What Cisterna Biologics does

Cisterna Biologics is a privately-held biotechnology company founded in 2022 and headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The company develops and sells high-purity RNA products, addressing a core bottleneck in mRNA-based therapeutics and RNA research: length impurities (double-stranded RNA, short truncated RNA, long RNA) generated by standard synthesis methods that compromise downstream applications in gene editing, protein expression, diagnostics, and structural biology.

The company's technology stack is built around three proprietary platforms: SPECC (SPEcific Capture and Cleavage), a purification method that selectively isolates full-length mRNA to near-HPLC purity without HPLC scalability bottlenecks; the Prime RNA Platform, a versatile RNA production engine capable of synthesizing mRNA, tRNA, siRNA, sgRNA, aptamers, and ribozymes with reduced impurities; and a yeast-based mRNA production system using Pichia pastoris that demonstrated functional protein expression in human cells in a completed NSF SBIR Phase I project (March 2026). Cisterna monetizes this technology through two channels: an off-the-shelf catalog (mRNA standards, tRNA isoacceptors, aptamers, ribozymes) priced $45–$165 per unit, and a custom RNA synthesis service with quote-based pricing by sequence type and quality grade (Prime or SPECC). Both are sold direct-to-customer via an e-commerce website at cisternabx.com, targeting academic researchers, biotech companies, and pharmaceutical companies globally.

Cisterna is a small team of 1–10 employees, backed by Y Combinator ($500K seed, August 2022) and non-dilutive funding from NSF (SBIR Phase I), NIGMS, and NCATS. The company runs a content-led go-to-market motion anchored on a technical blog and resources hub aimed at the RNA research community. No enterprise customer logos, management team, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed in the source data.

Name

Cisterna Biologics

Legal name

Cisterna Biologics Inc.

Website

https://cisternabx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cisterna Biologics is a Carlsbad-based private biotech founded in 2022 that develops proprietary RNA synthesis and purification platforms (SPECC, Prime) and a yeast-based mRNA production system, selling high-purity mRNA, tRNA, aptamers, and ribozymes to academic researchers and pharmaceutical companies via e-commerce and custom synthesis services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

RNA Synthesis and Purification Reagents

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

RNA Manufacturing & CMC (oligo synthesis, IVT, purification, formulation, QC) (HLAAADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

mRNA & Nucleic Acid Manufacturing Services (mRNA/saRNA/Plasmid DNA) (HLAGAGAC), Plasmid DNA & mRNA Manufacturing Services (HLAAAKAE)

Keywords

• MRNA synthesis
• RNA purification
• Custom RNA production
• High-purity mRNA
• RNA reagents

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlsbad

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Off-the-shelf RNA Product Sales: Sale of catalog RNA products including mRNA, tRNA, aptamers, and ribozymes. Products are available in standard quantities (10µg, 50µg, 100µg) with fixed pricing per product.
2. Custom RNA Synthesis Services: Custom RNA synthesis service where customers submit RNA sequences for custom production. Pricing varies based on sequence type (Published/Database RNA vs Proprietary/Custom RNA) and quality level (Prime or SPECC).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cisterna Biologics manufactures and sells high-purity RNA products, including off-the-shelf catalog mRNA, tRNA, aptamers, and ribozymes, as well as custom RNA synthesis services. The company leverages proprietary chemistry and enzymology technologies, notably SPEcific Capture and Cleavage (SPECC), to deliver RNA products approaching HPLC-level purity without the scalability bottlenecks of traditional HPLC purification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Off-the-shelf RNA products (mRNA, tRNA, aptamers, ribozymes) Catalog of ready-to-order RNA reagents including standard mRNA (eGFP, Firefly Luciferase, mCherry) at $45, premium mRNA (hEPO, OpenCRISPR-1) at $65–$165, and tRNA isoacceptors and aptamers/ribozymes at $132, available in 10µg–100µg quantities. Targeted at academic and industrial RNA researchers needing validated, high-purity inputs for experiments in gene editing, protein expression, diagnostics, and structural biology.
• Custom RNA Synthesis Service Custom RNA synthesis offering for customers who submit their own sequences (Published/Database or Proprietary/Custom) for production at 100µg standard quantity, with quality levels selectable between Prime and SPECC grades. Pricing is quote-based and varies with sequence type and quality requirements; targeted at biotech and pharma researchers requiring non-catalog RNA for therapeutic, vaccine, and gene editing programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• SPECC-purified mRNA produces brighter, more uniform eGFP expression across cell populations compared to standard dT purification at higher mRNA concentrations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TriLink BioTechnologies (Maravai LifeSciences): Leading manufacturer of mRNA, nucleotides, and nucleic acids for research and therapeutic use, including GMP-grade production. Directly comparable to Cisterna in custom mRNA synthesis and mRNA manufacturing services, with a much larger catalog and therapeutic-grade capabilities.
• Aldevron (Danaher): Major nucleic acid manufacturer (plasmid DNA, mRNA, proteins) serving gene therapy, cell therapy, and vaccine developers. Overlaps directly with Cisterna's mRNA manufacturing and custom synthesis offerings, with extensive GMP and clinical-stage experience.
• Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT, Danaher): Large-scale producer of custom oligonucleotides and RNA/DNA products for research and diagnostics. Directly comparable in custom synthesis and catalog RNA/DNA products, with broader product breadth and global distribution.
• Synthego: Specialized in synthetic RNA, including sgRNA and mRNA for gene editing and cell therapy research. Comparable to Cisterna in custom RNA synthesis and focus on researcher customers, with a stronger gene-editing positioning.
• Creative Biolabs: Custom service provider offering RNA synthesis, aptamers, and oligonucleotide production for research and therapeutic applications. Directly comparable to Cisterna in custom RNA services targeting researchers and biotech companies.

Broad incumbents

• New England Biolabs: Established life science tools company with broad RNA reagent, enzyme, and synthesis offerings for research. Comparable in serving RNA researchers with high-quality reagents, though as a much larger incumbent spanning many categories beyond RNA manufacturing.
• GenScript: Global life science tools and CDMO company offering custom RNA synthesis, gene synthesis, and biologics manufacturing. Directly comparable in custom RNA services and adjacent to Cisterna's manufacturing and researcher offerings.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Dominant life sciences tools and CDMO platform with broad nucleic acid product lines and GMP mRNA manufacturing capabilities. Comparable in serving the same research and therapeutic customer base, though as a broad incumbent across many categories.
• BioNTech: Leading mRNA therapeutics company developing vaccines and immuno-oncology therapies using proprietary mRNA platforms. Comparable as a major mRNA industry participant, though operating as a therapeutics developer rather than a tools/services provider.

Others

• moderna: mRNA therapeutics leader driving demand for high-purity mRNA manufacturing technology across the industry. Adjacent rather than directly comparable — as a therapeutics developer, not a tools/services provider — but its scale creates the market opportunity Cisterna's technology targets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Cisterna Biologics