Kyoji Tsuchikama

Associate Professor, PI, Co-Founder, ADC expert, @UTHealth @CrossBridgeBio @TxMedCenter

[Kyoji Tsuchikama @TsuchikamaL]

Excited to see @CrossBridgeBio acquired by @EliLillyandCo! As a scientific co-founder, it’s been rewarding to see our ADC linker & conjugation chemistry move beyond the lab toward real-world applications. Grateful to my lab members, CBB team, and partners who made this possible.

[Michael Torres @Mykalt45]

Super excited to announce this! Proud of what we built at @CrossBridgeBio!

Personally rewarding especially as my dad passed away in January of this year. His birthday was 4/7. Tried to close on that day!

https://t.co/BQ5cMKU0rA

[Michael Torres @Mykalt45]

What an amazing time we had yesterday celebrating the win that was CrossBridgeBio. We’re building something special in Houston. I’m so grateful to have amazing people around me that have helped unlock tremendous opportunity for patients. We’re just getting started!

[Michael Torres @Mykalt45]

Alright friends, TMC leadership is hosting a major closing party on May 20, 2026 at TMC3 at Helix Park. It’s also going to be covered by @BioCentury. All friends are invited! All the tech transfer offices, clinicians, investors, company builders will be there. Please DM me with your email address if you want an invite. Come celebrate with us and see why our ecosystem is so special! Tagging friends, but truly anyone who wants to come and knows us is invited @AbhiChhibber @DoctorDietrich @ithinkichan @DavidHongMD @timheff5 @jdrosanelli @MattyKirsh @koolkasparov @foldsandcurves @RyanSSansom @IsamuHartman @gcbioinv @biotechinvstr @db777 @Jkylebass @ChartWestcott @JochenReiser Twitter search for names is terrible so please know if we’re friends, you’re invited.

[Kyoji Tsuchikama @TsuchikamaL]

@Mykalt45 One thing is clear, @mykalt45, you did an outstanding job, and it was absolutely the right call!

[Kyoji Tsuchikama @TsuchikamaL]

@Mykalt45 I don’t understand why some investors laugh at the deal size instead of praising the speed. Our priority, at least mine, is to deliver cure to patients asap. Partnering with a big pharma enables that. Not interested in working with people who treat this as just a financial game.

[Kyoji Tsuchikama @TsuchikamaL]

@Mykalt45 I do remember how difficult the earliest fundraising stage was. I hope more investors are willing to back founders early, even with modest checks, because, as we’ve shown, that can be enough to reach real success.

[Michael Torres @Mykalt45]

And I have to say, there’s a “founder friendly” fund that turned me down twice and I hear consistently that others have had not so great experiences, so I did it myself with CrossBridge to a great outcome.

Won’t go into specifics but my academic co-founders own as much as me, all my R&D team did very well, my SAFE investors made 17x, my Seed investors made 10x, and it was 1.5 years from Seed to Series A. That’s how it’s supposed to be done. Win win for absolutely everyone. That’s what I’m most proud of actually. So for those founders and first time CEOs struggling, know it can be done, and know I’m happy to help in any way!

And one other tidbit. I got an email from a fund two days before we closed that they’re passing on my Series A. Our last correspondence was Jan 28. So, be resilient my friends and keep building!

[Drew Volpe @drewvolpe]

1.5 years from seed to $300m exit, without a ton of capital raised.

Huge VCs love to talk exits like this down, but @Mykalt45 and the team did much better than they would've in most >$1B outcomes. Speed and efficiency FTW.

[Michael Torres @Mykalt45]

Pretty cool fam.

[Kyoji Tsuchikama @TsuchikamaL]

取り上げていただきありがとうございます！自分でもびっくりの結末です。新しいアイディアまだまだありますので、当ラボの今後の論文にご注目を(ついでに宣伝お願いします😉)

[ADCのケミスト @ADC_Chemist]

この買収、Dual-payload ADCの設計と将来性を見据えて、大手が早めに押さえにいった、ということなのでしょうかね。

CrossBridge Bioは2023年創業で、先行パイプラインであるTROP2標的のDual-payload ADCもまだPreclinical段階です。
Dual-payload ADCの先駆けとしてよく知られている、Nature Communicationsの論文で、Dual-payload ADCがMono-payload ADCの併用を上回る薬効を示した技術がありますが、CrossBridge Bioはその流れを汲む大学発スピンアウトです。そう考えると、今回は単なるパイプラインの補強というより、このプラットフォーム技術そのものを押さえにいった、という見方に見えます。
彼らの主力技術であるEGC linkerも興味深いですね。これはhuman neutrophil elastaseに対して耐性を持つlinkerで、既存のVal-Citより安定性が高いとされています。このlinkerを組み込んだ分岐型のlinker-payloadを使うことで、Dual-payload ADCを成立させているわけです。

会社設立当初から注目してきたので、なかなか感慨深いものがあります。関係者の皆様、お疲れ様でした。

[ADCのケミスト @ADC_Chemist]

この買収、Dual-payload ADCの設計と将来性を見据えて、大手が早めに押さえにいった、ということなのでしょうかね。

CrossBridge Bioは2023年創業で、先行パイプラインであるTROP2標的のDual-payload ADCもまだPreclinical段階です。
Dual-payload ADCの先駆けとしてよく知られている、Nature Communicationsの論文で、Dual-payload ADCがMono-payload ADCの併用を上回る薬効を示した技術がありますが、CrossBridge Bioはその流れを汲む大学発スピンアウトです。そう考えると、今回は単なるパイプラインの補強というより、このプラットフォーム技術そのものを押さえにいった、という見方に見えます。
彼らの主力技術であるEGC linkerも興味深いですね。これはhuman neutrophil elastaseに対して耐性を持つlinkerで、既存のVal-Citより安定性が高いとされています。このlinkerを組み込んだ分岐型のlinker-payloadを使うことで、Dual-payload ADCを成立させているわけです。

会社設立当初から注目してきたので、なかなか感慨深いものがあります。関係者の皆様、お疲れ様でした。

[Melina Kibbe, MD @uthealthhoupres]

Congratulations to UTHealth Houston faculty members Drs. Tsuchikama and An on CrossBridge Bio’s acquisition by Eli Lilly, advancing a novel cancer therapy toward clinical use & highlighting the power of academic discovery and industry partnership to deliver lifesaving treatments.

[FierceBiotech @FierceBiotech]

Eli Lilly has agreed to a $300 million biobuck acquisition of CrossBridge Bio, aiming to advance its dual-payload ADC pipeline https://t.co/P0YpkTqegz $LLY

[Andrew Dunn @AndrewE_Dunn]

NEW: Eli Lilly has agreed to acquire CrossBridge Bio, the Houston-based ADC specialist led by @Mykalt45

I talked with Michael Torres on his run as a first-time CEO ending with a potential $300M deal:
https://t.co/PPk3ZWL5SR

[BiotechTV @BiotechTV]

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌&𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬: Lilly is acquiring @CrossBridgeBio, a Texas biotech developing dual payload antibody-drug conjugates, for up to $300M. Co-Founder & CEO @Mykalt45 tells us.

[Sally Church @MaverickNY]

Thunderbirds are Go! 🚀
CrossBridge Bio is being acquired by Lilly for up to $300M!
Founded 2023, IND filing anticipated 2026 – a remarkable run for a Houston startup built around a university linker technology...

[Kyoji Tsuchikama @TsuchikamaL]

@Mykalt45 Thanks for sharing such an inspiring story. Mine hasn’t been as dramatic, but I’ve lived through similar turning points and truly felt your message. I’m grateful you found me. I’m proud of what we’ve started, and I’m confident we’ll build an even more compelling story together!

[Raffaele Colombo @raffcolo]

This slide really didn't last long at all...
ORM-5029 has now been discontinued.

2/3 degrader antibody conjugates (DACs) removed from clinical development this month!

#AACR25 #ADC

[Yüksel Ürün @DrYukselUrun]

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) doesn’t just target HER2!
🔘Even HER2-low & HER2-neg tumors respond!
🔘Extracellular proteases activate the payload.
🔘A whisper to the immune system: Attack.
@NatureComms @OncoAlert
https://t.co/ULte0lfFO3

[Science Magazine @ScienceMagazine]

Tomatoes lose their bitterness and toxicity as they ripen thanks to DNA demethylation, the hormone ethylene, and key transcription factors, finds a new @ScienceAdvances study. https://t.co/kJi3ahPKyW