Kernal Biologics (YC S20) — Kernal is creating mRNA 2.0 therapies that work in specific cells
Kernal Bio is a biotech company pioneering mRNA 2.0 immunotherapies. We leverage selective mRNA-LNP technology to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases with precision, ensuring targeted cell delivery and minimal off-target effects.
Kernal Biologics is a Y Combinator company in the Summer 2020 batch. Its directory entry describes it as: Kernal is creating mRNA 2.0 therapies that work in specific cells. The founders listed are Yusuf Erkul (Founder), Jeff Ozdemir (Founder), Burak YILMAZ (Founder) (Y Combinator directory entry, September 10, 2020).
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Kernal Bio is a biotech company pioneering mRNA 2.0 immunotherapies. We leverage selective mRNA-LNP technology to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases with precision, ensuring targeted cell delivery and minimal off-target effects. Our KR-402 program achieves over 90% delivery efficiency with T-cell-targeted LNPs, enabling direct CAR-T programming within the body and resulting in B-cell depletion within a week.
Kernal Bio is led by a team with experience from MIT, Harvard, Merck, and BMS, boasting three FDA-approved therapies and over 120 patents. Based in Cambridge, MA, we are backed by Hummingbird Ventures, Amgen Ventures, HBM, and even NASA.
With roots at MIT, Harvard and Biopharma, Kernal’s management team has deep expertise in mRNA therapeutics space. CEO Yusuf Erkul, M.D., M.B.A. is a successful drug hunter whose research at Merck enabled an FDA-approved drug for ovarian cancer. President Burak Yilmaz, M.S., previously founded Sentegen, a thriving synthetic biology company which commercializes synthetic DNA, RNA, and diagnostic kits for genetic and infectious diseases. Sr. VP of R&D Manfred Kraus is a leader in immuno-oncology, who was most recently Scientific Sr. Director at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS).
Yusuf Erkul
Founder
Jeff Ozdemir
Founder
Burak YILMAZ
Founder
Founders, titles and bios as the company published them. Photographs are our own copies of the ones on that record, so they do not break when the original link expires.
One of 65 companies held here in Healthcare › Therapeutics.
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Example from a real report (our sample on Target): “In March 2026, Target announced a planned incremental $1 billion operating investment” Source: Target Corporation (press release)
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Kernal Biologics (YC S20) — Kernal is creating mRNA 2.0 therapies that work in specific cells. MentionFox, 2026-10-29. https://mentionfox.com/funding/yc-kernal-biologics
