned subsidiary, Gracell Biotechnologies Holdings Limited, or Gracell BVI, under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in May 2018. Gracell BVI in turn established its wholly owned subsidiaries Gracell Biotechnologies (HK) Limited, or Gracell HK, and Gracell Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., or Gracell US, in June 2018 and February 2020, respectively. In August 2018, Gracell Bioscience (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Gracell Bioscience or our wholly foreign-owned enterprise, or WFOE, in this prospectus, was incorporated as a PRC subsidiary wholly owned by Gracell HK. Our WFOE incorporated its wholly owned PRC subsidiary Gracell Biomedicine (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in August 2020.

We obtained control over Shanghai Gracell Biotech, or our variable interest entity, or VIE, and its subsidiary through a series of contractual arrangements, as amended and restated, entered into among our WFOE, our VIE and shareholders of our VIE. As a result, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of our VIE and its subsidiary. We treat our VIE and its subsidiary as our consolidated affiliated entities under U.S. GAAP and have consolidated the financial results of these entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For more details and risks related to our variable interest entity structure, please see “—Contractual Agreements with our VIE and its Shareholders” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.”

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LOGO

(1)	Shareholders of Shanghai Gracell Biotech are Dr. William Wei Cao and Xiaomi Hua holding 99.9% and 0.1%, respectively, of the equity interest in the VIE. Dr. Cao is our Founder, Chairman of board of directors and Chief Executive Officer.

Contractual Agreements with Our VIE and Its Shareholders

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among our WFOE, our VIE and its shareholders. These contractual arrangements enable us to (i) exercise effective control over our VIE and its subsidiary; (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIE and its subsidiary; and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in and assets of our VIE and its subsidiary when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

Agreements That Provide Us Effective Control over Our VIE

Voting Rights Proxy Agreement and Power of Attorney. On November 10, 2020, Dr. William Wei Cao, a shareholder of our VIE, entered into an amendment to voting rights proxy agreement with our WFOE and our VIE and executed a power of attorney, superseding the voting right proxy agreement and the power of attorney he previously executed on January 3, 2019, to irrevocably authorize our WFOE to act as his attorney-in-fact to exercise all of his rights as a shareholder of our VIE, including, but not limited to, the right to (i) propose to hold and attend shareholders’ meetings, (ii) vote on any resolution that requires a shareholder vote pursuant to the applicable laws and article of association of our VIE, such as designation and appointment of directors, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of our VIE, and (iii) exercise other shareholder’s rights, such as the sale or transfer of all or part of the equity interests owned by such shareholder. The voting rights proxy agreement will remain effective for 20 years. Prior to the expiration of the term, our WFOE may extend the term through written notification at its sole discretion.

On November 10, 2020, Xiaomi Hua, a shareholder of our VIE, entered into a voting rights proxy agreement and a power of attorney, each contains terms substantially similar to the amendment to voting rights proxy agreement and power of attorney executed by Dr. Cao respectively, as described above.

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Equity Pledge Agreements. On November 10, 2020, Dr. Cao, a shareholder of our VIE, entered into an equity pledge supplementary agreement with our WFOE and our VIE, superseding the equity pledge agreement he previously executed on March 6, 2020, pursuant to which Dr. Cao pledges all of his equity interest in our VIE to our WFOE to guarantee the performance by Dr. Cao and our VIE of their obligations under the contractual arrangements, including the technical consultation and service agreement, the business cooperation agreement, the call option agreement, the voting rights proxy agreement and the power of attorney. In the event of a breach by any of our VIE’s shareholders of their contractual obligations under these agreements, our WFOE, as pledgee, will have the right to dispose of the pledged equity interests in our VIE. Dr. Cao agrees that, during the term of the equity pledge agreement, he will not dispose of the pledged equity interests or create or allow any encumbrance on the pledged equity interests without the prior written consent of our WFOE, except for the performance of the call option agreement. The equity pledge agreements will remain effective until our VIE and its shareholders discharge all of their obligations under the contractual arrangements. On November 10, 2020, Xiaomi Hua, a shareholder of our VIE, entered into an equity pledge agreement, which contains terms substantially similar to the equity pledge supplementary agreement executed by Dr. Cao, as described above. We have registered the equity pledge with the local branches of the Administration for Market Regulation in accordance with applicable PRC law.

Spouse Consent Letter. On November 10, 2020, the spouse of Dr. Cao, a shareholder of our VIE, unconditionally and irrevocably agreed that the equity interest in our VIE held by Dr. Cao will be disposed of pursuant to the equity pledge agreement, the voting rights proxy agreement and the call option agreement. The spouse agreed not to make any assertions in connection with the equity interest in our VIE held by Dr. Cao.

Agreements That Allow Us to Receive Economic Benefits from Our VIE

Technical Consultation and Service Agreement. Pursuant to the technical consultation and service agreement between our WFOE and our VIE, dated January 3, 2019, our WFOE has the exclusive right to provide to our VIE consultation and services related to, among other things, training and technical support, marketing, management and operation. Without our WFOE’s written consent, our VIE shall not accept any consultation or services covered by this agreement from any third party. Our WFOE has the sole and exclusive ownership of intellectual property rights created as a result of the performance of this agreement. Our VIE agrees to pay our WFOE an annual service fee at an amount agreed by our WFOE. This agreement will remain effective for a 20-year term and then can be renewed at our WFOE’s sole discretion.

Business Cooperation Agreement. Pursuant to the business corporation agreement between our WFOE and our VIE, dated January 3, 2019, our WFOE has the exclusive right to provide to our VIE technical support, business support and related consulting services. Our WFOE has exclusive right and interests in all intellectual properties arising out of or created during the performance of this agreement. Our VIE agrees to pay our WFOE a monthly service fee at an amount agreed by our WFOE. Our VIE has no right of early termination while our WFOE may terminate this agreement upon a 30-day prior written notice at any time.

Agreements That Provide Us the Option to Purchase the Equity Interests in Our VIE

Call Option Agreement. Our WFOE, our VIE and Dr. Cao, a shareholder of our VIE, entered into an amendment to call option agreement on November 10, 2020, superseding the call option agreement Dr. Cao previously executed on January 3, 2019, pursuant to which he irrevocably grants our WFOE an exclusive option to purchase, or have its designated person or persons to purchase, at its discretion, to the extent permitted by PRC law, all or part of his equity interests in our VIE, and such option may be exercised at the lowest price permitted by applicable PRC law. Any proceeds received by Dr. Cao from the exercise of the option shall be remitted to our WFOE or its designated party, to the extent permitted by applicable PRC law. Dr. Cao undertakes that without our WFOE’s prior written consent, he shall not take any actions that may have material effects on our VIE’s assets, businesses and liabilities, nor shall they appoint or replace any directors of our VIE.

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On November 10, 2020, Xiaomi Hua, a shareholder of our VIE, entered into a call option agreement, which contains terms substantially similar to the amendment to call option agreement executed by Dr. Cao, as described above.

In the opinion of AllBright Law Offices, our PRC legal counsel:

•

the ownership structures of our VIE and our WFOE, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, do not and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and

•

the contractual arrangements among our WFOE, our VIE and the shareholders of our VIE governed by PRC law both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.

However, we have been further advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules, and there can be of no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with the above opinions of our PRC legal counsel. It is also uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to the VIE structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or the VIE is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—The uncertainties in the PRC legal system may subject our contractual arrangements to different interpretations or enforcement challenges, or subject us to severe penalties or force us to relinquish our interests in our operations” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure— Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current structure, our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following tables present our selected consolidated financial data as of the dates and for the periods indicated. We have derived the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, the consolidated statement of financial position data as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, and the consolidated statement of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 from our audited consolidated financial statements appearing in this prospectus. We have derived the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss data for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020, the consolidated statement of financial position data as of September 30, 2020, and the consolidated statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020.

Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods and our operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire year ending December 31, 2020. You should read this section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The following table presents our selected consolidated statement of comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 and the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020:


	For the Year Ended December 31,									For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2018			2019						2019			2020
	RMB			RMB			US$			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Selected consolidated statement of comprehensive loss:
Expenses
Research and development expenses		(52,243	)		(119,218	)		(17,559	)		(81,251	)		(108,137	)		(15,927	)
Administrative expenses		(10,261	)		(27,362	)		(4,030	)		(19,437	)		(20,781	)		(3,061	)

Loss from operations		(62,504	)		(146,580	)		(21,589	)		(100,688	)		(128,918	)		(18,988	)
Interest income		1,435			3,932			579			2,494			2,416			356
Interest expense		—			—			—			—			(1,350	)		(199	)
Other income		256			1,449			213			170			1,794			265
Foreign exchange gain, net		—			2,556			376			2,127			(2,237	)		(329	)
Others, net		20			(21	)		(3	)		38			(12	)		(2	)

Loss before income tax		(60,793	)		(138,664	)		(20,424	)		(95,859	)		(128,307	)		(18,897	)
Income tax expense		—			—			—			—			—			—

Net loss		(60,793	)		(138,664	)		(20,424	)		(95,859	)		(128,307	)		(18,897	)

Deemed dividend to convertible redeemable preferred shareholders		—			(25,390	)		(3,740	)		(25,390	)		—			—
Accretion of convertible redeemable preferred shares to redemption value		(12,199	)		(36,802	)		(5,420	)		(26,176	)		(46,392	)		(6,833	)