# Lycia Therapeutics

> Lycia Therapeutics is a South San Francisco biotech building lysosomal targeting chimeras (LYTACs) - bifunctional molecules that drag disease-driving extracellular and membrane proteins into the cell's lysosomes for destruction. Founded in 2019 out of the lab of Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, Lycia is advancing a pipeline of autoimmune and inflammatory disease therapies, backed by $226M+ in venture capital and a strategic discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly.

- **Founded:** 2019
- **Headquarters:** South San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founders:** Carolyn Bertozzi (Scientific Founder (Nobel Laureate, Stanford)), Versant Ventures (Founding investor / Inception Sciences incubator)
- **Team size:** ~36 employees
- **Products:** LYTAC Platform, Autoimmune & Inflammatory Pipeline
- **Notable:** Raised $226.6M+ in total venture funding across three rounds, Closed oversubscribed $106.6M Series C in May 2024, Signed strategic LYTAC discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly (2021)

## Products & services

- **LYTAC Platform** — Proprietary platform engineering bifunctional 'lysosomal targeting chimera' molecules that bind a target protein on one end and an internalizing lysosome-shuttling receptor on the other, routing the target to the lysosome for degradation.
- **Autoimmune & Inflammatory Pipeline** — Preclinical programs aimed at depleting circulating autoantibodies, pathogenic immune complexes, and disease-driving membrane proteins underlying autoimmune and inflammatory disease.

## Achievements

- Raised $226.6M+ in total venture funding across three rounds
- Closed oversubscribed $106.6M Series C in May 2024
- Signed strategic LYTAC discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly (2021)
- Built on Nobel Prize-winning bioorthogonal chemistry research from the Bertozzi lab
- Expanding pipeline toward IND-enabling studies for autoimmune indications

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — Closed $106.6M Series C led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners to push lead LYTAC programs into the clinic.
- **2021-08** — Entered strategic discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly to develop novel LYTAC degraders.
- **2020-04** — Aetna Wun Trombley appointed President and CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://lyciatx.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lycia-therapeutics
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LyciaTx

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lycia-therapeutics
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-28