Targeting up to 100x improvement in efficiency to enable 10x more affordable IVIg
SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lyric Bio, Inc., (Lyric) a next-generation biomanufacturing startup developing human-tissue-based production systems for donor-derived therapeutics, has closed an oversubscribed $6.6 million seed financing, led by The Venture Collective, with participation from Black Diamond Ventures, Draper Associates, Lucas Venture Group, Meiji Seika Pharma, SOSV, and other investors.
“At TVC, we invest in platforms that redefine categories, not just incrementally improve them,” says Christopher Ghadban, Head of Life Science Investing. “It’s rare to see a team that understands both the biological and industrial levers needed to drive a paradigm shift in biomanufacturing and modernize a decades-old therapeutic like IVIg.”
A spin-out from Prellis Biologics, Inc. (Prellis), Lyric Bio is pioneering ultra-high-density 3D bioreactors capable of recreating human tissue environments in vitro. This breakthrough enables large-scale production of human donor-derived therapeutics which are inherently bottlenecked.
“We are excited to leverage the power of human biology to treat disease through the unique tissue engineering developed at Prellis,” says Lyric co-founder and CSO Melanie Matheu, PhD. “By matching human tissue densities in large-scale 3D cell culture, we can deliver human donor derived therapeutics from a biomanufacturing system, something the world has never seen before.”
Lyric’s platform integrates tissue engineering and bioreactor innovation to replicate the cell density of human tissue in a controlled biomanufacturing environment. The company’s initial focus is on human immunoglobulin (IVIg and SCIg), a $20B therapeutic market used in the treatment of over 100 diseases. Lyric’s approach is targeting 100-fold efficiency gains, reducing costs by an order of magnitude, while improving consistency, quality, and expanding access.
“Standard biomanufacturing processes are insufficient,” says Lyric co-founder and CEO Kayj Shannon. “Access to donor derived therapies like IVIg is limited, and a biomanufacturing revolution is needed to address these constraints. Lyric Bio’s unique process can reduce human donor dependency by orders of magnitude, transforming patient access and industry economics.”
Founded in 2024, Lyric Bio is led by Kayj Shannon (CEO) and Melanie Matheu, PhD (CSO). Shannon holds a degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is a seasoned entrepreneur in advanced manufacturing and synthetic biology. Dr. Matheu holds a PhD from UC Irvine and is a recognized leader in 3D tissue engineering and laser-based bioprinting. She previously founded and led Prellis Biologics, advancing next-generation human tissue models for drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Together, the Lyric team and their investors are deeply passionate about the technology’s potential to reduce the reliance on human donation while increasing patient safety and access to life saving medicines.
“We are very excited about this collaboration with Lyric Bio,” said Toshiaki Nagasato, President and Representative Director of Meiji Seika Pharma. “Lyric Bio’s manufacturing platform for IVIg production is truly groundbreaking technology and it has potential to overcome current challenges in the IVIg business.”
About Lyric Bio
Lyric Bio, Inc. is dedicated to building next-generation manufacturing for donor derived and protein-based therapeutics, with initial focus on immunoglobulin production. By leveraging proprietary tissue engineering technologies, Lyric aims to end chronic shortages, reduce costs, and improve global drug access for life-saving medicines. For more information, please visit www.lyricbio.com.
Contacts
Lyric Bio
Lyricbiodirect@lyricbio.com
