Kopra Bio

Kopra Bio is a biotechnology firm established in 2024 and headquartered in San Francisco, focused on developing treatments for aggressive cancers. The company was co-founded by Andrew Bartynski, PhD, a serial biotech entrepreneur, and Alexander Haddad, MD, a neurosurgery resident at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Bartynski serves as CEO, bringing experience from previous Y Combinator-backed ventures in therapeutics and medical devices. Haddad, the scientific co-founder, has an extensive publication record and a specific interest in delivering cell and gene therapies to the central nervous system, which directly informs the company's core mission.

The company's primary technology is a proprietary viral immunotherapy platform called InViTE (In Vivo Tumor Editing), which was developed at UCSF. This approach utilizes genetically engineered viruses designed to selectively infect and destroy cancer cells. The process turns the tumors into in-vivo biofactories that produce immune-stimulating signals, effectively teaching the patient's own immune system to recognize and eliminate the cancer. This method is designed to create a durable immune response, which could prevent metastasis and recurrence. Kopra Bio's business model centers on the research, development, and eventual commercialization of these novel cancer therapies. Its initial target is glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. In preclinical mouse models for glioblastoma, Kopra Bio's lead candidate demonstrated a significant increase in survival rates, from 0% in the control group to 90% in the treated group.

Kopra Bio operates within the competitive field of oncology and immunotherapy, aiming to offer a new treatment paradigm for solid tumors. The company has secured seed funding, including a notable investment from Y Combinator as part of its Summer 2024 batch and a $100K award from QB3 to expand its proof-of-concept studies into other cancers like breast, ovarian, and colon cancer. This positions the company to move forward with its research and development pipeline, with the ultimate goal of progressing its therapeutic candidates into clinical trials.

Keywords: oncolytic virus, immunotherapy, glioblastoma, cancer therapy, UCSF spinout, InViTE platform, gene therapy, neuro-oncology, solid tumors, Y Combinator, preclinical, brain cancer, cancer research, vectorized immunotherapy, tumor microenvironment, in-vivo editing, therapeutic payloads, Andrew Bartynski, Alexander Haddad, biotech