# CatenaBio

> CatenaBio is a UC Berkeley spinout building a next-generation bioconjugation platform for targeted cancer therapies. Its proprietary CysTyr platform uses an engineered enzyme, Catenase, to forge a site-specific bond between cysteine and tyrosine residues (the C-Y Bond) using only native amino acids. This lets the company attach multiple different drug payloads to a single antibody, producing Multi-Payload Conjugates (MPCs) designed to overcome tumor resistance where conventional single-payload ADCs fall short.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** Berkeley, California, United States
- **Founders:** Marco Lobba (Co-Founder & CEO), Matthew Francis (Scientific Co-Founder / Inventor (UC Berkeley Chemistry Chair)), Geo Guillen (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~20 employees
- **Products:** CysTyr Platform, Catenase Enzyme, C-Y Bond, Multi-Payload Conjugates (MPC)
- **Notable:** Spun out of the Nobel-laureate Doudna lab and the Francis lab at UC Berkeley., Developed a proprietary enzymatic C-Y Bond enabling multi-payload conjugation using only native amino acids., Selected to present its platform and Multi-Payload Conjugates at the Berkeley Bio Startup Showcase during the 2024 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week.

## Products & services

- **CysTyr Platform** — The company's core bioconjugation platform, which uses the engineered Catenase enzyme to form site-specific bonds between cysteine and tyrosine residues using only native amino acids.
- **Catenase Enzyme** — A proprietary engineered enzyme (a tyrosinase-based catalyst) that selectively couples proteins outside the N- and C-termini, enabling conjugations that are otherwise difficult or impossible.
- **C-Y Bond** — The proprietary cysteine-tyrosine chemical bond created by the Catenase enzyme, forming the structural basis for CatenaBio's conjugates.
- **Multi-Payload Conjugates (MPC)** — A first-in-class pipeline of conjugates carrying multiple distinct drug payloads on a single antibody, designed to deliver combination therapy and overcome tumor resistance, with an initial focus on solid tumors in oncology.

## Achievements

- Spun out of the Nobel-laureate Doudna lab and the Francis lab at UC Berkeley.
- Developed a proprietary enzymatic C-Y Bond enabling multi-payload conjugation using only native amino acids.
- Selected to present its platform and Multi-Payload Conjugates at the Berkeley Bio Startup Showcase during the 2024 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week.
- Raised roughly $9.1M in total funding, including a $2.35M seed extension in May 2024.
- Expanded leadership with senior biopharma veterans from Amgen, Kite Pharma, and Bayer.

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — Closed a $2.35M seed extension round backed by the American Cancer Society's BrightEdge, LongeVC, Freeflow Ventures, Caffeinated Capital and existing investors.
- **2024-01** — Selected to present its next-generation platform and Multi-Payload Conjugates at the Berkeley Bio Startup Showcase during J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week.
- **2023-08** — Expanded executive leadership, appointing Saurabh Johri as Chief Business Officer and Rick Kendall as Chief Scientific Officer.

## Links

- Website: https://catenabio.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/catenabio

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/catenabio
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-06