YOLO Immune Awarded National Science Foundation SBIR Grant to Advance Novel Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases
San Carlos, CA, September 19, 2025 --(PR.com)-- YOLO Immune, Inc., a venture-backed biotech company developing precision immunotherapies for the treatment of serious human diseases, today announced it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The NSF SBIR program is highly competitive and supports high-risk, high-reward scientific and engineering innovations that show potential for significant commercial and societal impact. YOLO Immune’s technology aims to overcome the key limitations of current treatments for autoimmune diseases—such as low efficacy and troubling side effects—by developing a first-in-class antibody therapy that directly counteracts pathogenic autoantibodies, which are the root cause of many autoimmune diseases.
"Autoimmune diseases affect more than 20 million Americans and current therapies are often ineffective. Our mission is to translate human biology insights into life-saving immunotherapies and to make the next generation of therapies much safer and more effective," said Dr. Zhonghao (John) Liu, Founder and CSO of YOLO Immune. "This grant from the NSF is a powerful validation of our scientific approach and its potential to transform the treatment landscape."
Dr. Chun Chu, VP of Biologics and CMC of YOLO Immune, added, "This achievement is a testament to the incredible dedication and ingenuity of our entire team. We are also grateful for the support of the NSF for believing in our vision to redefine precision immunotherapy.”
About YOLO Immune, Inc.
YOLO Immune is a venture-backed biotech company, developing precision immunotherapies for the treatment of serious human diseases. The company is based in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area biotech ecosystem. The founding R&D team have a deep conviction on applying human-centric approaches to drug discovery and development. The company’s initial pipeline programs are targeted and multi-functional biologics to address unmet medical needs in ophthalmology, liver and autoimmune diseases.
The NSF SBIR program is highly competitive and supports high-risk, high-reward scientific and engineering innovations that show potential for significant commercial and societal impact. YOLO Immune’s technology aims to overcome the key limitations of current treatments for autoimmune diseases—such as low efficacy and troubling side effects—by developing a first-in-class antibody therapy that directly counteracts pathogenic autoantibodies, which are the root cause of many autoimmune diseases.
"Autoimmune diseases affect more than 20 million Americans and current therapies are often ineffective. Our mission is to translate human biology insights into life-saving immunotherapies and to make the next generation of therapies much safer and more effective," said Dr. Zhonghao (John) Liu, Founder and CSO of YOLO Immune. "This grant from the NSF is a powerful validation of our scientific approach and its potential to transform the treatment landscape."
Dr. Chun Chu, VP of Biologics and CMC of YOLO Immune, added, "This achievement is a testament to the incredible dedication and ingenuity of our entire team. We are also grateful for the support of the NSF for believing in our vision to redefine precision immunotherapy.”
About YOLO Immune, Inc.
YOLO Immune is a venture-backed biotech company, developing precision immunotherapies for the treatment of serious human diseases. The company is based in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area biotech ecosystem. The founding R&D team have a deep conviction on applying human-centric approaches to drug discovery and development. The company’s initial pipeline programs are targeted and multi-functional biologics to address unmet medical needs in ophthalmology, liver and autoimmune diseases.
Contact
YOLO Immune Inc
Zhonghao (John) Liu
650-7418974
Zhonghao (John) Liu
650-7418974
Contact
Categories