Syros
Public · 10 known investors
Syros Pharmaceuticals is a Massachusetts gene-control biotech developing small molecules that regulate disease gene expression.
Also known as Syros Pharmaceuticals · Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. · SYRS
Investors · 10
Also in the syndicate · 5
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Syros (Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) is a Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule medicines that control the expression of genes. Its scientific premise is that much of human disease originates in the regulatory "switches" that control genes rather than in the genes themselves; the company maps regulatory regions of the genome — in particular super-enhancers, gene-control regulators described in two 2013 Cell papers by its scientific co-founders — to identify druggable oncogenic drivers and to target the regulatory elements themselves.
The company was co-founded by ARCH Venture Partners and Flagship Ventures' VentureLabs unit together with three academic scientists in gene regulation and translational medicine: Richard A. Young (Whitehead Institute/MIT), James "Jay" E. Bradner (Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Broad Institute) and Nathanael Gray (Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). One secondary database additionally lists Alexander Rives among founders. Nancy Simonian, M.D. has served as Chief Executive Officer since launch.
By 2022 Syros described itself as a leader in gene-expression control medicines with a clinical-stage pipeline focused on targeted hematology and oncology, including tamibarotene (a first-in-class candidate evaluated in the SELECT-AML-1 and pivotal SELECT-MDS-1 trials), SY-5609 (Phase 1 in pancreatic cancer) and SY-2101 (Phase 3 planned for the second half of 2023).
Founding story
Syros was founded in 2012 and emerged publicly on April 11, 2013. It was created by ARCH Venture Partners and Flagship Ventures' VentureLabs unit in collaboration with three scientific co-founders — Richard A. Young, James E. Bradner and Nathanael Gray — around the discovery of super-enhancers, gene-control regulators described in two manuscripts published in Cell on the day of the launch announcement. The company simultaneously licensed the underlying technologies from the Whitehead Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, named Nancy Simonian as CEO, and seated a board including Phillip Sharp, Douglas Cole (Flagship) and Robert Nelsen (ARCH) plus a scientific advisory board of gene-control, oncology and chemistry researchers.
Business model
Syros operates as a therapeutics developer rather than a service or product-sales business: it licenses foundational science (exclusive worldwide licenses from the Whitehead Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), applies its proprietary gene-control platform to identify targets, and advances proprietary small-molecule drug candidates through preclinical and clinical development toward commercialization. Operations have been funded by venture capital, public equity markets, PIPE financings and a senior secured loan facility with Oxford Finance LLC.
Sources do not describe product revenue. The company's disclosed capital sources are equity financings (venture rounds, public markets, a $90.5 million strategic financing and a $130 million PIPE) and a senior secured loan facility with Oxford Finance LLC, deployed to fund research, clinical development and early commercialization.
Traction
Cumulative disclosed funding of approximately $548.6 million across 12 recorded rounds and 19 investors; a Nasdaq listing under SYRS; approximately $240 million in cash and other capital resources after the September 2022 Tyme merger and PIPE; a clinical pipeline spanning Phase 1 through pivotal and planned Phase 3 trials; 17 assigned patents; and 68 employees per third-party data updated in August 2026.
Latest developments
The most recent company-sourced development in the material is the September 16, 2022 closing of the Tyme Technologies merger and the $130 million PIPE, together with a 1-for-10 reverse stock split and approximately $240 million in cash and other capital resources said to fund operations into 2025. A third-party database updated in August 2026 lists the company as active with 68 employees, total funding of $548.6 million, and shares quoted on the OTC market (SYRS) at a market capitalization of roughly $10,732 with a 52-week price range of $0.00–$0.02.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Syros is a clinical-stage, publicly listed gene-control drug developer in oncology and hematology, backed by well-known life-science investors (ARCH Venture Partners, Flagship, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Fidelity, Aisling Capital and others). A third-party database assigns it a Seedtable score of 54 and names Synthace as a known competitor, and lists related companies including BridgeBio, Genapsys, Cyteir Therapeutics, EQRx, WuXi AppTec and Rani Therapeutics.
Syros positions its differentiation in its ability to elucidate and act on regulatory regions of the genome — the "master switches" for disease genes — rather than on the genes or gene products targeted by conventional genomics-based approaches. The platform was built on exclusive worldwide licenses to super-enhancer technologies and methods from the Whitehead Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and on the founders' published discoveries in gene control. A third-party database records 17 patents assigned to the company.
Technology
A proprietary gene-control platform that maps regulatory regions of the genome, including super-enhancers, in cancer and other cells to identify master switches for disease genes and new druggable oncogenic drivers, and to target those regulatory elements with small molecules. Named clinical-stage candidates include tamibarotene (first-in-class; SELECT-AML-1 and SELECT-MDS-1 trials), SY-5609 (Phase 1, pancreatic cancer) and SY-2101 (Phase 3 planned).
Go-to-market
Development is pursued in-house through clinical trials, supported by exclusive academic technology licenses and, following the Tyme Technologies merger, by acquired pipeline assets. As of 2022 the company had appointed a Chief Commercial Officer (Conley Chee) and stated that new capital would support "early commercialization activities" for its later-stage targeted hematology programs.
Patients with cancer and other serious diseases, initially in oncology and later focused on targeted hematology indications such as acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, with pancreatic cancer also studied; commercially, the eventual customers are oncology prescribers and healthcare payers.
Geography
United States. The company launched in Watertown, Massachusetts and a later SEC Form D filing lists a business address at 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140; the September 2022 merger release was datelined Cambridge, Mass.
History
Founded in 2012 and launched publicly in April 2013 with a $30 million Series A, Syros was based in Watertown, Massachusetts at launch and later listed a business address at 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Third-party funding records list a Series B in October 2014, a $90.5 million strategic financing closed in December 2020, a further financing recorded in 2021, and a round dated September 2022, with cumulative funding of approximately $548.6 million. The company became publicly traded (Nasdaq: SYRS). In July 2022 it announced plans to raise roughly $190 million through a reverse merger with Tyme Technologies and a concurrent private placement; the merger and an oversubscribed $130 million PIPE closed on September 16, 2022, alongside a 1-for-10 reverse stock split, leaving approximately $240 million in cash and other capital resources. Later data list the shares quoted on the OTC market at a market capitalization of about $10,732 as of August 2026.
Risks & controversies
Sources indicate financial and execution risk typical of clinical-stage biotechnology: the September 2022 capital raise was stated to fund operations only into 2025, and the company effected a 1-for-10 reverse stock split at that time. Third-party data from August 2026 shows the shares quoted on the OTC market rather than Nasdaq, with a share price of $0.00, a 52-week range of $0.00–$0.02 and a market capitalization of about $10,732, indicating a severe decline in market value. No litigation or controversy is described in the sources.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsSyros acquired Tyme Technologies, Inc., including its pipeline assets and net cash at closing of approximately $60 million; the combined company continued trading on Nasdaq under 'SYRS'. Timothy C. Tyson and Andrew Oh joined the board; Amir Nashat and Phillip A. Sharp retired from the board.
Oversubscribed $130 million private investment in public equity led by a life-sciences focused investment fund; investors included Flagship Pioneering, Avidity Partners, Deep Track Capital, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Invus, Samsara BioCapital, Adage Capital Partners LP, Ally Bridge Group and Cowen Healthcare Investments.
$130M source ↗
Syros effected a 1-for-10 reverse stock split; common stock began trading on Nasdaq on a split-adjusted basis on September 19, 2022, under a new CUSIP (87184Q206).
$90.5M source ↗
Syros Pharmaceuticals publicly launched from Watertown, Massachusetts with a completed $30 million Series A led by co-founding investors ARCH Venture Partners and Flagship Ventures, with participation from the WuXi PharmaTech Corporate Venture Fund and undisclosed private investors. The announcement coincided with publication of two papers in Cell by the company's scientific co-founders on 'super-enhancers'.
$30M source ↗
Nancy Simonian, M.D., previously Chief Medical Officer at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and VP of Clinical Development at Biogen, was named CEO at company launch. Founding management also included Scott Rakestraw (CBO), Gregg Beloff (CFO), Christian Fritz (VP Biology) and Kevin Sprott (Senior Director, Chemistry).
Syros executed exclusive, worldwide license agreements covering lead scientific platform components, including super-enhancer technologies and methods.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Home - Mysyrosmysyros.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Syros do?
- Syros Pharmaceuticals is a Massachusetts gene-control biotech developing small molecules that regulate disease gene expression.
- Who are Syros's investors?
- Syros's investors include Aisling Capital, ARCH Venture Partners, Quan Capital, Flagship Ventures, REDMILE.