Lycia Therapeutics

Lycia Therapeutics (operating under lyciatx.com) is a pioneering, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel class of extracellular protein degraders to target and eliminate the root causes of autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, and cancer. Founded in 2019 based on ground-breaking research from Stanford University professor and 2022 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, the company is operationalizing the field of Bioorthogonal Chemistry into a proprietary drug discovery engine. Lycia's technological framework centers on Lysosomal Targeting Chimeras (LYTACs)—modular, bifunctional molecules engineered to catch pathogenic, circulating, or membrane-bound proteins outside the cell and selectively redirect them into the cellular lysosome for systematic degradation. By capturing extracellular drivers that are traditionally deemed "undruggable" by conventional small molecule inhibitors or standard monoclonal antibodies, Lycia is building a deep therapeutic pipeline to address significant unmet clinical needs. Backed by elite life science institutional venture funds including Versant Ventures, Venrock, and corporate strategics like Eli Lilly, the company has raised over $330M in total capital, including a $75 million Series D round in mid-2026 to accelerate its pre-clinical candidates into human clinical trials. Led by President and CEO Dr. Aetna Wun Trombley, Lycia Therapeutics operates from its advanced research facilities in South San Francisco, California, leading the charge in therapeutic targeted degradation platforms.