
Cisterna Biologics
High-quality mRNA for therapeutic application
Cisterna uses proprietary technologies to build the next generation of mRNA, free of impurities, at a fraction of the price.
Our Technology
Founded in 2022 in San Diego, California, Cisterna Biologics is a technology company. We aim to solve the main challenges currently facing the biotech industry to develop mRNA-based therapeutics – quality, quantity, longevity, and cost. As mRNA technology matures, it becomes imperative that these issues are solved so we can fully explore mRNA's endless possibilities as a therapeutic.
For therapeutic applications, the quality of the mRNA needs to be extremely high compared to mRNA used for vaccines. Cisterna uses proprietary technologies to either remove a contaminant at its source or replace the source itself. For example, to remove double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), we use ribozymes - molecular scissors - to precisely cut the mRNA at its 3’ end. This assures not only 3’ homogeneity, but also eliminates dsRNA, which are primarily produced due to self-templated additions at the 3’ end. Utilizing a PCR-like system to amplify the DNA template in large quantities eliminates the requirement for plasmid enrichment in bacteria, the prime source of endotoxin contamination. These are just a few examples of Cisterna’s powerful technologies being used to achieve our goal of 10x higher quality mRNA for therapeutic application.
Team
Hari Bhaskaran - Founder

Hari Bhaskaran's journey with RNAs started with ribozymes (catalytic RNAs) almost 20 years ago in the labs of Rick Russell at UT Austin. His PhD work was focused on mechanistic understanding of RNA folding, culminating in a seminal publication in Nature (see Bhaskaran and Russell, 2007). Since then, he has held positions of increasing responsibilities in both academia and industry, with most of those years spent facilitating transition of mRNA therapeutics successfully into the clinic. His roles have led him to produce innovative mRNA construct designs, create scale-up techniques for manufacturing and improve process development for purification and analytics. He is the author of several publications and industry patents.
Mike Cuddy - Research Associate

Mike Cuddy is a founding member of Cisterna. An industry veteran with over 35 years of experience, Mike oversees bioanalytical development. His previous work experience includes UPenn, Wyeth, Merck, HHMI-Duke, and Arcturus. Mike is also a former associate/manager of John C. Reed lab at Sanford-Burnam responsible for setup, consumables, laboratory equipment, SOP’s and employee training. He has experience in multiple therapeutic areas and he is the author on over 30 publications in the fields of oncology, cardiovascular and CNS.
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Cisterna Biologics
6076 Corte Del Cedro
Carlsbad, CA 92011