What Catamaran Bio does

Catamaran Bio is a private, preclinical-stage biotechnology company founded in November 2020 and headquartered in Boston, MA that develops allogeneic (off-the-shelf) CAR-NK cell therapies for solid tumors. The company is built around its proprietary TAILWIND® platform, an integrated suite of technologies combining non-viral transposon engineering via the licensed TcBuster™ system, synthetic biology-enabled tumor microenvironment (TME) switches designed to neutralize immunosuppressive signals such as TGFβ, and CAR architectures optimized for NK cell function. Its pipeline is led by CAT-248, a CD70-directed CAR-NK program for renal cell carcinoma that incorporates IL-15 cytokine support, a TGFβ TME switch, and CD70 knockout for scalable manufacturing, and CAT-179, a HER2-directed CAR-NK program for breast and gastric cancer incorporating IL-15 and a TGFβ TME switch.

The company supports its platform through a layered set of technology and manufacturing partnerships: a worldwide license to Bio-Techne's TcBuster™ transposon system (expanded June 2021), a MaxCyte Flow Electroporation®/ExPERT™ platform license (January 2023), an exclusive worldwide license to University of Minnesota feeder cell-free expansion IP and a research collaboration with scientific co-founder Branden Moriarity's lab (March 2022), and a CDMO partnership with OmniaBio for process development and GMP manufacturing at its Toronto site (March 2023). Catamaran has raised $42M in a single Series A financing co-led by Sofinnova Partners and Lightstone Ventures, with SV Health Investors (founding investor), Takeda Ventures, Astellas Venture Management and UMN Discovery Capital participating.

The company has no commercial products and no product revenue. Its future revenue model is expected to derive from pharmaceutical product sales following regulatory approval and/or from strategic co-development and licensing transactions with pharmaceutical partners. Customers, in the near term, are clinical trial sites and oncology centers administering investigational therapy, and ultimately pharmaceutical/biotech partners for licensing or co-development. Preclinical differentiation claims include 98% tumor reduction and median survival of 114 days versus 60 days for controls in CAT-248 mouse xenograft models, ~50% transposon integration efficiency with >800-fold NK cell expansion, and single-step non-viral delivery achieving >70% CD70 CAR integration and >80% endogenous CD70 knockout. First-in-human studies are planned for 2024.

Name

Catamaran Bio

Legal name

Catamaran Bio, Inc.

Website

https://catamaranbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catamaran Bio is a preclinical-stage Boston biotech developing off-the-shelf allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies for solid tumors using its proprietary TAILWIND® platform (TcBuster™ transposon engineering, synthetic biology TME switches, NK-optimized CARs), with lead programs CAT-248 (CD70) and CAT-179 (HER2) targeting renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer, and gastric cancer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Therapy

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

NK Cell Therapies (HLAAABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL), Cell Therapy Developers (Allogeneic/Off-the-shelf) (HLAAABAB)

Keywords

• Allogeneic cell therapy
• CAR-NK cell therapy
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Cell therapy platform
• Solid tumor treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CAR-NK Cell Therapy Pipeline: Catamaran Bio is a pre-revenue preclinical stage biotechnology company developing allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies for solid tumors. The company has not yet commercialized any products and does not have product revenue. Future revenue would come from pharmaceutical product sales following regulatory approval, or from strategic partnerships/licensing deals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Catamaran Bio develops allogeneic (off-the-shelf) CAR-NK cell therapies for solid tumors using its proprietary TAILWIND platform. The platform combines non-viral transposon engineering (TcBuster), synthetic biology-enabled tumor microenvironment switches, and NK-optimized CAR architecture to manufacture cell therapy products from healthy donor cells. Lead preclinical programs include CAT-248 (CD70-directed, targeting renal cell carcinoma) and CAT-179 (HER2-directed, targeting breast and gastric cancers).

Product overview

Catamaran Bio offers a platform-plus-products model centered on its proprietary TAILWIND® integrated technology suite, which enables the engineering, expansion, and manufacturing of allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies. The company is advancing a pipeline of differentiated CAR-NK cell therapy programs including lead programs CAT-248 (CD70-directed, targeting renal cell carcinoma) and CAT-179 (HER2-directed, targeting breast and gastric cancers). These CAR-NK cell therapies are designed as off-the-shelf treatments for solid tumors, incorporating functional modifications such as IL-15 cytokines for persistence, TGFβ TME-switches to overcome immunosuppression, and non-viral transposon engineering for efficient manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAILWIND: Proprietary integrated suite of technologies to engineer and manufacture NK cells into safe, effective and off-the-shelf cell therapy products for solid tumors.

Products and services

• TAILWIND Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• CAT-248 demonstrated 98% tumor reduction compared to control (p<0.019) and extended median survival to 114 days vs 60 days in mouse xenograft models
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OmniaBio Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 14 March 2023Catamaran Bio partnered with OmniaBio, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell and gene therapy, to develop and manufacture allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies for solid tumors. OmniaBio and its parent company CCRM are developing CAR-NK cell therapy processes at their Toronto site, where process development labs are co-located with GMP-compliant clean room suites for seamless transition from process development to clinical manufacturing.
• MaxCytecoreTechnology or Integration · 3 January 2023MaxCyte signed a strategic platform license (SPL) with Catamaran Bio. Under the terms, Catamaran obtains non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to use MaxCyte's Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform to enhance the TAILWIND® platform for CAR-NK cell therapies. MaxCyte receives platform licensing fees and program-related revenue.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2022Expanded research collaboration with Branden Moriarity, PhD at University of Minnesota to advance transposon engineering for allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies and optimize manufacturability. Catamaran also secured an exclusive worldwide license to University of Minnesota patent rights covering next generation cell expansion technologies that do not require feeder cells. Collaboration includes Branden Moriarity's lab for NK cell engineering research.
• Bio-Techne CorporationcoreTechnology or Integration · 24 June 2021Expanded collaboration for CAR-NK cell manufacturing technologies including novel cell expansion technologies. Catamaran secured a broad worldwide license to Bio-Techne's TcBuster™ transposon system rights for research, clinical and commercial manufacturing of allogeneic cell therapy products. Bio-Techne contributes innovative cell expansion technologies and know-how.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nkarta Therapeutics: Nkarta is a clinical-stage biotech developing allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Most direct competitor to Catamaran with overlapping allogeneic NK platform and solid-tumor focus.
• Fate Therapeutics: Fate is a clinical-stage iPSC-derived cell therapy company developing off-the-shelf NK and T-cell therapies, including CAR-NK candidates. Closest competitor by modality and platform (off-the-shelf NK) and is further advanced clinically.
• Century Therapeutics: Century develops iPSC-derived allogeneic cell therapies (NK and T) with gene-editing-enabled platforms. Competes with Catamaran in the off-the-shelf engineered cell therapy space for oncology.
• Shoreline Biosciences: Shoreline develops iPSC-derived allogeneic NK and macrophage cell therapies for cancer. Direct peer to Catamaran in engineered NK cell platforms with corporate partnerships (e.g., Kite).
• Allogene Therapeutics: Allogene is a clinical-stage leader in allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies. While focused on T cells rather than NK cells, it is the most prominent allogeneic cell therapy peer and defines competitive benchmarks for off-the-shelf oncology cell therapies.
• Caribou Biosciences: Caribou develops allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies using CRISPR gene editing. Comparable to Catamaran as a platform-based allogeneic engineered cell therapy company, though T-cell-focused.
• Cellectis: Cellectis is a clinical-stage gene-editing company developing allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies (UCART platform). Comparable to Catamaran in allogeneic engineered cell therapy, though using TALEN gene editing rather than transposon-based approaches.
• Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Adaptimmune develops engineered T-cell therapies (SPEAR T-cells) targeting solid tumors. Comparable to Catamaran in cell therapy for solid-tumor indications, though autologous TCR-T rather than allogeneic CAR-NK.
• Celularity: Celularity develops allogeneic cell therapies derived from the placenta, including NK cell candidates for oncology. Comparable to Catamaran as an allogeneic NK cell therapy developer.

Broad incumbents

• CRISPR Therapeutics: CRISPR Therapeutics is a clinical-stage gene-editing company developing both ex vivo cell therapies (including allogeneic CAR-T) and in vivo gene-editing therapeutics. Relevant broader incumbent in engineered cell therapy that competes for partnership and investor mindshare.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CatamaranBio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catamaran-bio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 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 Catamaran Bio