Overview
Founded in 2022 and based in San Diego, California, Cisterna Biologics is a technology company. It aims to solve some of the challenges currently facing the biotech industry to develop mRNA-based therapeutics – quality, quantity, longevity and cost of mRNA. As mRNA technology matures, it becomes imperative that these issues are solved so we can fully explore mRNA's endless possibilities as a therapeutic.
Cisterna uses proprietary technologies to either remove a contaminant at its source or replace the source itself. For example, to remove double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), we use ribozymes - molecular scissors - to precisely cut the mRNA at its 3’ end. This assures not only 3’ homogeneity, but also eliminates dsRNA, which are primarily produced due to self-templated additions at the 3’ end. Utilizing a PCR-like system to amplify the DNA template in large quantities eliminates the requirement for plasmid enrichment in bacteria, the prime source of endotoxin contamination. These are just a few examples of Cisterna’s powerful technologies being used to achieve our goal of 10x higher quality mRNA for therapeutic application.
Founders & team
Previously Cisterna Biologics LLC, Cisterna Biologic
Hari Bhaskaran
FounderHari Bhaskaran's journey with RNAs started with ribozymes (catalytic RNAs) almost 20 years ago in the labs of Rick Russell at UT Austin. His PhD work was focused on mechanistic understanding of RNA folding, culminating in a seminal publication in Nature (see Bhaskaran and Russell, 2007). Since then, he has held positions of increasing responsibilities in both academia and industry. He is the author of several publications and industry patents.
Founded 2022 · Source ↗
Sources & observations
Y Combinator
Profile depthenriched profile
Website observationwebsite reachable
Last website check2026-11-11
Location · source statedSan Diego, CA, USA
Pricing evidenceNo pricing page confirmed
Maturity: Not assessed · 3 of 6 areas documented
Source-based assessment · automated evidence rules
The retained text does not establish product availability or customer use.
Maturity is an evidence-based assessment, not a success rating. It may understate the current stage where evidence is limited. Coverage records documented areas, not a complete or independently audited company history.
Stage definitionsindependent websitesource corroborationreachable websitedescriptive evidenceclassified market and modelsourced peoplesourced founding yearrecent publishing observed
