Kairos Pharma

What Kairos Pharma does

Kairos Pharma, Ltd. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that develops therapies to overcome cancer drug resistance and reverse cancer-induced immune suppression. The company was spun off from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in June 2013, founded by Dr. John S. Yu, and went public on NYSE American under ticker KAPA in September 2024. Its scientific premise centers on a CD105/Endoglin resistance mechanism discovered by company scientists, which is implicated in acquired resistance to widely-used anti-androgen drugs (Xtandi, Zytiga, Erleada) and EGFR inhibitors (Tagrisso, Tarceva, Iressa).

The pipeline comprises seven programs. Lead asset ENV-105 (carotuximab) is a neutralizing antibody targeting CD105, currently in a Phase 2 trial for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (with 86% clinical benefit reported when combined with hormone therapy) and a Phase 1 trial for non-small cell lung cancer. KROS-201 is an activated T cell therapy with FDA IND clearance for recurrent glioblastoma. Additional candidates include KROS-101 (GITR ligand agonist for T cell expansion), KROS-102 (GITR antagonist for autoimmune disease), KROS-301 (NF-kB pathway small molecule), KROS-401 (IL-4/IL-13 macrophage-repolarizing peptide), and ENV-205 (mitochondrial DNA-targeting agent supported by Department of Defense funding). In February 2026, Kairos signed binding terms to acquire CL-273 (an AI-designed pan-EGFR inhibitor) and CL-741 (a Phase 1-ready c-MET inhibitor) from Celyn Therapeutics, expanding into a $16.2 billion EGFR-mutant lung cancer market opportunity. IP rights are licensed exclusively from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with patent protection until 2040.

The business model is pre-revenue. Kairos has not generated any product sales as of September 30, 2025, and reported an accumulated deficit of approximately $12.9 million with net losses of $4.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025. The independent auditor issued a going-concern qualification in the 2025 annual report. The company's funding strategy emphasizes non-dilutive NIH grants, Department of Defense awards, and philanthropy (over $8 million cumulative) alongside a January 2026 ATM offering agreement with H.C. Wainwright for up to $4.5 million. Distribution is conducted solely through multi-center clinical trial sites and the strategic Cedars-Sinai partnership. Customer concentration in the conventional sense does not apply, as there are no commercial buyers; the end users are patients enrolled in clinical trials across prostate, lung, and glioblastoma indications.

Name

Kairos Pharma

Legal name

Kairos Pharma, Ltd.

Website

https://kairospharma.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kairos Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies to overcome cancer drug resistance and reverse immune suppression, with a pipeline led by ENV-105 (Phase 2 prostate cancer, Phase 1 lung cancer) and six additional preclinical/Phase 1 oncology programs targeting glioblastoma, EGFR-mutant lung cancer, and autoimmune disease.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Biopharmaceuticals

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Therapeutic Peptides & Protein/Peptide Biologics (HLAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies (HLAAABAC)

Keywords

• Cancer immunotherapy
• Oncology drug development
• Cancer drug resistance
• Immune suppression reversal
• Biopharmaceutical therapeutics

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Product Revenue: Kairos Pharma has not generated any revenue from product sales as of September 30, 2025. The company is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cancer therapeutics and has not yet commercialized any products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kairos Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies designed to overcome cancer drug resistance and reverse cancer-induced immune suppression. Its pipeline includes investigational antibody ENV-105 (carotuximab) targeting the CD105/Endoglin resistance pathway, GITR ligand agonists/antagonists (KROS-101/102), activated T cell therapy KROS-201 for glioblastoma, and small molecule inhibitors (KROS-301, KROS-401, ENV-205).

Product overview

Kairos Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a diversified pipeline of innovative drug candidates targeting cancer drug resistance and immune suppression. The core portfolio includes ENV-105 (carotuximab), an antibody in Phase 2 for prostate cancer and Phase 1 for lung cancer; KROS-101 (GITR agonist immunotherapy); KROS-201 (T cell therapy for glioblastoma with IND cleared); KROS-301 (NF-kB pathway inhibitor); KROS-401 (macrophage-targeting peptide); KROS-102 (GITR antagonist); and ENV-205 (mitochondrial DNA targeting). The company has also acquired two oncology assets—CL-273 (AI-designed pan-EGFR inhibitor) and CL-741 (c-MET kinase inhibitor)—from Celyn Therapeutics targeting non-small cell lung cancer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ENV-105 (Carotuximab)
• KROS-101
• KROS-201
• KROS-301
• KROS-401
• KROS-102
• ENV-205
• CL-273
• CL-741

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of patients experienced clinical benefit when combining ENV-105 with hormone therapy in Phase 2 trial for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Celyn Therapeutics, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Kairos Pharma signed binding terms to acquire exclusive worldwide rights to CL-273 (pre-IND pan-EGFR inhibitor) and CL-741 (Phase 1-ready c-MET inhibitor) targeting EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Celyn Therapeutics is backed by OrbiMed and Torrey Pines Investment. D. Boral Capital served as sole financial advisor for the transaction.
• Cedars-Sinai Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for clinical operations. The company was spun off from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in June 2013. Kairos holds exclusive, worldwide rights to IP licensed from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with patent protection until 2040.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TRACON Pharmaceuticals: TRACON originally developed carotuximab (TRC105), the same anti-CD105 antibody that Kairos Pharma is developing as ENV105. TRACON's clinical experience and data on this molecule makes it the most directly comparable peer in the cancer drug resistance space.
• Aravive: Clinical-stage oncology company developing therapeutic antibodies targeting resistance mechanisms, including AVB-500 against GAS6/AXL signaling. Comparable as a small-cap clinical-stage biologic developer with a focus on overcoming treatment resistance in solid tumors.
• Compass Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company developing monoclonal antibodies including anti-angiopoietin antibodies. Directly comparable as a clinical-stage antibody developer targeting tumor microenvironment and resistance pathways.
• Marker Therapeutics: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing non-engineered, multi-antigen T cell therapies for solid tumors and lymphomas. Closely comparable to Kairos's KROS201 activated T cell therapy approach targeting cancer stem cells.

Emerging players

• Werewolf Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing INDUKINE cancer immunotherapies designed to be selectively activated in the tumor microenvironment. Comparable as a small-cap immuno-oncology developer with a pipeline focused on overcoming immune suppression.
• Compugen: Clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company using computational biology to discover novel immune targets, with lead asset COM701 targeting PVRIG. Comparable in approach to overcoming immune suppression in solid tumors via novel target discovery.
• Erasca: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing small molecule therapies targeting the RAS/MAPK pathway. Comparable as a small-cap clinical-stage oncology company with multiple pipeline candidates and Phase 1/2 readouts.
• Cytovia Therapeutics: Clinical-stage cell therapy and NK cell engager company developing off-the-shelf NK and gene-edited iPSC-derived NK therapies for cancer. Comparable as a small-cap cell therapy developer targeting solid tumor cancers.

Broad incumbents

• Iovance Biotherapeutics: Commercial-stage cell therapy company developing tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies. Comparable in autologous T cell therapy modality and oncology focus, though significantly more advanced commercially.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb: Global pharmaceutical leader in immuno-oncology with Opdivo (PD-1) and Yervoy (CTLA-4), and broad oncology pipeline including cell therapies. Comparable as the dominant incumbent whose checkpoint immunotherapy franchise frames the competitive landscape Kairos operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KairosPharma
• Facebookfacebook.com/Kairospharmaltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kairospharmaltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/kairospharma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kairos Pharma