# Outpace Bio

> Outpace Bio is a Seattle biotech using AI-powered de novo protein design to program immune cells - especially CAR T cells - that can recognize and destroy solid tumors while limiting harmful side effects. Spun out of Lyell Immunopharma in 2021 by Institute for Protein Design alumni, the company has raised roughly $199M and is advancing its lead candidate, OPB-101, a mesothelin-targeted CAR T therapy for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, toward the clinic.

- **Founded:** 2021
- **Headquarters:** Seattle, United States
- **Founders:** Marc Lajoie (Co-Founder & CEO), Scott Boyken (Co-Founder & CTO), Stanley Riddell (Co-Founder & Scientific Advisor)
- **Team size:** ~69 employees
- **Products:** OPB-101, OUTSPACER, OUTSMART, OUTLAST, OUTSAFE
- **Notable:** Raised an oversubscribed $144M Series B in August 2024, beating its funding goal and bringing total capital to ~$199M., Advanced lead candidate OPB-101 toward IND clearance and first patient dosing in 2025., Co-founder Marc Lajoie named to Forbes '30 Under 30' (2012) and MIT Technology Review's '35 Innovators Under 35'.

## Products & services

- **OPB-101** — Lead clinical candidate: an autologous mesothelin (MSLN)-specific CAR T cell therapy with antigen-dependent expression of an OUTSMART-designed IL-2 cytokine, in development for platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer.
- **OUTSPACER** — Optimized CAR architectures engineered for enhanced potency and antigen specificity.
- **OUTSMART** — Designed cytokines (such as engineered IL-2) that are switched on inside tumors to amplify the immune response only where it is needed.
- **OUTLAST** — Cell-persistence technology aimed at durable, long-lived therapeutic responses and maintenance of stem/memory T cell function.
- **OUTSAFE** — Safety switches (including EGFRopt) responsive to the approved antibody cetuximab, allowing clinicians to control or eliminate engineered cells if needed.
- **Logic-Gated Targeting** — Protein logic gates that let engineered cells recognize unique combinations of cancer-cell protein patterns to improve tumor specificity.

## Achievements

- Raised an oversubscribed $144M Series B in August 2024, beating its funding goal and bringing total capital to ~$199M.
- Advanced lead candidate OPB-101 toward IND clearance and first patient dosing in 2025.
- Co-founder Marc Lajoie named to Forbes '30 Under 30' (2012) and MIT Technology Review's '35 Innovators Under 35'.
- Co-founder Scott Boyken credited with creating the first de novo proteins with programmable specificity and moving parts.
- Co-founded the OpenFold AI Research Consortium for open-access protein-design software (2022).

## Latest updates

- **2024-08** — Closed an oversubscribed $144M Series B led by RA Capital Management to advance AI-powered cell therapies into clinical development.
- **2024-11** — Presented new preclinical data on programmed CAR T candidate OPB-101 at the SITC Annual Meeting.
- **2025** — OPB-101 on track for IND clearance and first patient dosing in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

## Links

- Website: https://outpacebio.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/outpace-bio/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/OutpaceBio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outpacebio/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/outpacebio/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/outpace-bio
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-13