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Kernal is creating mRNA 2.0 therapies that work in specific cells
Kernal Bio is a biotech company pioneering mRNA 2.0 immunotherapies. We leverage selective mRNA-LNP technology to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases with precision, ensuring targeted cell delivery and minimal off-target effects. Our KR-402 program achieves over 90% delivery efficiency with T-cell-targeted LNPs, enabling direct CAR-T programming within the body and resulting in B-cell depletion within a week. Kernal Bio is led by a team with experience from MIT, Harvard, Merck, and BMS, boasting three FDA-approved therapies and over 120 patents. Based in Cambridge, MA, we are backed by Hummingbird Ventures, Amgen Ventures, HBM, and even NASA. With roots at MIT, Harvard and Biopharma, Kernal’s management team has deep expertise in mRNA therapeutics space. CEO Yusuf Erkul, M.D., M.B.A. is a successful drug hunter whose research at Merck enabled an FDA-approved drug for ovarian cancer. President Burak Yilmaz, M.S., previously founded Sentegen, a thriving synthetic biology company which commercializes synthetic DNA, RNA, and diagnostic kits for genetic and infectious diseases. Sr. VP of R&D Manfred Kraus is a leader in immuno-oncology, who was most recently Scientific Sr. Director at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS).
Kernal Biologics is an onco-selective mRNA therapeutics company focused on in vivo programming of cells to enable targeted, selective translation for cancer and autoimmune diseases. They aim to deliver the right mRNA sequences to the right tissues and cells to enable scalable in-body therapies.
The platform delivers mRNA sequences to target cells in vivo and uses AI models to ensure selective translation within those cells, enabling in situ programming of therapies (e.g., CAR-T) directly inside the body. This approach aims to overcome manufacturing bottlenecks by moving from ex vivo cell therapies to in-body, targeted mRNA therapies using tissue- and cell-specific delivery with selective translation.
Who it’s for: Biotech/biopharma researchers and developers working on in vivo cell programming, oncology researchers, immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease therapeutic developers, pharmaceutical collaborators, and translational medicine teams seeking in-body, targeted mRNA therapies.
News/press mentions of ARPA-H funding and conference showcases; references to partnerships and team updates indicate active development and potential funding traction.
I'm co-founder and CEO of Kernal Biologics, a Boston-based biotech startup developing next-generation messenger RNA immunotherapy. Backed by Hummingbird, Amgen, Lilly, NVIDIA, HBM, NASA, and Boeing, Kernal Bio raised more than $30M. Early in my career, I worked at Merck&Co. on the discovery and development of various oncology drugs, including ZEJULA®, which got FDA approval for ovarian cancer. I hold an executive MBA from MIT Sloan, an M.D. from Hacettepe Univ. and a B.S. in Biology from MIT.
I got PhD in Molecular Genetics at UTSW Medical Center at Dallas. I moved to Boston for postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. I served as Biochemistry instructor at MIT. Then I joined Kernal as a co-founder.
My name is Burak Yilmaz, MS, co-founder, and lead designer of Kernal Biologics. As a synthetic biologist, I co-invented stealth and onco-selective mRNA platform technology in Kernal. Kernal is my second endeavor. Previously, I founded Sentegen/Sentebiolab which is a synthetic biology company that produces synthetic DNA for research and diagnostic purposes.
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