# Aralez Bio

> Aralez Bio is a Berkeley, California biotechnology company that uses engineered enzymes and directed evolution to manufacture noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) - the specialized building blocks used in peptide drugs and other pharmaceuticals. Spun out of Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold's Caltech lab in 2019, the company runs biocatalytic reactions that produce enantiopure ncAAs in a single step with water as the main byproduct, expanding the amino acid toolbox roughly 1,000-fold. Aralez sells a catalog of thousands of exclusive amino acids and offers custom synthesis and ton-scale production for pharmaceutical customers, including partners among the world's largest drug companies.

- **Founded:** 2019
- **Headquarters:** Berkeley, California, United States
- **Founders:** Christina "Tina" Boville (Co-Founder & CEO), David Romney (Co-Founder & CTO), Frances Arnold (Co-Founder & Nobel Laureate (Scientific)), Lori Giver (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~39 employees
- **Products:** Noncanonical Amino Acid (ncAA) Catalog, Custom Synthesis, Biocatalysis / Enzyme Platform, Ton-Scale Manufacturing
- **Notable:** Spun out of Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold's Caltech lab in 2019, Built a platform of over 3,000 exclusive noncanonical amino acids, Can synthesize 100+ ncAAs with perfect enantiopurity in a single step

## Products & services

- **Noncanonical Amino Acid (ncAA) Catalog** — A catalog of thousands of exclusive amino acids - including tryptophan, tyrosine and other aromatic analogs, N-methyl and beta-substituted variants - many available Fmoc-protected for solid-phase peptide synthesis.
- **Custom Synthesis** — Design and production of new noncanonical amino acids tailored to a customer's specific application, from milligram research quantities to multi-kilogram batches.
- **Biocatalysis / Enzyme Platform** — A directed-evolution platform (built around engineered tryptophan synthase and related enzymes) that produces enantiopure ncAAs in a single step with water as the main byproduct.
- **Ton-Scale Manufacturing** — End-to-end scale-up and commercial manufacturing at a Berkeley facility with tons-per-year capacity for pharmaceutical-grade amino acids.

## Achievements

- Spun out of Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold's Caltech lab in 2019
- Built a platform of over 3,000 exclusive noncanonical amino acids
- Can synthesize 100+ ncAAs with perfect enantiopurity in a single step
- Closed an oversubscribed $12M Series A in October 2024
- Helped secure a ~$17.5M Defense Production Act award to onshore critical drug ingredients
- Opened a ton-scale Berkeley manufacturing facility in 2025
- CEO Tina Boville named an MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 and an Activate Fellow

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Moved into a Berkeley, CA facility capable of ton-scale amino acid production.
- **2024-10** — Closed an oversubscribed $12M Series A led by Spero Ventures and Paladin Capital Group.
- **2024-10** — Partnered with National Resilience Inc. on a ~$17.5M Defense Production Act award to build domestic supply chains for essential-medicine ingredients.
- **2025-11** — Expanded product catalog with new scaled ncAAs, including Fmoc-alpha-Methyl-L-Leucine at multi-kilogram batches.

## Links

- Website: https://aralezbio.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aralez-bio

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/aralez-bio
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-13