Azalea Therapeutics

About Azalea Therapeutics

Azalea Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing precision genomic medicines that engineer a patient's own T cells directly inside the body. The company's core technology is its Enveloped Delivery Vehicles (EDV) platform, which is designed to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 cargo to specific cells for site-specific genome editing. This in vivo approach avoids the need for external lab manipulation and complex manufacturing, aiming to make cell therapies faster, more accessible, and potentially safer. Azalea's dual-vector system combines the cell-targeting EDVs with adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) to program the insertion of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) genes at a specific location within the T cell genome. This method allows the engineered cell's expression to be controlled by its own natural promoters, which may lead to greater durability and efficacy.

The company launched in November 2025 with $82 million in combined seed and Series A financing. The funding was led by Third Rock Ventures, with participation from RA Capital Management, Yosemite, and Sozo Ventures. Azalea was co-founded by 2020 Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, PhD; Jenny Hamilton, PhD, who serves as President and CEO; Michael Fischbach, PhD; and Justin Eyquem, PhD. The company originated from collaborative research in the labs of Dr. Doudna at UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute and Dr. Eyquem at UC San Francisco. Dr. Hamilton's work on the EDV technology began in 2018 in Dr. Doudna's lab, with the company beginning to form in 2023.

Azalea's business model is focused on developing and bringing its proprietary therapies to market. The initial capital is being used to advance its lead program, a CD19-based in vivo CAR-T therapy for B cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases, through IND-enabling studies and into clinical trials. The company is also developing a BCMA-targeted program for multiple myeloma and exploring applications for solid tumors and other cell types. By aiming to create therapeutic cells with a single injection, Azalea seeks to transform the cell and gene therapy field.