Cyrus Biotechnology
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, Washington, US
- Sectors
- Biotechnology Research
- Founded
- 2014
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Employees
- 17
- Registered name
- Cyrus Biotechnology Inc Seattle business license
- Stage
- startup
- Founders
- David Baker
Seattle’s UW research, Amazon alumni and military adjacency fuel startups building high-stakes, regulation-ready AI for biotech, finance and government
A Seattle high-school intern argues that strict school AI rules illuminated why AI must be disciplined in high-stakes domains, and describes how Seattle's research institutions (notably UW and the David Baker ecosystem), Amazon alumni, and military adjacency produce founders building accountable, regulation-ready AI for biotech, finance, and government.
Seattle’s Accipiter Bio Raises $12.7M, Partners with Pfizer and Kite Pharma to Advance AI-Designed Multi-Target Protein Therapies
Seattle biotech startup Accipiter Biosciences, founded by researchers from Nobel laureate David Baker's lab, secured $12.7 million and partnerships with Pfizer and Kite Pharma to develop AI-designed multi-target proteins aiming to improve disease treatment efficacy and reduce clinical trial costs.
Nobel Laureate David Baker Drives Protein Design Innovation and Startup Growth at University of Washington
David Baker, Nobel Prize winner and head of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, is focused on advancing protein design research and entrepreneurship, having helped spawn over 20 startups in Seattle's biotech hub. He plans to continue accelerating scientific innovation in the field, which develops new proteins for therapeutics, vaccines, and materials.
Cyrus Biotechnology Launches Levitate Bio to Broaden Access to Rosetta Drug Development Software
Seattle startup Cyrus Biotechnology has spun out a new for-profit company, Levitate Bio, owned by the Rosetta Commons Foundation, to expand access to its versatile drug development software platform, Rosetta. Levitate Bio, led by CEO Sam DeLuca and executive VP Karen Khar, aims to support innovation across drug development, agriculture, synthetic biology, and manufacturing.
University of Washington Launches Vilya with $50 Million to Develop Membrane-Permeable Peptide Drugs
University of Washington researchers developed custom peptides that penetrate cell membranes, enabling a new class of drugs with combined benefits of small molecules and protein therapeutics. They founded Vilya, backed by $50 million from Arch Venture Partners, to commercialize this drug platform described in Cell.
Cyrus Biotechnology raises $18M and acquires Orthogonal Biologics, adding COVID-19 decoy therapeutic and deep mutational scanning platform
Seattle protein engineering company Cyrus Biotechnology raised $18 million and acquired Orthogonal Biologics, adding a deep mutational scanning platform and two protein therapeutics including a potential COVID-19 decoy. Cyrus leverages University of Washington IPD tools (Rosetta, RoseTTAfold) and has partnerships including a deal with Selecta Biosciences worth up to $1.5 billion.
Cyrus Biotechnology signs protein-engineering deal with Selecta Biosciences worth up to $1.5 billion to develop IL-2/ImmTOR immune therapy
Seattle-based Cyrus Biotechnology struck a protein-engineering collaboration with Boston’s Selecta Biosciences to engineer IL-2 combined with Selecta’s ImmTOR, a deal that could pay Cyrus up to $1.5 billion if milestones are met. Cyrus will use its software and lab testing to enhance IL-2 stability and function, adding to its existing partnerships and commercial sales of Cyrus Bench.
Ensoma launches in Boston with $70M Series A to commercialize Engenious gene‑editing adenoviral vectors developed by Fred Hutch and UW researchers
Boston-based biotech spinout Ensoma launched, announcing a $70 million Series A to commercialize Engenious adenoviral vectors developed by Drs. Hans-Peter Kiem (Fred Hutch) and André Lieber (UW) that aim to deliver single‑injection gene therapies without stem cell harvest or chemotherapy.
Takeda buys Seattle startup PvP Biologics for up to $330M, will advance TAK-062 into Phase 2
Japanese pharmaceutical Takeda acquired Seattle biotech PvP Biologics for up to $330 million in late February, taking over its TAK-062 (Kuma062) program and all clinical and manufacturing activities while laying off PvP staff. Takeda plans to run phase 2 trials of the enzyme-based celiac disease treatment that PvP developed after earlier funding of $35 million supported phase 1 work.
Cyrus Biotechnology Raises $8M Series A Led by Trinity Ventures to Expand Cloud-Based Protein Modeling for Drug Discovery
Cyrus Biotechnology secured $8 million in Series A funding led by Trinity Ventures to advance its cloud-based protein modeling platform, Cyrus Bench, which aids drug discovery. The software builds on the University of Washington's Rosetta platform, enabling researchers to design novel protein configurations for therapeutic applications.
