What Prellis Biologics does

Prellis Biologics is a private biotechnology company founded in 2016 by Dr. Melanie Matheu and headquartered in Berkeley, California. The company operates the EXIS (Externalized Human Immune System) platform, which combines proprietary 3D bioprinted lymph node organoids with AI/ML capabilities to discover and optimize fully human antibodies for therapeutic development. Underpinning the platform is a two-photon holographic 3D printing technology that achieves sub-micron resolution and can fabricate capillary-sized structures (5–10 microns in diameter) necessary to recapitulate authentic human immune responses in vitro. Prellis holds a granted U.S. patent (December 2019) covering functional human lymph node technology. In August 2022, Mike Nohaile (formerly CSO of Generate Biomedicines, SVP at Amgen, and Global Head of Molecular Diagnostics at Novartis) was appointed CEO; founder Melanie Matheu became CTO and retained a board seat.

The company commercializes its platform through multi-target drug discovery collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies, generating revenue via upfront payments, development and sales milestones, and royalties on licensed antibodies. Active pharma partnerships include Eli Lilly (announced September 23, 2025, flagship multi-target collaboration combining EXIS and AntiGen AI), Bristol Myers Squibb (January 2022), and Sanofi (March 2022). Prellis also sells Vascular Tissue Blanks — biocompatible vascularized scaffolds — as research products to academic and pharmaceutical laboratories, with reported users including UCSF, Johns Hopkins, UC Irvine, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. The company is concurrently developing an internal therapeutic pipeline across immunology and inflammation (TL1A, OX40, IL-11 targets), obesity and metabolic disorders (GIPR/GLP-1, GPR75), and oncology (CD3, STEAP1, SLC7A11). The September 2025 launch of the AntiGen AI platform extends the technology surface to AI-driven optimization of antibody efficacy, safety, and manufacturability.

Prellis is backed by approximately $64.5 million in total venture funding raised across a Series A ($8.7 million, Khosla Ventures, 2019), Series B ($14.5 million, Celesta Capital, December 2021), and Series C ($35 million, co-led by Celesta Capital and Avidity Partners, August 2022 at a $295 million pre-money valuation), with additional SOSV-related tranches continuing through 2025. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, and the company operates without disclosed revenue, consistent with an early-commercial-stage biotech whose value capture is anchored in milestone-based pharma partnerships and long-dated royalties on licensed programs.

Name

Prellis Biologics

Legal name

Prellis Biologics, Inc.

Website

https://prellisbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prellis Biologics is a Berkeley-based private biotechnology company that uses 3D bioprinted human lymph node organoids combined with AI/ML (EXIS and AntiGen AI platforms) to discover and optimize fully human antibody therapeutics, partnering with Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Therapeutic Antibody Discovery & Development

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ), AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE), Engineered Protein Therapeutics (de novo/AI-designed proteins, novel scaffolds) (HLAAAAAJ), Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization) (HLAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Antibody discovery platform
• 3D bioprinted organoids
• Human antibody therapeutics
• Lymph node organoid technology
• AI-driven drug discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Partnerships and Licensing: Prellis enters into multi-target drug discovery collaborations with pharmaceutical companies, receiving upfront payments, development and sales milestones, and royalties on licensed antibodies.
2. Collaboration and Option Agreements: Strategic collaboration and licensing option agreements with pharma partners like Sanofi and Bristol Myers Squibb, generating upfront and milestone-based revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Prellis Biologics develops the EXIS (Externalized Human Immune System) platform, which combines 3D bioprinted lymph node organoids (LNOs) with AI/ML to rapidly discover fully human antibodies for therapeutic development. The company offers the AntiGen AI optimization platform for antibody maturation, Vascular Tissue Blanks for research applications, and a pipeline of therapeutic antibody programs in immunology & inflammation, obesity & metabolic disorders, and oncology, delivered through licensing and collaboration agreements with pharmaceutical partners.

Product overview

Prellis Biologics operates as a biotherapeutics company built around its proprietary EXIS (Externalized Human Immune System) platform, which integrates 3D bioprinted lymph node organoids (LNO) with AI/ML for antibody discovery and optimization. The platform is supported by the AntiGen AI system for rapid antibody maturation. The company offers Vascular Tissue Blanks as research products for pharmaceutical and academic labs. The therapeutic pipeline includes fully human antibody programs across Immunology & Inflammation (TL1A, OX40, IL-11 targets), Obesity & Metabolic Disorders (GIPR, GLP-1, Activin, GPR75 targets), and Oncology (CD3, STEAP1, SLC7A11 targets). Prellis generates antibody libraries from multiple donors, screens using AI-guided methods, and optimizes candidates for clinical development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EXIS: Externalized Human Immune System - a proprietary platform using 3D bioprinted lymph node organoids (LNOs) to recapture human immune biology for rapid antibody discovery.
• EXIS (Externalized Immune System)
• Vascular Tissue Blanks

Products and services

• EXIS (Externalized Human Immune System) Platform A proprietary human immune system-based drug discovery platform that combines 3D bioprinted lymph node organoids (LNO) with AI/ML to rapidly discover and optimize fully human antibodies for therapeutic development. Delivered to pharmaceutical partners through multi-target collaboration agreements.
• Vascular Tissue Blanks Biocompatible 3D printed tissue scaffolds with high-resolution (sub-micron) vascular structures that support human tissue growth for drug testing, toxicology screening, and research applications. Sold to pharmaceutical and academic research labs.
• Therapeutic Antibody Pipeline (Immunology & Inflammation) Pipeline of fully human antibody therapeutics for immunology and inflammation indications, including programs against TL1A/IL-23, TL1A/OX40, TL1A/A4B7, OX40/IL-31, and IL-11 targets, developed and licensed to pharmaceutical partners.
• Therapeutic Antibody Pipeline (Obesity & Metabolic Disorders) Pipeline of fully human antibody therapeutics for obesity and metabolic disorders, including programs against GIPR/GLP-1, GIPR/GLP-1/Glucagon, GIPR/Activin, Activin RIIA/B, and GPR75 targets, developed and licensed to pharmaceutical partners.
• Therapeutic Antibody Pipeline (Oncology) Pipeline of fully human antibody therapeutics for oncology, including programs against CD3, STEAP1, and SLC7A11 targets, developed and licensed to pharmaceutical partners.
• AntiGen AI Platform AI-based optimization platform that rapidly matures antibody candidates into drug candidates with enhanced therapeutic efficacy, safety, and manufacturability. Used by Prellis and its pharmaceutical partners to refine and optimize antibody attributes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300 human IgG antibodies generated against SARS-CoV-2 in under one month
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Eli Lilly and CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2025Multi-target drug discovery and development collaboration to advance human antibody therapeutics. Prellis EXIS and AntiGen AI platforms combined with Lilly's research, development, and commercialization expertise. Prellis receives upfront payment, development and sales milestones, and royalties for licensed antibodies.
• SanoficoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2022Collaboration and licensing option agreement for antibody discovery using Prellis EXIS platform.
• Bristol Myers SquibbcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2022Collaboration and license agreement for antibody development leveraging Prellis technology.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AbCellera Biologics: Vancouver-based antibody discovery platform that uses single-cell screening and AI to deliver lead candidates to pharma partners. Directly comparable to Prellis's EXIS offering of rapid, high-diversity antibody discovery against multi-target collaborations.
• Absci: AI-driven generative biology company combining deep learning with a proprietary E. coli expression system for de novo antibody and protein design. Closely comparable to Prellis's combined AI + wet-lab approach to antibody engineering.
• Adimab: Leader in yeast display-based antibody discovery serving pharma through multi-target partnership deals. Comparable B2B antibody discovery business model and target-customer overlap with Prellis's EXIS platform.
• Generate Biomedicines: AI-first protein design company creating novel therapeutics computationally and validating them experimentally. Directly comparable to Prellis's Bio AI strategy and a known prior employer of Prellis's CEO.
• BigHat Biosciences: Machine-learning-guided antibody engineering platform combining wet-lab high-throughput synthesis with ML design loops. Comparable in integrating AI tightly with experimental antibody characterization.
• Atreca: Clinical-stage biotech leveraging immune response sequencing to discover novel antibody therapeutics. Comparable use of human immune biology for antibody discovery, though at a more advanced clinical stage.
• Compass Therapeutics: Antibody-focused clinical-stage biotech developing multi-target therapeutics in oncology and autoimmune disease. Overlaps with Prellis's pipeline areas (e.g., TL1A, CD3) and antibody-discovery business model.

Emerging players

• Antiverse: Early-stage AI antibody design company focused on difficult-to-drug targets. Comparable to Prellis's positioning on hard target classes (e.g., GPCRs) but at a much earlier stage and scale.

Broad incumbents

• Genmab: Established antibody therapeutics company with broad pipeline and multiple marketed products. Comparable end-product focus on fully human mAbs, though at a vastly larger commercial scale than Prellis.
• Ginkgo Bioworks: Large synthetic biology platform serving pharma and industrial biotech. Comparable use of engineered biological systems and AI/ML for R&D services, though much broader in scope than Prellis's antibody focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Prellisbio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prellis-biologics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds14 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prellis Biologics