aTyr Pharma
Biotechnology ResearchCalifornia, United States51-200 Employees
aTyr Pharma is a biotechnology research company based in San Diego, California, focused on discovering and developing medicines rooted in novel biological pathways. Its work centers on the extracellular functions and signaling of tRNA synthetases, building an intellectual property portfolio around protein compositions related to twenty tRNA synthetase genes and their extracellular targets. The company's lead program is efzofitimod (ATYR1923), a clinical-stage candidate designed to modulate immune activity in severe inflammatory lung diseases by engaging the neuropilin-2 receptor. Founded by Paul Schimmel and Xiang-Lei Yang from The Scripps Research Institute, the firm operates as a mid-sized biotechnology company pursuing a pipeline anchored in its extracellular tRNA synthetase biology. In May 2026, the company announced the launch of a global clinical trial for efzofitimod in pulmonary sarcoidosis with a restrictive profile.